Where Is “Stay Close” Filmed?

Where is Stay Close filmed?

While the novel takes place in Atlantic City, New Jersey, the Netflix series takes the show across the pond. This keeps up the tradition of other Netflix adaptations of Coben’s novels, like The Stranger, which was also originally set in New Jersey. 

Stay Close 2021 takes place in Livingstone, a fictitious village in the UK. Livingstone is an amalgam of several different locations, though primary filming took place at locations near Blackpool, Manchester, and Liverpool. 

According to executive producer Nicola Shindler, this was done to give the setting a more “generic” feeling. Like the story could be unfolding anywhere. “We’re not doing the North of England,” said Schindler. “We’re doing ‘Somewhere in the UK’ We think it works better to make it more generic.” 

But while the exact geography of Livingstone is ambiguous, the real-life filming locations are anything but. Here are a few filming locations you might recognize around town. 

The Pier

The crew filmed most of the establishing shots of Livingstone in Blackpool. “We got excited by the faded grandeur of Blackpool when Daniel O’Hara went there and said he could make it really beautiful and really strong,” said Schindler. “Having that as our Atlantic City is great because there are ways of looking at Blackpool, which has only ever been filmed from the grotty side, that I don’t think have been seen onscreen.”

Blackpool’s Central Pier appears often throughout the series. Although the iconic Blackpool Tower doesn’t make an appearance, helping to keep the exact location ambiguous. 

They also filmed the Mardis Gras scene here. But the weather wasn’t exactly cooperative. “We did the Mardi Gras scene in Blackpool and the day before we got there we were given hurricane warnings,” said Schindler. “It was the worst weather I have ever seen…They couldn’t even have fire breathers because the fire kept going out. Jugglers couldn’t juggle because whatever they were juggling was suddenly six feet behind them. It was crazy.”

The Viper’s Club

The Viper’s Club, where two men went missing, is the Shorrocks Hill Country Club. Located just north of Liverpool, the club has been abandoned since 2015. The crew gave the old building a bright pink coat of paint for the show, making it stand out from the woods. 

Manchester Evening News reported that interior scenes for The Viper’s Club were filmed at the Impossible bar in Manchester. According to Mark O’Hanlon, the location manager for Stay Close, filming mainly took place on the bar’s subterranean floor. The underground floor wasn’t in use during lockdown, which made it an ideal filming location. “We had a really good relationship with the guys there,” said O’Hanlon. 

The bridge

The bridge, which symbolizes Megan’s transition from her old life into her new life, is the Silver Jubilee Bridge. It crosses the River Mersey and the Manchester Ship Canal at Runcorn Gap.

“We wanted somewhere to connect the two,” said O’Hanlon. “The Runcorn-Widnes bridge had been closed for nearly three years while they totally renovated it… It had been open for a week, and they wanted me to go and ask them if they minded closing for a day again. They were really helpful though. We managed to do it on a Sunday. We had a stop and go and it looked fantastic. It’s a really interesting shape and we had some really good drone stuff that day as well.”

The ruins

The ruins in the woods are located on a private farm in Chorley. Originally, the production wanted to film scenes at Rivington Castle, but COVID meant that the production had to find another spot. 

“We had to go looking for ruins in woods of which there aren’t that many,” said O’Hanlon. “Our first option might have gone but I think this worked out even better, actually. Believe it or not, the woods that we used are right next to a road, but it looks like we are in the middle of nowhere.”

The Dream sculpture

The off-the-wall sculpture, where Megan used to rendezvous with Ray, is called “Dream”. Designed by world-renowned artist Jaume Plensa, Dream is over 20 meters high and is located between Manchester and Liverpool in St. Helens. The Dream sculpture is a substitution for Lucy, the Giant Elephant in the book. 

“We had to decide, how do we replace Lucy,” said Schindler. “In the end we found somewhere that is integral to our location. It’s somewhere that exists, these huge dreamscape heads, which are so fantastic and odd but real.”

Next, we’ll share how you can find your own filming locations, perfect for winding down our “where is Stay Close filmed” discussion.

Check out these awesome outdoor photoshoot locations in Manchester for more location inspiration!