Bristol boasts Kiri filming locations
Bristol is the backdrop of the series.
“We filmed all of the exteriors there. It’s Miriam’s patch. It’s fantastic, vibrant, really colourful, really edgy, completely non-conformist, which is very much who she is. They sort of complement one another… it was a really good place to film.” – Sarah Lancashire
Written by Bristol-born BJack Thorne the compelling four-part drama set in Bristol examines the abduction of a young black girl, named Kiri, who is soon-to-be-adopted by her white foster family, and the trail of lies, blame, guilt and notoriety that follows.
Miriam (Sarah Lancashire) is an experienced, no-nonsense social worker who loves and believes in her job, but has a maverick and instinctive approach to protecting the children in her care. Miriam arranges for Kiri to have an unsupervised visit with her biological grandparents. When Kiri disappears during the visit, the fingers of suspicion and blame from the police, the press, and even her colleagues, point firmly at Miriam.
As the media spotlight around the story intensifies, Miriam, as well as both sets of families, are forced to ask the toughest questions, not just of themselves, but of each other. Tobi (Lucian Msamati – Taboo, Luther), Kiri’s birth grandfather, finds both his race and dysfunctional relationship with his son, the prime suspect in Kiri’s disappearance, put under the microscope. Meanwhile Alice (Lia Williams – The Missing, The Crown), Kiri’s fiercely articulate white foster mother, watches as her family starts to crumble under the pressure of very public grief.
Kiri filmed for two weeks in August 2017 at locations across Bristol, including the Gloucester Road area, St Andrews Park, The Downs, the Cumberland Basin area near Spike Island, Napier Road and the Bear Pit. Driving shots feature Muller Road, Filton Avenue and St James Barton Roundabout. Bristol Film Office worked closely with the production team to negotiate special permissions for drone filming above the city whilst also facilitating recces, arranging vehicle access, road closures, bollard removal and tree cutting.
Other upcoming productions recently filmed in Bristol include Mike Newell’s feature The Guernsey Literary Potato Peel Society starring Lily James and Glen Powell and Jon S. Baird’s feature Stan & Ollie starring John C. Reilly and Steve Coogan as Laurel and Hardy.
“It was a pleasure filming Kiri in around the city of Bristol, with a massive helping hand from the Film Office who were incredibly accommodating in helping us achieve our goals at some tricky locations. When facing particular issues regarding the flying of drones in certain locations, thankfully they came up with solutions to keep all parties happy. I look forward to returning to Bristol on future projects, a city that is genuinely film friendly with excellent location support.” – Location Manager Jason Keatley
The second episode of Kiri airs tonight at 9pm on Channel 4.
