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Where was Alex Rider filmed?
How does MI6 infiltrate a controversial corrective school for the ultra-rich? By recruiting a 14-year-old, of course. Alex Rider tells the story of a London teenager who swaps football practice for undercover missions.
Filming Alex Rider took the crew to various locations across the world but, ultimately, it’s a very British drama and much of it was filmed in the capital. While some of the drama was set in the French Alps, the mountain scenes were completed in Romania, and then it was back to the UK for interior shots.
Read on to learn more about where this gritty teenage spy drama was filmed, and take a look at our TV Map of Britain to find your favourite TV show hotspots.
Before Alex has a career as a spy, we see his life as an ordinary schoolboy. His school scenes were filmed at the Ark Burlington Danes Academy, including the exterior scenes where Alex hangs out with his friend Tom. This school can be found in White City and has playwright Dennis Potter and musician Andy Fraser among its former pupils. The original school was founded in 1699, as a Christian charity school. Nowadays it’s an academy school that takes pupils from age four to 18.
A few scenes were filmed in Coke Street, a lane tucked away in the Whitechapel area. The name of the street is likely a reference to an industrial past when Whitechapel had factories powered by this type of coal. Coke Street is mostly offices and flats but, on Alex Rider, it looks like a gritty urban area.
Hornsey Town Hall was built in the modernist style in 1935. Its unique appearance has led to its use as a filming location for several TV shows. At the moment, the hall is undergoing redevelopment. It will eventually be an arts centre and cinema with parts of the building turned into luxury apartments. In the show, the interior scenes of the Point Blanc correctional school were filmed inside here.
Season two of Alex Rider is in production, and one of the filming locations chosen is the historic Berkley Square. Close to the city centre, the square is lined with beautiful Georgian houses. In the centre, there’s a small green. The square is an exclusive address in Bristol and is home to a luxury hotel. It’s often used as a filming location thanks to its historic and quaint style.