Harlan Coben is back with a new thriller on Netlix, and loads of Manchester locations were used in filming.
Despite the book being set in New York, Run Away was filmed across the north of England, so you’ll probably recognise these locations across Manchester and Liverpool.
Manchester city centre and Northern Quarter
A huge chunk of Run Away was filmed in and around Manchester city centre, with snippets of the gritty Northern Quarter making the cut too. The tense walking scenes and dark confrontations were all shot in Manchester, which worked perfectly thanks to its moody weather and landscape.
Evelyn’s Café, Northern Quarter
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Fans of Northern Quarter will definitely have recognised Evelyn’s, the brunch spot popular among city goers. It was used as the backdrop for many of the show’s emotional breakdowns and tense scenes.
University
via Netflix
The start of each episode shows the university building where Paige studies, known as Lanford University.
The University of Manchester was a frequent filming location for Run Away, along with Liverpool Hope University.
Guy explained: “It’s a variety of places, Hope Univeristy in Liverpool and Manchester University were segued together, partly that’s to do with the schedule.
“Sometimes it’s Paige’s University, her brother Sam’s university, then Simon also tracks down Paige’s lecturer who is now at a different university. Our challenge was how do we show these as clearly different places? We gave Lanford a more Oxbridge vibe, while Sam’s university is more techy.”]
Manchester Crown Court
via YouTube
We see many characters coming in and out of Bank Street Police Station, so finding a good fit for this location was essential.
The court and its nearby buildings were used as a police station and legal locations throughout the series. The stone buildings were suitable for stern looking scenes and fir the bill perfectly. As its a working building, filming was only allowed to take place at weekends, when the courts were not in use.
Producer Guy explained it “took a long time to get those permissions through” for those scenes.
Altrincham
The Greene family home was filmed in Altrincham, however the interiors were actually shot inside a properly in Alderly Edge, which makes perfect sense knowing what kind of homes are found there.
In the Harlan Coben novel, the couple live in Manhattan, but filming of the home was all done in Manchester.
Guy said: “In the book the family live in Manhattan, but one of the challenges was that families here, big successful families don’t tend to live in the city, they move out, so trying to get the right vibe was challenging.
“We wanted it to feel like a big fancy house in Holland Park”.
The creepy old cottage where Dee Dee and Ash grew up and are seen heading to on their road trip was also actually also shot in Altrincham. Producers had initially looked at it to use for the last Netflix drama, 2024’s Missing You.
Saddleworth Moor
For peak British crime drama atmosphere, Run Away headed out to Saddleworth Moor to film those wide open landscapes, ominous silence and shots of characters staring into the distance.
It’s stunning but also deeply unsettling, which is exactly what the show needed.
Stockport Underbanks
Chase and investigation scenes in Run Away were filmed around Stockport’s Underbanks, with its cobbled streets and old buildings making it look like a thriller set without even trying.
Dukinfield
Settings shot in Dukinfield were noticeably dark and tense, with many estate scenes being shot on residential streets. Production reportedly added extra graffiti to make it feel edgier, which locals definitely clocked at the time.
Alderley Park
via Google Maps
Many scenes take place in a hospital, with Ingrid of course working there as a surgeon.
As violent scenes progress during the action, characters are also seen receiving treatment, while there are also flashback scenes of Ingrid and other characters at the hospital as the story unfolds.
Producers initially struggled to find somewhere to film these shots, as most real hospitals can’t spare the space for a full on film crew. However, they eventually found the perfect location at the Alderley Park science park in Cheshire. The front of the hospital is real buildings on the site here, that film crews were able to film on weekends.
Tatton Park Farm
via Google Maps
In episode three, Simon ventures to The Corval Inn in search for the family of Aaron Corval. The location is described as an animal park for kids and was actually filmed at Tatton Park Farm in Cheshire. Tatton Park Farm also serves as a real life farm for children to interact with animals, so it fit quite perfectly.
Producer Guy said: “They were great at Tatton Park and have a lot of experience for filming.”
