Picture Credit: MC PIX
We’ve been tracking Netflix’s mysterious live-action Roald Dahl series for a while, and filming has now moved to another UK location: Bolton! After a flurry of exciting behind-the-scenes set photos leaked from locations across the UK over the past few weeks, we’re getting in on the action again with more stills of the cast on location.
For a quick recap, Netflix recently confirmed a massive, star-studded cast for their upcoming adaptation of Dahl’s famously dark short story collection, Tales of the Unexpected, although much of what’s to be covered in the series remains a mystery, at least officially speaking.
In our very first glimpse at the production, Bridgerton and Derry Girls superstar Nicola Coughlan and Then Barbara Met Alan star Arthur Hughes were spotted filming outside a police station close to Manchester.
Coughlan, sporting a prominent baby bump and carrying a large floral duffel bag, was seen filming a rather intense encounter with a barking black German Shepherd police dog on the station steps. Hughes, meanwhile, looked very much like a weary detective, rocking a rumpled suit and grabbing a quick coffee break between takes. Later, after we published, we found out that Coughlan is playing Mary Maloney in an adaptation of arguably Roald Dahl’s most famous dark short story, Lamb to the Slaughter.
The production team hasn’t been sitting still since. The crew has been darting all around the North of England in recent weeks. Local reports and fan sightings on social media have spotted Coughlan and the Netflix crew setting up shop in various picturesque seaside towns, with recent filming stop-offs including Scarborough, Whitby, and Saltburn.
Coughlan, Toby Jones and Josh Finan Head to Bolton
Following the initial police station shoot, the production moved to the streets of Bolton, giving us our first look at newly confirmed cast members Toby Jones (Detectorists, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) and Josh Finan (The Responder, The Gentlemen).
The photos show Jones, whom we strongly suspect (and fans have speculated) is Mr. Boggis from the classic story Parson’s Pleasure, in a clerical collar and tweed coat, clashing with Finan’s character. Finan, in a maroon jacket, was photographed furiously kicking a green wheelie bin into the street before a tense confrontation.
Picture: MC PIX
Picture: MC PIX
Picture: MC PIX
Picture: MC PIX
Picture: MC PIX
Picture: MC PIX
Picture: MC PIX
There’s still so much to be learned about the new series, but from what we can see and what we’ve been told, this is not simply a remaking of the ITV show that aired in the 1970s but something a little smarter and more interconnected between multiple short stories. We’re on tenterhooks to learn more.
Acclaimed screenwriter Danny Brocklehurst (Fool Me Once, Brassic) pens the script, while Runyararo Mapfumo (Sex Education) is directing and Frank Lamm serves as Director of Photography.
Are you excited to see this massive cast bring Tales of the Unexpected back to life? What other classic Dahl stories do you hope to see adapted? Let us know in the comments below, and keep it locked here on What’s on Netflix for more updates!