The series has had a dramatic change of location for season 2.
The new season of BBC thriller series The Tourist may look slightly different than the first season, which was released in 2022 – in fact, it may look a lot different.
Not only has the majority of the cast changed, with Jamie Dornan and Danielle Macdonald being two of the only stars to appear in both seasons, but the series, which was originally set in Australia, now has a whole new setting.
The new season sees Elliot looking further into the mystery of his past, while travelling with his now-girlfriend Helen. But where is the new season set and where was it filmed?
Read on for everything you need to know about the filming locations for The Tourist season 2.
Where is The Tourist season 2 set?
It’s not specified exactly where The Tourist season 2 is set, but, other than a brief sequence at the start of the first episode, it is all set in and around Ireland.
Harry and Jack Williams, the show’s creators, revealed at a Q&A that while it was always the intention to move the show away from the outback of Australia, it was not always the case that season 2 would be set in Ireland.
Jack Williams said: “I think we actually wrote a whole draft set in Canada. It was very similar and Conor [MacNeill]’s character was still in there, but he was a Mountie, which would have been great.
“The trouble was, as the story developed… what the show is about, Elliot and Helen’s relationship and about this issue between trying to bury his past and trying to forget about it and move on and just live in the present, we did find we also wanted some element of who he was to enter organically.
“And then when we hit upon Ireland, the rest of the series unfolded much more quickly. We resisted it for a while but then when we realised what it gave us, it just felt obvious.”
Where was The Tourist season 2 filmed?
The Tourist season 2 was, of course, also filmed in Ireland, with scenes being shot in and around Dublin, as well as in the Irish countryside, including Bray and Djouce in Wicklow.
One specific scene that was filmed in the Wicklow Mountains is a scene at the start of episode 1, when Elliot and Helen wait outside a cafe to meet someone they believe to be an old friend of Elliot’s.
Harry Williams said of that scene: “That was actually built, that cafe. There were a lot of chats about the cafe and how we put the cafe there, at one point it was a large sort of trailer thing. It’s in the Wicklow Mountains.”
Meanwhile, Jamie Dornan added: “Where the cafe is, that’s the Vikings set. I’ve never seen Vikings, but everyone kept telling us, all the drivers and stuff. I think they were a bit disappointed that we weren’t the Vikings, that was kind of the impression that they were giving me, certainly.”
He continued: “It was properly beautiful. You don’t have to go too far in Ireland to find a beautiful spot. Australia was such an iconic part, and the outback was such a staple of the first series, and you’re asking a lot to find something to match that or have the backdrop be as dramatic and play as big a part as the outback did.
“It’s a different type of beauty, but it’s certainly beautiful and it definitely adds to the story in the second series.”
Meanwhile, Dornan said of filming in Ireland generally: “I’m hugely biased but I think Irish people are the best people in the world and I’ve, luckily, in my life, my career had an opportunity to make loads of stuff in Ireland. And I do think there’s nothing like an Irish crew.
“There’s a general sort of buoyancy to it, everyone’s having fun. They’re professional and they work very hard and they’re very good at what they do, but there’s just a serious level of of enjoyment to making art there. So I was very happy boy.”
Dornan also revealed that the location change was a key factor in his decision to return for season 2, which you can read about here.
The Tourist season 2 will be available to stream in full on BBC iPlayer from 1st January 2024. Looking for something else to watch? Check out our TV Guide and Streaming Guide or visit our Drama hub for more news, interviews and features.
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