The Split Up on BBC One: Filming locations of spin-off series include famous gay village, and an historic Grade II listed Victorian building
The Split spin-off has relocated from London to another buzzing city
The Split Up – a long-awaited spin-off to family law drama The Split – has finally arrived on BBC One, and it’s not just the faces that have changed, the filming locations have too.
The new six-parter follows Kishan Law, a British South Asian family law firm known for its famous clientele and stellar reputation. Clients turn to the firm for its “excellence, integrity, and discretion”. Aria Kishan stands at the heart of the story, ready to take the mantle from her father, Dhruv.
Aria is a fast-rising star in the family law scene. But the death of her mother, Raina, six months prior, has cast a new light over these plans for Dhruv. He’s begun to wonder whether his daughter can – or should – take on this responsibility single-handedly.
But where is the BBC One legal drama set, and where was it actually filmed? Here’s everything you need to know about The Split Up’s filming locations…
Where was The Split set and filmed?
The Split, which aired from 2018 to 2024, focused on the Defoe family – namely Hannah and her husband Nathan (later her ex, and we’re still not over it).
It was set in London, where the family of female divorce lawyers worked. The fictional law firm Noble & Hale (later Noble Hale Defoe) used the former Olswang international law firm offices in High Holborn, Central London.
But the spin-off The Split Up has moved 200 miles from London. Explaining the decision to move the drama away from London, creator Ursula Rani Sarma revealed: “The Split had a tremendous legacy, three series, one of the most successful home grown dramas at the BBC. The BBC and Sister [a production company] had already decided that they’d love to have a diverse family at the heart of it. We talked about where it could be. The United Kingdom is a big space and so much of the drama is set in London.
“We looked at different cities and Manchester came through with a lovely mix of vibrancy. The Split is an aspirational world and The Split Up is the same. We wanted to have boujee restaurants, lovely apartments and homes.”
Where is The Split Up set?
The Split Up is a family legal drama set in Manchester’s high-net-worth world of family law. It revolves around the British South Asian Kishan family. These are father Dhruv Kishan, his daughter Aria, and his son Kav. And then Maya, his other daughter. She left the firm to become a stay-at-home mum 10 years previously, but is about to make a return.
Talking about setting the drama in Manchester, creator Ursula Rani Sarma said: “The landscape of the city really struck me. It’s a beautiful aesthetic combination of the old and new alongside each other. There’s points you can stand and look across and see the old red brick houses, and then skyscrapers shooting up. A lot of this show is about legacy and generational inheritance, it felt like it was the perfect backdrop.”
What filming locations appear in The Split Up?
Cast and crew of The Split Up filmed on location in Manchester, where the drama is set, in England’s North West. It’s famous for its football clubs, legendary music history (Oasis, Stone Roses, Joy Division), and its vibrant nightlife.
The Split Up filming locations include Canal Street, and some of the city’s heritage buildings including the Manchester Reform Club, as well as the newer, shiny skyscrapers of Deansgate Square. Those familiar with Manchester will spot well-known roads such as Lower Mosley Street, the West and South Towers of Deansgate Square, the classic Victorian architecture of the Midland Hotel, and the yellow and black Manchester Metrolink tram.
Viewers will also see the iconic Kimpton Clocktower Hotel, a luxury 4-star destination housed in a striking Grade II listed Victorian building at the corner of Oxford Street and Whitworth Street.
In Manchester, filming predominantly took place in Leigh Town Hall, Rochdale Town Hall, and Trafford Town Hall. Manchester city areas that appear as well as Canal Street, are Spinningfields, King Street, and Northern Quarter.
In Greater Manchester, cast and crew filmed in Hale, and Altrincham.
Ursula, who also acted as Executive Producer, told us: “I think the way that we have brought Manchester to the fore as a backdrop and as a landscape feels new and exciting.
“Kishan Law is a family firm based in the heart of Manchester with a reputation which would see them often serving high net clients. So the who’s-who of Manchester will come to them in their moments of personal crisis.”
Where is Kishan Law filmed?
The production team transformed Leigh Town Hall in Greater Manchester into Kishan Law’s offices, using its interiors for the firm’s legal chambers.
The municipal building stands in Civic Square at the junction with Market Street, facing Leigh parish church. The building dates back to 1907, and English Heritage granted it Grade II listed status in 1987.
Key filming locations in The Split Up
- Manchester locals will recognise certain scenes filmed in Canal Street. Canal Street sits at the heart of Manchester’s vibrant LGBTQ+ district, known as the Gay Village. The famous pedestrianised street runs alongside the Rochdale Canal in central Manchester, just a short distance from Manchester Piccadilly station.
- Cast and crew used Rochdale Town Hall extensively for interior scenes, including the council chamber, grand staircase, large exchange, and corridors.
- The market town of Altrincham provided additional backdrops during the regional shoot.
- Cast and crew filmed at the Manchester Reform Club, a building located at the corner of King Street and Spring Gardens in Manchester. The former gentlemen’s club dates back to the Victorian era and holds Grade II listed status. It now houses the upscale restaurant and bar Grand Pacific.
- In episode 1, the family visit the Shree Swaminarayan Mandir temple in Oldham. It’s located on Copster Hill Road in Greater Manchester. We also see Aria and client Alex Edwards sitting outside the historic former Post Office building on The Esplanade in Rochdale, Greater Manchester.
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In episode 2, Aria and her family dine in Vermilion, an upscale Indian and Thai fusion restaurant in Manchester. Famous interior architect Miguel Cancio Martins designed it. The venue features striking, deep-red backlit shelving, custom glass cases, and contemporary Eastern design details.
- The historic Merchants Warehouse next to the Bridgewater Canal in the Castlefield area of Manchesteris also featured. Viewers will be able to see modern skyscrapers like the Deansgate Square towers in the background.
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