ITV’s Red Eye filming locations include Stansted Airport, Dunsfold Aerodrome, Lambeth Bridge, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, BMA House andthe Mary Seacole Building.
Following the death of a former patient, Dr Matthew Nolan (Richard Armitage) is extradited to China on Flight 357 accompanied by DC Hana Li (Jing Lusi).
But he declares his innocence, and when another passenger dies on the flight in suspicious circumstances, Hana’s half-sister, journalist Jess Li (Jemma Moore) and the head of MI5, Madeline Delaney (Lesley Sharp), start to wonder if there’s a conspiracy going on.
We can’t promise you won’t guess any plot twists, but we’ve kept this Red Eye filming location guide as spoiler-free as possible.
Where Was ITV’s Red Eye Filmed?
Red Eye 2024 was filmed at Stansted Airport in Essex, Dunsfold Park in Surrey, and in London’s Millbank, Stratford, Nine Elms, Bloomsbury and Uxbridge.
While most of the action takes place on board Flight 357, we also follow Madeline and Jess as they take up Matthew’s case from the ground.
Let’s break down the filming locations seen in Red Eye on ITV – and some of the specific spots around Stansted Airport that appear onscreen.
Red Eye 2024 Locations
Heathrow Airport
Stansted Airport. via Wikimedia Commons
The airport location is Red Eye is Stansted Airport in Essex. The ramp in the opening scenes leads towards the gates, and numerous parts of the airport appear throughout. And in fact, real passengers were catching their own flights in the background during filming.
“It was a real working airport, they didn't shut it down for us, so we were filming among real people with flights coming in. It was completely unpredictable… There’s a big scene in the first episode where Nolan stands on the chairs in the departures lounge and gives an impassioned speech when Hana storms in with armed police to arrest him. There were about 150 supporting artists around Richard and everyone else was a real passenger waiting for a flight.”
Jing Lusi, DCI Hana Li
As seen in Episode 1 of Red Eye, this scene takes place in front of Leon and Burger King in Stansted Airport’s main departure lounge. So next time you’re grabbing a coffee before your flight, look out for them.
There’s even a chance that you could see the next hit movie or series in progress. Stansted is a popular airport filming location that recently appeared in everything from blockbusters Tomorrow Never Dies and Spider-Man: Far from Home, to BBC One’s The Capture and Sky’s 2024 thriller One More Shot.
Lambeth Bridge
Lambeth Bridge. Amalster, CC BY-SA 4.0
Look out for Lambeth Bridge when Madeline travels to MI5 HQ. This Red Eye location is geographically accurate – the real MI5 headquarters in location in Thames House, Millbank.
This building first hosted MI5 in the 1930s, but they haven’t actually spent much of the last century here. During World War II, the service moved to Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire, before moving around a string of London addresses.
In the late 1980s, the building was refurbished for MI5 to move back in, and the department moved back into Thames House in 1994.
Dunsfold Aerodrome
Ben Gamble / Dunsfold Aerodrome
Dunsfold Aerodrome is mentioned during ITV’s Red Eye, and these runway scenes really were filmed at Dunsfold Park in Cranleigh, Surrey.
This aerodrome was originally built for the royal Canadian air Force, but it’s more famous for an unusual feature on its grounds. If you’ve ever seen the Stig in action, or kept an eye on the Star in a Reasonably Priced Car leaderboard, you’ve seen Dunsfold – it’s the location of the Top Gear test track.
First built for Lotus Cars as their own test track, the BBC2’s long-running car show filmed at the site for 20 years.
Underpass
Underpass, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. GrimsbyT, CC BY-SA 4.0
The underpass painted with a circle design is the A12 underpass in Stratford. This Red Eye filming location is a pedestrian subway that links up with the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, leading to Lee Valley VeloPark.
It was built as part of the Olympic Park for the London 2012 Olympics – the velodrome itself was the first venue to be completed, back in 2011.
American Embassy
United States of America Embassy. Curran2, CC BY-SA 4.0
Exterior shots of the US Embassy in Red Eye show the real American Embassy in London. Completed in 2017, the £750 million building was designed by Philadelphia architectural firm Kieran Timberlake.
It’s at the heart of the redeveloped Nine Elms area, just a short walk from the new Northern Line extension and Battersea Power Station.
Hospital
Mary Seacole Building, Brunel. Rob Emms / Mary Seacole Building, Brunel University London
The Red Eye hospital location is the Mary Seacole Building at Brunel University in Uxbridge.
Officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II in 2006, the Mary Seacole Building is named after the celebrated nurse. It’s not a real hospital but the Red Eye filming location is used by Brunel University’s College of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences.
The Chinese Embassy
BMA House. KJP1, CC BY-SA 4.0
Red Eye’s Chinese Embassy filming location is London’s BMA House. Designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens and opened by King George V, this building is home to the British Medical Association.
But BMA House on Tavistock Square is also a grand events venue, offering access to spaces including the grand garden seen in ITV’s Red Eye.