Fool Me Once was a huge hit for Netflix at the start of 2024, and if you’re wondering where the thriller was shot, here’s details of the cities used.
Based on the 2016 novel of the same name by Harlan Coben, Fool Me Once changed the location of the action from the US to the UK.
The story stayed very much the same however, revolving around a woman called Maya Stern struggling to deal with the death of her husband. Only to then spot him in their house – and very much alive – on her nanny-cam.
The twisty-turny thriller features an acclaimed cast, and you can read our ending explainer here, while details of where the series were shot can be found below…
Where was Fool Me Once filmed?
Fool Me Once was filmed in multiple town in the north of England, including Manchester, Chester, Oldham, and Stockport, as well as Delamere Forest, and Spain.
For more on those specific locations, scroll down…
Manchester, U.K.
A significant portion of the filming for Fool Me Once took place in and around Greater Manchester in the U.K.
The opening scene in Episode 1 was shot at Runway Visitor Park at Manchester Airport, with the Walker family home – belonging to Maya’s late sister Claire – located in the nearby village of Bramhall.
In addition, scenes were filmed in Manchester’s Castlefield Viaduct, with the narrative anchor of the local pub actually being the city’s Peveril of the Peak.
Cheshire, U.K.
The heart of Fool Me Once revolves around Farmwood, the home of Judith Burkett, mother of Joe Stern. Farmwood is actually Arley Hall in Cheshire, a Grade II listed building owned by Viscount Ashbrook.
Plenty of the program’s funeral scenes were also shot at Arley Hall, alongside Philips Park Cemetery at Miles Platting.
Speaking to the Manchester Evening News, show producer Jessica Taylor explained “Joanna’s character is only ever seen in her house really so when we went to do the first recce we asked if she would like to stay there in the grounds and she said she’d love to.
“As well as the hall, one of the cottages was used, as both the family nanny and head groundsman live on the grounds of Farmwood. We also used a lot of the woodland around Arley Hall.”
Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest updates on Esports, Gaming and more.
Maya’s house was also located in Cheshire, which is actually a residential property in Alderley Edge.
Oldham, U.K.
Fool Me Once frequently shows flashbacks of Maya finding Joe dead, with the scene filmed in Alexandra Park in Oldham.
Taylor also explained to MEN “One place we did use a lot was Alexandra Park in Oldham, it’s a beautiful park and really underrated. This is where we filmed the flashbacks for Richard’s murder scene – although it rained all night!
“In the book, it’s supposed to be Winhurst Park, so we wanted to base it on somewhere a bit like Central Park in New York. It’s got all these beautiful Victorian follies and a bridge, we wanted to capture the prettiest aspects of it.”
Stockport, U.K.
Stockport air raid tunnels doubled up as Corey’s den, with the exterior of the den being created on the grounds of Arley Hall.
The shelters are a system of almost 1 mile of underground tunnels dug under Stockport during World War II to protect local inhabitants during air raids.
Delamere Forest, U.K.
As well as being an amateur detective, Maya also frequently takes to the skies with her private helicopter instructor job.
Scenes of her flying were shot at Barton Aerodrome in Eccles, with Maya flying across to Delamere Forest.
Spain
Maya has a backstory of being a military woman before her job as a helicopter instructor.
These scenes were all shot in Spain as the crew wanted somewhere that typically had a hotter climate.
Fool Me Once is available on Netflix now, while you can head here for details of more shows new to streaming.
