ITV detective drama Ridley is back with series 2 and along with it, those unmistakably bleak and beautiful filming locations. 

Read of for details of where the show is filmed – and why.

Where is Ridley set? Why makers chose the spot

The show is set where it films, in rural Lancashire, although series co-creator Jonathan Fisher shared ahead of series 1 that wasn’t always the plan.

“We were quite lucky really in that it’s an original idea so ultimately we could choose to set it anywhere.

“We liked the idea of the windswept look because that in some way reflects the isolation of Ridley and we felt that Lancashire really gave us that.

“It was one of maybe three places that we looked at really seriously and it’s well-serviced by Manchester, which is where we are based.

“We considered a lot of places, but I think we’re all delighted that we landed on Lancashire. People were very welcoming, we had a great time, I think it worked out really well.”

Actress Bronagh Waugh, who plays Ridley’s protégée Carol, shared that she used the local pub to develop her Lancashire accent.

“There was a great pub near where we were staying, it was a bit of an old man’s pub. But that’s the best place to go to meet the locals and tune into the ear.

“So hopefully it worked and has made it authentic.”

Read more: Is Adrian Dunbar really singing as Ridley?

Where is Ridley filmed?

Filming took place across Lancashire, with a lot of the rural settings provided by the Rossendale area.

The show spent five months filming the first series through the winter, as Jonathan Fisher shared: “It was pretty cold, I would say and the cast will attest.

“It was a challenge that we all really enjoyed as there was a great team spirit.

“It was getting dark at half past 3 every day so you get this autumnal, slightly darker feel to the drama which elevates it and gives it the tone we were looking for.”

For series 1, film crews were spotted filming in the Todmorden Wind Farm in the area, across the border in Yorkshire.

The canal in Todmorden was also used for scenes in the show.

The series also reportedly filmed some scenes in the centre of Bolton.

Filming also took place in Watergrove and Hollingworth Lake in Wardle Village, just outside Rochdale, Greater Manchester.

Why the north-west of England had to be for Ridley filming locations

Ridley’s co-creator Paul Thomas Anderson also shared that they wanted the show to be set where it is.

“I really wanted to set this show in the North West of England because I know the people.

“It sounds cliche but there is a proud Northern grit to this show, the people who live there, they’re very private, and they don’t want to let you into their lives.

“They don’t want to show what goes on behind the curtain to anyone – let alone the police.

“So there’s a reserve, there’s also a warmth, a heart, a passion from the north-west of England. The landscape fits in with that.”

Ridley series 2 airs on ITV from August 10 at 8pm. Both series 1 and 2 are available now on ITVX.