Warning: This article contains spoilers from ITV show Trigger Point, set out episode by episode.
We've got a new TV obsession: Trigger Point.
The ITV drama, with Jed Mercurio (Line of Duty, Bodyguard) as Executive Producer and starring Vicky McClure and Adrian Lester, is about fictional Met Police bomb disposal experts. Naturally, being set in London, parts of it were filmed here in the capital, an experience which Mercurio and Lester have spoken about. It wasn't all shot in London — other locations including marshes in Kent and a church in Essex (see episode two, below) also feature — but here's where we've spotted the capital on screen.
Trigger Point episode 1 filming locations in London
The first episode of Trigger Point kicks off with a high-speed police drive through a tunnel — initially we assumed the Blackwall Tunnel, but a closer look at the shape of the underpass and the direction they travel in once they emerge suggests the Limehouse Link Tunnel instead.
Then it's out into east London, past the unmistakable yellow pointy roof of Billingsgate Market until the Charrington Tower and its neighbours loom large behind them, followed by an aerial shot of the nearby flyover, with the DLR track running parallel, and a skyline shot of London for good measure (note the Canary Wharf Crossrail building in the bottom left).
Beyond this, the first episode is based entirely on the fictional Westhaven housing estate as Met Police bomb disposal experts attempt to diffuse potential explosive devices, first in the bathroom of a home in a block of flats, and later out in the parking area on the same estate. Despite the initial suggestions of heading east, this was filmed at the South Kilburn Estate, the area between Paddington Recreation Ground and Kilburn Park School.
An establishing shot of the area shows the estate's central tower blocks looming large, the Immaculate Church of Mary building at the bottom of the shot, and — big clue — the Trellick Tower in the distance off to the south-west (far right of shot).
Indeed, updates from local blog life in Kilburn and others confirm that Trigger Point was filming in the area in July 2021, and residents were warned of an explosion (presumably the recording of the minor hiccough at the end of episode 1).
TV drama "Trigger Point" being filmed in South Kilburn to be shown on ITV, around Dickens, Austen Houses. Loads of fiction police cars.... 📸 pic.twitter.com/jNPw1P55Jz
— Life In Kilburn (@LifeInKilburn) June 3, 2021
The bomb squad's initial arrival on the scene is Malvern Road, outside Dickens House, while the rest of the action takes place within the main square of the estate — the sign for the real-life MTC Solicitors can be seen in the background among a parade of shops — and many local residents were employed to help and take part in scenes.
Trigger Point episode 2 filming locations in London
(Contains more spoilers)
Four days after the episode one bombing at the fictional West Haven Estate, Lana 'Wash' Washington (Vicky McClure) is back diffusing bombs all over the place. Our first location is a double decker bus with a potential bomb threat, a scene which was filmed on Fetter Lane in the City of London, the stretch between Bartlett Court and Rolls Buildings, the glass office blocks on either side forming a looming corridor used to great effect in a drone shot.
New Scotland Yard is the next location, and though the iconic revolving New Scotland Yard sign is present, the building shown is actually the QEII Conference Centre in Westminster (the Met presumably don't give filming crews easy access to their building).
As Vicky McClure strides into reception and waves her ID, look behind her to see United Nations Green and the conference centre's own branded purple flags.
The church in which Adrian Lester's character Joel Nutkins' funeral is held, with a distinctive green spire, is St Paul's Church in Harlow, Essex.
From there, the action moves to The Forester pub in Ealing for the wake.
We were'nt able to identify the abandoned warehouse and wasteland which doubles up as the bomb factory in this episode, but Aileen Hughes on Facebook has suggested it's the old GlaxoSmithKline site on Greenford Road.
The final location for episode 2 is the Central Mosque of Brent in Willesden Green, with exterior shots filmed from Station Parade.
Oh, and if you're wondering about the Royal Lewisham Hospital, mentioned in the conference scene — there's no real hospital by that name.
Trigger Point episode 3 filming locations in London
(Contains more spoilers)
We have to admit, a few locations in the third episode of Trigger Point have us stumped. We haven't been able to identify the exterior of the police station where Lana collects Billy:
Nor the verdant viewpoint where she goes for a run:
We have found the street and market which Lana and her ex-army pal Karl walk through drinking coffee, before heading off to play pool — it's Bethnal Green Road. If you look closely, you'll see the fronts of local businesses including E. Pellicci and Cafe 338. The graffiti-covered, furniture-strewn alley which they turn off into is at the eastern end of Bethnal Green Road (thanks to Carol and Carlo who both emailed us about that one), but we're not sure about the interior scenes of the pool club in which they end up.
The rather swanky flat inhabited by Thom Youngblood appears to be somewhere in the Vauxhall area. The three smaller, V-shaped towers which can seen behind them as they eat are located at St George's Wharf, on the south side of Vauxhall Bridge, and the round tower in the middle of the main cluster is St George's Tower. Londonist reader Carlo used some clever triangulation methods to locate the flat at 1 Pickle Wharf near Oval, and we've got no reason to disagree.
As for the pub, the fictional Five Oaks, outside which a brewery van full of explosives is parked, it's The Spurstowe Arms on Greenwood Road in Hackney
That said, the tower block from which the sniper shoots the bomb disposal robot doesn't overlook the pub in real life. It could be one of any number of tower blocks in London (or elsewhere), or it could be that it's been demolished since the series was filmed — answers on a postcard please.
Oh, and if you're wondering about the A-Z in the final scenes of the episode, it's no help. The first page focuses on the fictional Westhaven Estate (which featured in episode one, above) and locates it in a fictional area of London called Chingwell, located somewhere between New Cross, Lewisham and Ladywell.
The second page suggests the location of the Five Oaks pub to be somewhere in Vauxhall, and the third page places the mosque from episode two somewhere just north of Elephant & Castle.
Trigger Point episode 4 filming locations in London
(Yep, you guessed it, more spoilers)
The episode opens on some marshland, at the site of a car bomb explosion. In the background, the QEII Bridge/Dartford Crossing can be seen, placing the location somewhere in the Dartford/Erith area on the banks of the Thames.
The exterior of Billy's flat, where Lana tries to find him, is at 239 Caledonian Road in Islington, close to the junction with Richmond Avenue.
The exterior of the Halal butchers shop whose window Billy smashed can be found on Hoxton Street, where a Halal butchers (by a different name) is located in real life (admittedly the street name sign is a massive giveaway here).
The exterior of the pool club is the same Bethnal Green Road alleyway as last week (the Royal London Hospital building in Whitechapel can be seen looming in the distance).
Once Lana takes the call about Billy and gets in contact with him, the episode is an absolute jumble of London streets. Initially Billy drives around the Paul Street area of Shoreditch, and Lana later speeds through Canary Wharf.
The area around Farringdon station is the real Turnmill Street, outside Farringdon station in real-life.
The Cranstead Fields mentioned and shown on a map doesn't exist in real-life, but is located roughly where Shoreditch Park is. However, filming took place in Gunnersbury Park in south-west London.
We haven't been able to identify the ice cream cafe where Lana and Karl meet (though only the interior is shown). We were also stumped about the building used as the 'Borough Hill Jewish Centre' which John navigates to using his battered A-Z, with Lana trailing him, and the road down which she follows him, until Londonist reader Tim Murray got in touch and helped us out. Lana exits Mile End park onto Grove Road, just north of the railway bridge, and the 'Jewish Centre' is actually Tower Hamlets Local History Library and Archives on Bancroft Road. Thanks Tim!
Trigger Point episode 5 filming locations in London
While much of this episode takes place indoors at unidentifiable places, there are three main filming locations to be seen.
The waterside bar where Lana and Karl meet, with Overground trains passing by on a bridge daubed with "I love eggs" graffiti, is, we think, Crate Brewery and Pizzeria in Hackney Wick.
Despite its distinctive green and blue panelled building — which is blown to smithereens by the end of this episode — the location of the fictional South London University was something of a mystery to us, until reader Mark got in touch and pointed us in the direction of Ark Putney Academy. Both the exterior shots and interior scenes in the auditorium were filmed here.
Caredale Road SE1 is a fictional street, home to the equally fictional Progressive Alliance campaign HQ. The imposing warehouse building which acts at the campaign HQ can be found on Bishops Terrace in Lambeth.
The problematic car and open gas cover is parked up just around the corner in St Mary's Gardens, where the rest of the exterior shots in this episode were filmed — and, given how the episode ended, where we expect a lot of next week's finale to also take place.
Trigger Point episode 6 (series finale) filming locations
The season finale picks up where episode 5 left off, on the fictional Caredale Street, filmed in St Mary's Gardens and St Mary's Walk in Lambeth, where gas meters in several houses have been tampered with.
The exterior of MOD Steepholm remains something of a mystery. There is a real-life Steepholm Island in the Bristol Channel, but the scenes weren't filmed there.
Deptford Assembly Halls, where the by election results are announced and much of the rest of the episode's action takes place, isn't a real building (there is a Deptford Town Hall, but that's a completely different looking building). We believe it was filmed at the Lycée Francais (formerly Brent Town Hall and Wembley Town Hall) on Forty Lane in Wembley.
As for the Soldier's Chapel at St Jude's, where John is found, it's a fake name and street name. Trigger Point gives us very little to go on — a grainy CCTV shot showing the exterior of the chapel, and dark interior shots. Still, if you recognise it, do let us know:
Trigger Point has been commissioned for series two, but no further details have yet been released.
