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TV & Film

Everywhere Stay Close was filmed around Greater Manchester

People have been spotting a few familiar locations in the new series…

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There’s a new Netflix crime drama in town; Stay Close made its worldwide debut on New Year’s Eve and has since skyrocketed to the top of the most watched list.

An adaptation of Harlan Coben’s best selling novel, the new thriller series follows the lives of four strangers who all harbour their own dark and dangerous secrets. These secrets will eventually unravel and link the strangers in ways they once never thought possible.

Yet while Coben’s original novel was set in Atlantic City in America, Netflix’s adaptation was all set on location here in the wonderful North West of England, much like Coben’s other smash-hit series The Stranger.

Here are some of the locations you might recognise…

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Didsbury Village

The show’s main character Megan lives in an enviable home in an idyllic looking village… Which actually turns out to be Manchester’s very own Didsbury village. Who’d have thought it?

The property is located just a stone’s throw away from Wilmslow Road, where a number of action scenes were also filmed.

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Impossible

Manchester’s Impossible bar and club, located down Peter Street, stands in as ‘Vipers’, the swanky nightclub at the centre of many dark events. 

Though it is worth noting that the exterior of the club was shot a little further afield in Formby, Liverpool.

Netflix

The Refuge

Another popular Manchester venue made the cut in the series in a scene where lead character Megan heads out on her hen do.

The Refuge, found down Oxford Road and a part of the Kimpton Clocktower Hotel building, stands in as the backdrop for the hen party scene in the first episode.

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Ashton-under-Lyne

A fictional pet shop in the series known as Hannibal’s Animals is actually a carpet shop in the borough of Ashton-under-Lyne, on the corner of Stamford Street Central and Warrington Street.

The Feathers pub in Ashton-under-Lyne also features in the series as its true and unapologetic self.

Netflix

The Stoller Hall

One of Manchester’s most iconic and recognisable concert venues The Stoller Hall – part of the Chetham’s School of Music – makes a grand appearance in Stay Close.

It stands in for a scene in which police officer Brian – played by Jack Shalloo – watches his daughter play the piano in an empty auditorium. 

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The Edwardian Manchester

During the first episode, character Dave can be seen being led blind-folded through a hotel lobby on the day of his impending stag do.

And if the scene looked a little familiar, you wouldn’t have been mistaken; Dave was actually being led through The Edwardian Manchester, a Radisson Collection hotel on Peter Street. 

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Arley Hall & Gardens

Warning: Some mild spoilers ahead!

In the final episode, Megan and Dave finally tie the knot in a gorgeous and historical country house… Which actually turns out to be the magnificent Arley Hall in Cheshire. 

And this isn’t the first time Arley Hall has made it onto the big screen, with it also featuring in Peaky Blinders as Tommy Shelby’s house.

Netflix

Heaton Moor

The Heaton Moor suburb of Stockport stood as the backdrop for a number of scenes where Megan meets up with Lorraine.

Though die-hard brunch fans will have instantly spotted the interior of Pokusevski cafe and deli, where one of the scenes was filmed.

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The Drill Hall

Bury’s Grade II-listed Castle Armoury Drill Hall was dramatically transformed into the sinister Fourways Prison, and made an appearance in several episodes of the hit series.

TV & Film

BBC detective drama Shetland to return for two new series 

There’s plenty more in store for viewers as we head back to the Isles

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Popular BBC detective drama Shetland is returning for two new series.

The long-running crime drama will return with Ashley Jensen and Alison O’Donnell reprising their roles as Detectives Ruth Calder and Alison ‘Tosh’ McIntosh.

Filming on the next season, its ninth, will get underway later this month.

BBC / Silverprint Pictures

The broadcaster said Shetland was the biggest drama of the year across Scotland and all channels and streamers in 2023, after Yorkshire crime drama Happy Valley. 

Last season averaged seven million viewers and was the first to see Ashley Jenson take the lead role after taking over from Douglas Henshall as Jimmy Perez – a role he played for a decade.

Ms Jenson said she was ‘thrilled’ to be coming back as Detective Calder.

BBC / Silverprint Pictures

She said: “The reaction to the last series was incredible and I’m excited at the prospect of unravelling more intrigue.

“The Shetland Isles are breath-taking – without a doubt one of the most memorable and unique filming locations I’ve been to.”

Ms O’Donnell also expressed that she ‘could not be happier’ about returning to film another series. She added: “Ashley and I just scratched the surface of our dynamic in Series 8 and I am delighted that we now have the opportunity to build on that.”

BBC / Silverprint Pictures

Fans of the programme will be delighted to know Steven Robertson (Sandy), Lewis Howden (Billy) and Anne Kidd (Cora) are also confirmed to return.

Lindsay Salt, director of BBC Drama, said the news showed the corporation was ‘further strengthening’ its commitment to the show, which first aired in 2013.

The latest series will be written by Paul Logue and Denise Paul and produced by Silverprint Pictures, with filming scheduled to take place throughout this year and next.

We can’t wait for this!

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TV & Film

New Netflix true crime docuseries leaving viewers ‘disturbed’

‘one of the wildest most disturbing docs I have seen’

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A new true crime docuseries on Netflix is leaving viewers traumatised and ‘disturbed’ after bingeing it in a night.

The three-part show delves into the world of ‘cons, cults and kidnappings’.

And of course, it’s called The Program: Cons, Cults, and Kidnapping, and details the traumatic events a group of school kids experienced.

The true story highlights serial abuse at Ivy Ridge, a disciplinary school in rural Ogdensburg, New York.

Netflix

Imagine being at school and suddenly you’re called to the principal’s office and then put in handcuffs or solitary confinement. It may sound like a horror story but this was real life for Katherine Kubler and a number of survivors of this troubled youth academy.

Kubler, who directs this docuseries, was sent to Ivy Ridge for acting out as a teenager.

At first glance, it seemed like a regular high school, but behind closed doors something a lot more sinister was going on.

It features interviews from former students who expose what happened while they were there.

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The series reveals how students were prohibited from speaking to, or looking at each other. They were mostly not allowed to go outside and the school was run on a points system – which determined how long they would remain there, according to former students.

Ivy Ridge closed down in 2009, but Kubler decided to make this documentary, as she explains ‘there really was nothing out there to help explain what had happened to [her], to [her] friends and family to warn them about these places, The Times reports.

“So, now that resource exists,” she said.

A former student, Kubler found video footage and files on students lying around in the abandoned building.

Netflix

On her return visit to Ogdensburg, she spoke with a former staff member who said she was just carrying out orders.

Kubler said: “These programs destroy families, and it’s very hard, so I wanted [viewers] to see what it’s done to my family.”

The Program: Cons, Cults, and Kidnapping has captivated audiences with its three episodes and many have even binged the series in just one night.

On X (formerly Twitter) one viewer said: “The Program on Netflix is crazy from the start but about 7 minutes into episode 2 the level of f**ked up psychological warfare reaches another level. No idea how so many parents bought into this s**t.”

Netflix

Another said: “Twisted AF. ‘The Program’ on Netflix is one of the wildest most disturbing docs I have seen.”

After sharing her harrowing story, Kubler hopes that the troubled teen industry will be exposed and shut down.

She adds: “This industry exists because there are not many good resources out there for families in a crisis, so we need to figure out alternate solutions,” she explained.

“Ultimately the goal is to expose these places and to get this industry shut down.”

You can stream The Program: Cons, Cults, and Kidnapping on Netflix now.

 

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TV & Film

Jason Manford joins cast of Waterloo Road as new headteacher

Viewers can expect his character to ‘ruffle a few feathers along the way’

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@jasonmanford / Instagram & BBC

Jason Manford will join the cast of Waterloo Road when the high school series returns later this year.

The actor and comedian will take on a more serious role as headteacher Steve Savage, and he says viewers can expect his character to ‘ruffle a few feathers along the way’.

Manford, 42, from Manchester said it was ‘an absolute treat’ to be joining the show ‘right here in my home city’.

@jasonmanford / Instagram

The series was originally axed in 2015, but following a revival in audiences during the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, it returned to screens after an eight-year break.

After admitting to binge watching the show with his family during lockdown, Manford added: “It’s such a brilliant, iconic show, so I’m dead proud to now be part of its history.

“Growing up, I always wanted to be a teacher and now, becoming a headteacher, I know I would have been terrible!”

@theangelagriffin / Instagram

While fans of the show may be left wondering where the current headteacher Kim Campbell might be – played by Angela Griffin – viewers will have to wait to see how the storyline plays out, the BBC said.

Waterloo Road’s season 13 finale aired on Monday night (February 26th), with series 14 coming to BBC One and BBC iPlayer later this year.

Cameron Roach, Executive Producer of Waterloo Road and Founder of Rope Ladder Fiction, said: “We’re thrilled that Jason Manford is joining Waterloo Road, as the show returns for a fourth series since returning to BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

BBC

“Jason is a phenomenal comic actor, and has fully embraced the tone and spirit of the show, we can’t wait for the audience to meet Steve Savage and his son Billy. 

“As with all of our adult cast, Jason has been an inspiring and approachable mentor to our younger cast and crew; we love that a new generation of Northern talent are able to learn their craft alongside brilliant household names. 

“The legacy of Waterloo Road goes from strength to strength.”

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