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Where was The English filmed? Find out more about shooting locations

The BBC drama stars Emily Blunt

emily blunt in the english
Francesca Shillcock
Senior Features Writer
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The English is the latest offering from the BBC and fans are loving the gritty western drama. The show, which stars Emily Blunt and Chaske Spencer, is a story about revenge and identity, and features an incredibly scenic backdrop, too.

MORE: The English: viewers saying Emily Blunt drama is best show of 2022

But where did the filming take place? Find out more about the shooting locations below…

WATCH: The official trailer for BBC's The English

Where was The English filmed?

The English was filmed in 2021 and despite having a mid-western theme, the scenes were actually filmed in Spain. Although the States was on the crew's list of choices for filming, they settled on Spain, partly due to restrictions around the pandemic.

Producer Colin Wratten televisual.com: "We looked at Santa Fe, New Mexico, we also looked at Calgary and filming in Canada as an option."

MORE: The English: show's heartbreaking ending explained

MORE: Is The English starring Emily Blunt worth the watch?

the english chaske hugging emily© Photo: BBC

Chaske Spencer and Emily Blunt

But it was Spain that the team settled on. "Luckily our location scout took us to a huge beef farm in Avila outside of Madrid," said the creator Hugo Blick, adding: "With the grasses, rock formations and horizontal light, it provided a perfect mythic space for this Western."

What is The English about?

The story follows an English woman, Cornelia, who travels across the Midwest in order to exact revenge on the man who murdered her child. After she and Eli Whipp save one another from a murderous fate, he joins her in helping exact her revenge - with their pasts crossing in more ways than they could have imagined.

the english chaske on set© Photo: BBC

The BBC drama filmed in Spain

What has Emily Blunt said about The English?

Speaking about the show, Emily said: "I was completely captivated by it," she said. "Hugo [Blick] sent me the pilot and I knew after the first couple of pages I was doing it. I love a character with a secret, where there's a mystery. She just felt so surprising to me.

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"She shows up in this brutal, masculine dust bath of a world and seems unprepared for the journey ahead. There are so many incredible questions that hit you." 

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