Annika filming locations: Where was the police drama filmed?

Season two has arrived on crime channel Alibi, and viewers want to know where Annika was filmed.

Detective drama Annika first aired on Alibi in 2021, before arriving on the BBC earlier this year. Now, season two of the detective drama has premiered, in which DI Annika Strandhed and the rest of the Marine Homicide Unit (MHU) solve unexplained murders, with a backdrop of stunning Scottish coastline.

The popular show sees Nicola Walker, who plays the titular character, return to screens in the crime drama. And just like viewers wanted to know where Unforgotten was filmed and where Marriage was filmed - both of which also starred Walker - TV fans now want to know where Annika was filmed, and we've got all the details...

Where was Annika filmed?

Annika was mostly filmed in the city of Glasgow, Scotland. Much of the series was filmed along the River Clyde, with other city locations including Bridge Street, Patrick, Bellahouston and High Street.

Outside of Glasgow, filming locations for Annika include Argyll, Loch Lomond, Loch Katrine, the Isle of Bute, Kidston Park, Dumbarton Castle, Luss Village and Helensburgh, as well as the seaside village of Largs.

The shores of Lock Lomond serve as the home of titular character Annika, where she lives with her teenage daughter, Morgan.

Arabella Page Croft, co-founder of production company Black Camel Pictures, said: "Annika's quirky house is perfect for her wacky character and her daughter, nestled on the banks of Loch Lomond. We knew we'd just fallen on the perfect home when we discovered it."

The Clyde Clipper catamaran also gets a starring role in the series, serving as the mode of transportation between Greencock (where the MHU headquarters is) to the Isle of Bute.

The morgue seen in the series is in reality the pavilion at Hermitage Park in Helensburgh. Usually, the pavilion is home to a modern cafe.

The show is based on a BBC Radio 4 series Annika Stranded, which is set in Oslo, but the lochs and hill ranges near Glasgow make a good substitute for Norway's fjords. 

Where is the glass building in Annika?

The Beacon Arts Centre is the glass building that serves as the Marine Homicide Unit's base, with its floor to ceiling windows providing a stunning backdrop of the Clyde.

The Centre is located in Greencock, which lies on the south bank of the Clyde and is a former fishing community which became a major port in the 18th century.

Arabella Page Croft said: "The Beacon Arts Centre will become our sophisticated new base and home for the marine homicide unit, with huge, beautiful glass windows directly onto the Clyde Estuary."

Where is Annika set?

Annika is set in Glasgow, and filmed on location. Arabella Page Croft said ahead of the first series, which aired in 2021, "Ed Smith, our location manager, and his phenomenal supporting team have worked tirelessly throughout Covid and Glasgow’s lockdown for the last three months to set us up so well.

"I know how hard the challenges have been to secure locations so we are really grateful to Ed and all the local councils who have gone beyond the call of duty to help our production."

Speaking to American television network PBS, series creator Nick Walker added, "We wanted to anchor it in Glasgow because we wanted to put the Clyde at the heart of the series, as the sort of arterial root toward all the other crimes that we solve."

What is Annika about?

Annika follows DI Annika Strandhed as she heads up a new specialist Marine Homicide Unit (MHU) in Glasgow, Scotland. She and her team investigate unexplained murders that wash up in the waterways.

Throughout the series, Annika makes the audience her confidante by breaking the fourth wall and sharing her wry observations on the cases and her life, as she manages her brilliant yet unconventional team, and her equally brilliant yet complex teenage daughter.

Crime drama channel Alibi reveals, "Intuitive and instinctive, Annika has a weakness for using literary and historical references to help solve crimes, an enthusiasm that her team definitely doesn't share, but which is often the thing that unlocks the puzzle. 

"The team's cases take them from the depths of Glasgow's Clyde River to the Isle of Bute and picturesque Loch Katrine as they solve a new crime each episode, juxtaposing Scotland's stunning landscapes and urban beauty against the horrific realities of the murders her team must solve."

Annika cast list

• Nicola Walker as DI Annika Strandhed (Unforgotten, The Spilt, Marriage)
• Jamie Sives as DS Michael McAndrews (Game of Thrones, Guilt, Chernobyl)
• Katie Leung as DC Blair Ferguson (Best known for playing Cho Chang in Harry Potter)
• Ukweli Roach as DS Tyrone Clarke (Wolf, Blindspot, Humans)
• Kate Dickie as DCI Diane Oban (Inside Man)
• Varada Sethu as DC Harper Weston (Jurassic World: Dominion, I Came By)
• Silvie Furneaux as Morgan Strandhed (Red Rose, Vigil)
• Paul McGann as Jake Strathearn (Best-known for playing the Eighth Doctor in Doctor Who)

How to watch Annika

Annika airs at 9pm every Tuesday on crime channel Alibi, with each of the six episodes lasting an hour. UK viewers can watch Alibi if they have Sky (channel 109) or Virgin TV (channel 126).

Alibi is not on Freeview, but you can also watch episodes of Annika on UKTV, though episodes arrive slightly later to the streaming service - with episode one of the second series not available until Friday 11 August. 

In other TV news, we've revealed why Douglas Henshall left Shetland, and explained the ending of Hijack too. If you want to know where hilarious BBC comedy Henpocalypse! filmed, we've got you covered.