Look out for Why Didn’t They Ask Evans? filming locations like Three Cliffs Bay, Pennard Castle and Pennard Golf Club in Gower, Swansea, Surrey’s Guildford, Shere and Mickleham, and Ely Cathedral.
The series Why Didn’t They Ask Evans? is based on Agatha Christie’s 1934 novel. Though it was shown on BritBox in 2022, the series has come to ITV for April 2023. Bobby (Will Poulter), Dr Alwyn Thomas (Conleth Hill) and Lady Frances (Lucy Boynton) are drawn into a murder investigation.
Agatha Christie mystery was adapted by Hugh Laurie and is made by Mammoth Screen – known for recent Christie adaptations like And Then There Were None. Laurie also features in the series as Dr James Nicholson, alongside Paul Whitehouse, Jonathan Jules, Daniel Ings, Maeve Dermody, Morwenna Banks, Amy Nuttall and more.
Where Was Why Didn’t They Ask Evans? Filmed?
Hugh Laurie’s Why Didn’t They Ask Evans? adaptation was filmed in Cambridge, at Pennard Golf Course, Three Cliffs Bay and Pennard Castle in Swansea, Ely Cathedral in Cambridgeshire, and Polesden Lacey, Guildford Guildhall, Shere and Albury in Surrey.
It’s set on the Welsh coast in the town of Marchbolt, and the Hampshire countryside. Marchbolt and the Bassington-ffrench family home at Merroway Court might be fictional, but the 3-part Agatha Christie series features some convincing filming locations.
Why Didn’t They Ask Evans? Filming Locations
Golf Course
Pennard golf club. ceridwen / Pennard golf club
The golf course locationin Why Didn’t They Ask Evans? is Pennard Golf Club in Swansea. Pennard’s golf course is perched on top of the cliffs above Three Cliffs Beach. That coastal location makes it a close match for the Marchbolt golf course where a tragic incident interrupts Bobby’s round of golf.
The Beach
Three Cliffs Bay. Rainer Boettchers, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
The Why Didn’t They Ask Evans? beach location is Three Cliffs Bay in Gower, Wales. The Swansea bay is named after the three limestone cliffs that stand around the beach.
Wales Online relayed behind the scenes snaps of the shoot in progress at Three Cliffs Bay. The pictures reveal how some of the murder mystery’s dramatic moments were filmed, catching the cast and crew between shots.
Castle Ruins
Pennard Castle. ceridwen / Castell Pennard
The Welsh castle ruins in the Why Didn’t They Ask Evans? picnic scenes were filmed on location at Pennard Castle. It stands above to Three Cliffs Bay in Swansea, overlooking the coastline where the Agatha Christie adaptation’s beach scenes were filmed.
Pennard Castle has stood on the site since the 12th Century, with the original timber building being replaced and reinforced over the centuries. The parts we can see today include the distinctive gatehouse, with the remains of the towers and entrance. It stands alongside Pennard Gold Club – another Why Didn’t They Ask Evans? filming location from the 2022 series.
The Cathedral
Ely Cathedral. Simon Burchell, CC BY-SA 4.0
In Hugh Laurie’s adaptation of Why Didn’t They Ask Evans? the cathedral location is Ely Cathedral in Cambridgeshire. Ely Cathedral shared behind the scenes sneak peeks of choristers from Ely, who performed alongside members of Selwyn College Choir for the Agatha Christie series.
As it happens, Hugh Laurie is an alumnus and Honorary Fellow of Cambridge’s Selwyn College – and he took the time for a quick selfie with current students.
Coroner’s Court
The courtroom scenes in Why Didn’t They Ask Evans? were filmed at the Guildhall on Guildford High Street. Filming took place around Tunsgate Arch in the 1930s murder mystery as well.
Guildford’s Tudor-era Guildhall was once used as a courthouse, providing the courtroom that appears in Hugh Laurie’s 2022 Agatha Christie series.
The inquest takes place in Episode 1. Bobby Jones and Mrs Cayman are called to give details of Alex Pritchard's death, walking to the front of the wood-panelled Why Didn’t They Ask Evans? courtroom location.
After hearing Mrs Cayman's information, Bobby leaves the inquest. He's seen on Guildford High Street, before setting off to carry out his own investigation.
The Village
As well as the courtroom scenes filmed in Guildford, village scenes were filmed in Shere and Albury in Surrey. Why Didn’t They Ask Evans? filmed at the Surrey locations in July 2021, with local spotting vintage cars and period costumes in the area.
Frankie’s Family Home
Martyn Davies / Polesden Lacey
Lord and Lady Marcham’s house location in Why Didn’t They Ask Evans? is Polesden Lacey, a stately home in Surrey. The team at Polesden Lacey shared a few glimpses of the filming location in action around the property.
The house provides the backdrop for the star-studded library scene. It begins with a cameo appearance by Jim Broadbent, and ends with a stand-off between Emma Thompson’s Lady Marcham and her onscreen daughter, Frankie.
If you’re an Agatha Christie fan, you might just recognise Polesden Lacey from a previous murder mystery. The Regency-era National Trust property appeared in ITV’s adaptation of At Bertram’s Hotel over a decade ago. In the Miss Marple mystery, Polesden Lacey was the filming location for the titular Bertram’s Hotel.
The Anglers’ Arms, Staverley
The Why Didn’t They Ask Evans? pub filming location is the Running Horses in Mickleham - renamed the Anglers Arms for the series. It appears in Episode 2 of the Agatha Christie adaptation, in the scene where Bobby interviews Paul Whitehouse’s Askew.
Like many of the Why Didn’t They Ask Evans? 2022 filming locations, this pub is in Surrey. It’s a regular on gastropub lists, so you may have heard of this one on its own merits.