Did you notice the grand location?

By David Craig

Published: Wednesday, 03 January 2024 at 16:04 PM


Eagle-eyed viewers of Fool Me Once have spotted that the brand new Netflix thriller uses the same country manor as BBC period drama Peaky Blinders.

The series, which is based on a novel by Harlan Coben, currently ranks as the number one TV programme on Netflix UK, with a homegrown cast that includes Michelle Keegan, Richard Armitage and Joanna Lumley.

The premise concerns a widow who is shocked to discover evidence that her thought-dead husband might actually be alive, sending her on a journey that uncovers some jaw-dropping truths.

One of the key locations in Fool Me Once is the vast estate that Judith Birkett (Lumley) calls home, which in reality is Arley Hall, Cheshire, belonging to Viscount Ashbrook and his family.

Producer Jessica Taylor told Manchester Evening News: “Because the estate is so varied – it is also home to a chapel, a clock tower, an organic working farm and beautiful manicured gardens with a kitchen garden to boot – much of it appears in Fool Me Once without you realising it.”

However, this isn’t the first show to utilise the idyllic filming location, with the BBC’s acclaimed Peaky Blinders also visiting across its multi-season run, where Arley Hall became the Warwickshire home of Tommy Shelby (Cillian Murphy).

As more and more viewers began to make the connection, Netflix UK shared an image on Instagram comparing the two show’s depiction of Arley Hall, with a similar post being shared on X (formerly Twitter) by Den of Geek.