Did you know that Murder is Easy filming locations in Tyninghame, East Linton, Paisley, Glasgow, Stirlingshire and Ayrshire stand in for an English village? Murder is Easy is set in the English village of Wychwood under Ashe, but the new Agatha Christie adaptation was filmed on location in Scotland.
Released on BBC One, iPlayer and BritBox on 27th January 2023, Mammoth Screen’s Murder is Easy is based on an Agatha Christie book by the same name. The novel was released in 1939 – though Meenu Gaur’s new Murder is Easy adaptation is set in 1954.
Luke Fitzwilliam (David Jonsson) has just arrived in England from Nigeria to start a new life. But a chance meeting with Miss Pinkerton (Penelope Wilton) leads him to investigate a series of murders in her supposedly quiet village.
As the two-parter unfolds, we meet the locals in the frame. Could Reverend Humbleby (Mark Bonnar) or Mrs Humbleby (Nimra Bucha) be next? Do Dr Thomas (Mathew Baynton), Major Horton (Douglas Henshall) and Mrs Pierce (Tamzin Outhwaite) know more than they’re letting on? Is there more to Lord Whitfield (Tom Riley), Bridget (Morfydd Clark) or Miss Honoria Waynfleet (Sinead Matthews) than first appearances? In the process, the characters lead us around the countryside, from local streets to grand estates.
Where Was Murder is Easy Filmed?
Murder is Easy was filmed on Main Street in Tyninghame, and Preston Mill in East Linton, Stirlingshire, Forbes Place in Paisley, Sorn Castle in Ayrshire, and Birkhill Station on the Bo’ness and Kinneil Railway. It follows the trend set by Mammoth Screen’s Ordeal by Innocence (2018), which was filmed on the Ardgowan Estate and in Bo’ness.
Filming for the 2023 Agatha Christie mystery took place in summer 2023, with local press and residents spotting the cast and crew.
Murder is Easy Locations
Wychwood under Ashe
Tyninghame. Richard Webb / Birches, Tyninghame
The Wychwood under Ashe village location in Murder is Easy is Tyninghame near Dunbar in East Lothian, Scotland. Little English villages are a staple feature of Agatha Christie murder mysteries, and Murder is Easy is no exception – despite the Scottish filming location. This time we’re in Wychwood under Ashe, where all is not as rosy as it seems…
“They look beautiful and they're picture postcard perfect. Everything is supposed to be safe and beautiful and peaceful and it's not supposed to happen there.”
Douglas Henshall, Major Horton, BBC Media Centre
Located east of Edinburgh, near the coast, Tyninghame was the chosen village filming location from a shortlist including Garvald. the village was taken back to the 1950s with vintage cars lining the streets. Filming for Murder is East’s village scenes took place around Main Street in July 2023, and included Tyninghame Smithy café and the village hall.
Local Cafe
Murder is East scenes were filmed in Tyninghame Smithy café on Main Street, as confirmed by the venue on Facebook and Instagram.
Mill Buildings
Preston Mill. nick macneill / Preston Mill near East Linton
Look out for another East Lothian filming location in Murder is Easy – Preston Mill in East Linton also appears. The filming location was confirmed by Film Edinburgh ahead of the two-part series airing on BBC One.
Preston Mill was used as Outlander’s Lallybroch Mill location in Season 1 of the Starz show. And if you’re a fan of Outlander or the new Agatha Christie series, it’s easy to visit this filming location. In fact, you can even see it in action while you learn about its past.
The mill location from Murder is Easy is a National Trust for Scotland property with a 4-star rating from the Scottish Tourist Board. Check out the opening times and entry fees to book a tour.
London Scenes
Penelope Wilton and David Jonsson filmed scenes for Murder is Easy in Forbes Place in Paisley in July 2023. One of the press images reveals the pair standing on Forbes Place with Causeyside in the background. The streets where the Agatha Christie adaptation were filmed are in the historic centre of Paisley.
But other areas of Scotland’s largest town have appeared onscreen in recent years too. In 2021, Irvine Welch’s Crime filmed scenes on Moss Street and around Woodside Cemetery, as documented locally.
Lord Whitfield’s Manor House
Sorn Castle. Gordon Brown / Sorn Castle from the River Ayr Way
The stately home filming location in Murder is Easy is Sorn Castle in Ayrshire. In the Agatha Christie murder mystery, Lord Whitfield (Tom Riley) is Wychwood under Ashe’s local lord of the manor,
The castle’s oldest walls date back to around 1400, when it was built as a keep. Sorn Castle has been the home to courtiers of King James VI, Queen Anne and George I. After changing hands several times through the centuries, it was renovated during the 19th Century. It was then sold in 1907 to Thomas W McIntyre, who completed the castle’s improvements in the Edwardian style.
“One key location was Sorn Castle, which is a 19th century castle. It is an amazing place, and as all actors do, which is why you should never leave us alone – I loved wandering into rooms we were not supposed to… It’s an incredible building – beautiful, with the architecture and the history that's there.”
Mark Bonnar, Reverend Humbleby, BBC Media Centre
Steam Train
The steam railway scenes in Murder is Easy were filmed with steam locomotive 55189. It was built for the Caledonian Railway in 1907, and by 1954 when the BritBox drama is set, it was working on suburban passenger lines. Since 1964, it’s been looked after by the Scottish Railway Preservation Society.
And if you’ve visited a heritage railway in the UK in recent decades, you may well have seen it in real life! The train from Murder is Easy has travelled from Bo’ness to the Bluebell Railway (known as a Downton Abbey location), and many more in between.
Wychwood Under Ashe Railway Station
Birkhill Station by K A, CC BY-SA 2.0
Wychwood Under Ashe railway station location is Birkhill on the Bo’ness and Kinneil Railway. It’s a heritage line that runs regular days out for visitors, and this station has an interesting story of its own.
The building originally belonged on Monifieth Station on the Dundee and Arbroath Railway, and has changed colour over the years. Those colour palettes include the yellow with maroon ironwork seen in Murder is Easy.