Department Q was filmed in Edinburgh, East Lothian and Fife at locations including Edinburgh’s Old Town and New Town, Leith, Portobello, Wester Hailes, Ratho, Dirleton, Musselburgh, Vogrie, North Queensferry and Orkney.
Where better to set a crime thriller than Scotland, home of some of our favourite detectives from the page and screen?
This time, it’s the turn of DCI Carl Morck (Matthew Goode), a detective who returns after a shooting to take on a cold case.
He’s working with Akram Salim (Alexej Manvelov), James Hardy (Jamie Sives), Moira Jacobson (Kate Dickie) and Rose Dickson (Leah Byrne) to crack the case.
While therapist Dr Rachel Irving (Kelly Macdonald) is doing her best to help Morck as he gets back to work, each of the team has something to overcome as they pull together.
Dept. Q Filming Locations
Originally a Danish crime thriller series by author Jussi Adler-Olsen, Netflix’s 2025 Department Q moves the action in Scotland with filming locations in and around Edinburgh. Look out for filming locations to the north, south, east and west of Edinburgh – as well as an Orkney location playing a star role.
The Scottish crime thriller Dept. Q was filmed at First Stage Studios in Leith, Wester Hailes, Ratho Quarry, Edinburgh’s Royal Mile, Edinburgh City Chambers, Castle Terrace, Candlemaker Row, Portobello Beach, Edinburgh International Climbing Centre, Mortonhall Crematorium, Vogrie House, The Volunteer Arms, the Queensferry Crossing and St Margaret’s Hope, Orkney. Here’s a little more about the locations seen onscreen...
Department Q Locations
First Stage Studios
The studios where the hyperbaric chamber and office scenes were filmed was First Stage Studios in Leith. Established a few years ago in a former industrial building, the studios have already hosted another Mark Bonnar series, Prime Video’s The Rig.
And before they were formally established, the space was used for the MCU’s Avengers: Infinity War.
Wester Hailes
Wester Hailes. paul birrell, CC BY-SA 2.0
In Netflix’s Dept. Q, the Leith Park scenes were filmed in Wester Hailes, a residential area to the south west of Edinburgh. It’s defined by its tower blocks, with lots of
the area’s development taking place in the 1970s and 1990s.
Castle Terrace
The scene where Carl staggers in the street after the shooting was filmed outside the CodeBase building on Castle Terrace in Edinburgh. It’s just around the corner from Argyle House, the police HQ location for Irvine Welsh’s Crime adaptation.
Mortonhall Crematorium
The chapels at Mortonhall Crematorium by David Purchase, CC BY-SA 2.0
The chapel Morke visits as he investigates Merritt Lingard’s disappearance is Edinburgh’s Mortonhall Crematorium. If you’ve stopped to admire the architecture of the space, with beams of light shining through the colourful glass, then you may be interested to know that it was designed by Sir Basil Spence. The Scottish architect designed many buildings in his lifetime, but he’s perhaps best known for designing Coventry Cathedral
Queensferry Crossing
The bridge Morke drives over to speak to William is the Queensferry Crossing. He’s travelling from Edinburgh to Fife across the Firth of Forth’s replacement road bridge, built to largely replace its ageing predecessor.
Vogrie House
Department Q’s Egley House Hospital filming location is Vogrie House in East Lothian. Carl Morke may be seen driving to Fife to interview William, but Vogrie House is actually in pretty much the opposite direction. Built in 1876, the Victorian mansion has a café inside – and outside, it’s surrounded by Vogrie Country Park.
Reaching across 105 hectares, the park offers wholesome activities like playgrounds, woodland to explore, and a golf course – a far cry the from gritty Netflix crime drama.
Edinburgh City Chambers
Edinburgh City Chambers. AlasdairW, CC BY-SA 4.0
The real Edinburgh City Chambers, where Morke talks to the Lord Advocate, Stephen Burns (Mark Bonnar). The City Chambers stand on Edinburgh’s Royal Mile, loosely opposite St Giles Cathedral and just a short walk from Edinburgh Castle.
Lysander House
Merritt Lingard’s (Chloe Pirrie) house location is Lysander House in Dirleton – now a stunning modern home, but once a WWII radar station. The East Lothian Courier reported on filming for Department Q at Lysander House, as well as nearby Yellowcraig Beach.
Yellowcraig Beach
Yellowcraigs Beach. Stephencdickson, CC BY-SA 4.0
Hidden on one side by thick woodlands, Yellowcraig Beach is a sandy cove in East Lothian, near Edinburgh. It looks out across the Firth of Forth and Fidra Island – reputed to be the inspiration for Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island.
Greyfriars Bobby Statue
Who could miss the Greyfriars Bobby statue on the corner of George IV Bridge and Candlemaker Row? This Edinburgh landmark features on most tourists’ must-see lists. If depicts a real Skye terrier who sat by his master’s grave in the nearby Greyfriars Kirkyard.
The Volunteer Arms – Staggs Bar
In Episode 4, Carl and Akram meet Liam Taylor in what’s implied to be the Greyfriars Bobby Bar. Department Q’s Greyfriars Bobby Bar filming location exterior is the real location on Candlemaker Row in Edinburgh’s Old Town, but interior shots were filmed at the Staggs Bar, also known as The Volunteer Arms, in Musselburgh. The wood-panelled bar has been family-owned and run since 1858, in which time it’s earnt a reputation for its real ales and selection of rums.
Portobello Beach
Portobello Beach by Graham Robson, CC BY-SA 2.0
It’s home to the oldest original Turkish baths in the country, and lays claim to the title of birthplace of the 99 ice cream. It’s said to have been invented at 99 Portobello High Street, not far from the spot where the detectives are seen talking on the beach.
Doubletree by Hilton Edinburgh – Queensferry
Department Q’s hotel filming location is the Doubletree by Hilton Edinburgh – Queensferry, near the Forth Road Bridge. In the Netflix show, this is where Morke grills the reception staff and comes up against the Data Protection Act 2018. It’s seen again later in the series as well.
Climbing Wall
The climbing wall location in Dept. Q is the Edinburgh International Climbing Arena in Newbridge, on the fringes of Edinburgh.
If it looks spacious on screen, that’s because the EICA is the largest indoor climbing arena in Europe.
Ratho Quarry
Ratho Quarry by Anne Burgess, CC BY-SA 2.0
Department Q’s quarry filming location is the old Ratho Quarry, where the Edinburgh International Climbing Centre is now situated. The rock here actually came from magma, a sign of the area’s ancient volcanic history – Edinburgh’s iconic Arthur’s Seat is actually an extinct volcano.
Industrial Estate
The Shorebird yard were filmed along the Firth of Forth around Burntisland, to the east of the Forth Bridge. Look out for views of Inchcolm Island, and the red and white stripes of Oxcars Lighthouse in the distance. You can also make out the East Lothian coast beyond.
The Ferry
Look out for the MV Pentalina catamaran ferry in shots of the ferry in the port. Registered in Kirkwall, it sails across the Pentland Firth between St Margaret’s Hope, Orkney and Gills Bay, Caithness.
Pentland Ferries shared a sneak peek of the ferry in action in Department Q, leading up to its appearance in the Netflix series.