Alibi’s The Red King filming locations include Newcastle’s Lumen Building, Craster Harbour, Creighton Memorial Hall, Bamburgh, Biddlestone Chapel, Stanley terrace and Sea Lane in Embleton.
Following a tragedy on her city centre police team, Sergeant Grace Narayan (Anjli Mohindra) is relocated to the isolated Welsh island of St Jory.
She starts investigating the cold case of a local boy, Cai’s, disappearance. But she’s taken aback by the mysterious local cult of the True Way and the island community’s obsession with a Pagan god called the Red King.
Along the way, Grace gets to know all the local figures including Cai’s father, Dr Ian Prideaux (Marc Warren), Father Douglas Carrisford (Sam Swainsbury), DCI Ann Fletcher (Jill Halfpenny), St Jory Police Station’s retired police officer Gruffudd Prosser (Mark Lewis Jones) and junior officer Owen Parry (James Bamford), and the local gentry, Lady Heather Nancarrow (Adjoa Andoh).
Something isn’t right in St Jory island, but what’s the true story – and who’s behind it all?
Where Was The Red King Filmed?
The Red King was filmed in Northumberland around Embleton, Craster Harbour, Cambois, Northumberland National Park and in Newcastle.
The Northumberland coastline was chosen for its rugged appearance, and while all the filming locations are near the sea, none are islands (and a bit of TV magic was used to bring the shoreline closer in certain scenes).
Where Is St Jory Island - Is It Real?
The Red King’s fictional St Jory Island is in Pembrokeshire, Wales – but all the filming takes place in Northumberland, England. The Alibi series was filmed around Embleton, Craster, Cambois, Alnwick and Alnmouth.
St Jory Harbour
Craster Harbour by Graham Robson, CC BY-SA 2.0
The real St Jory Harbour is Craster Harbour in Northumberland, about 7 miles from Alnwick.
Craster Harbour was built in the Edwardian era as a memorial to one of the Craster family, who owned the local estate from 1272. In The Red King on Alibi, Sergeant Grace Narayan and the villagers are seen around the harbour including on the road leading down to it, and out at sea.
Bridgerton star Adjoa Andoh praised the Northumberland harbour location where The Red King was filmed, saying:
“The harbour at Craster is ridiculous, beautiful. Embleton, Cambois, all the locations are stunning… At the harbour in Craster on my first day my lovely friend Ollie Ryan is singing and I am looking at dolphins just out on the bay, it was amazing.”
Adjoa Andoh, Lady Heather Nancarrow
St Jory Village
Most of Alibi’s The Red King’s village locations are in Embleton, Northumberland. Look out for its cottages and lanes as Grace investigates Cai’s mysterious death.
In reality, Embleton is a picturesque community just a mile from the Northumberland coast and it’s known for the local beauty spot, Embleton Bay.
St Jory Parade
The Greys Inn, Embleton by Alexander P Kapp, CC BY-SA 2.0
The Red King’s St Jory Parade scenes were filmed in Stanley Terrace near The Grays Inn, Embleton and around Craster Harbour, and features Morris dancers from across the North East of England and Central Scotland.
Tradfolk interviewed one of the Morris dancers who appeared in the Alibi series, who shared the troupe’s experiences. The local performer revealed that the dancers hadn’t heard the music until the day of filming, while their costumes combined Newcastle’s Black Gate Morris’ own dress with symbols from fictional St Jory legends.
“Not having heard the music for the scene until the first day, the dancers rose to the challenge and quickly fitted three figures of Bampton to the soundtrack… The kit worn by the dancers in the series was carefully curated between the team, Wardrobe, and Production...”
Mossy Christian, Morris Dancer
The John Barleycorn
St Jory’s John Barleycorn pub location in The Red King is located on Sea Lane in Embleton, and it’s actually a private residence. It was dressed for the Alibi series, and CGI has been used to bring the coastline to the foot of the road. It appears throughout the series, including the St Jory Parade scenes and publicity shots.
St Jory Village Hall
Humphrey Bolton / The Creighton Memorial Hall, Embleton
The St Jory village hall filming location in The Red King is Creighton Memorial Hall in Embleton. It’s one of the Alibi show’s key locations as Grace introduces herself and the local community leaders steer the community. You can’t miss it in key scenes throughout the series - both the interior and exterior were used for filming.
The Shelter
Grace uncovers the shelter at another Northumberland filming location, Bamburgh. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny was famously filmed at Bamburgh Castle nearby, and the castle’s ruins extend towards the beach. Its coastal setting made the area popular with the production team.
“We’ve been to some fantastic locations… we’ve been as far north as Bamburgh with just stunning views where Grace finds the shelter.”
Daniel O’Hara, Director and Executive Producer
St Stephen’s Parish Church
The remote St Stephen’s Parish Church location in The Red King on Alibi is Biddlestone Chapel, near Alnwick. In the 2024 series, Grace’s investigation leads her to St Stephen’s Parish Church after she finds a bible inscribed with the church’s name on a bookshelf.
Hidden in the woodland of Northumberland National Park, Biddlestone Chapel was built in 1820 for Roman Catholic worship. The present day chapel was built with the remains of a medieval tower which stood on the site. Visitors can see the church from the public right of way that leads them through the woodland, but can’t go inside.
However, both the interior and exterior appear in The Red King. Grace is seen parking her police car alongside the chapel before entering a Visitor’s Centre building (added for the production) and the real church.
Police HQ Tower Block
The Red King’s high rise police HQ location in the Lumen Building in Newcastle. It stands on a former brewery site as part of the Newcastle Helix regeneration project. You can see its neighbouring buildings outside Grace’s police headquarters in the opening scenes.