Two floors down
BBC comedy filmed in council basement
Motherwell’s Civic Centre was transformed into a hospital to film scenes from award-winning BBC comedy Two Doors Down.
The Windmillhill Street building’s basement was converted by set designers to film last week’s episode of the hit show.
It is another Lanarkshire link for the popular programme, with Avonbrae Crescent in Silvertonhill also featuring in the current fourth series.
Set in the fictional Scottish suburban street of Latimer Crescent, the series features Arabella Weir as Beth and Alex Norton as Eric, the long-suffering Bairds whose home is often at the heart of the comedy.
It also stars Elaine C Smith as Christine, Doon Mackichan as Cathy, Jonathan Watson as her husband Colin, Jamie Quinn as the Bairds’ son Ian and Kieran Hodgson returning as his boyfriend Gordon.
BBC Two re-commissioned Two Doors Down in the wake of the successful third series when it received plaudits from critics and public alike, becoming one of the channel’s top comedies of 2018 and winning the Best Comedy award at the 2017 Royal Television Society Scotland Awards.
Series four started airing this month, with episode three featuring the Civic Centre to show tonight.
A BBC Scotland spokeswoman said: “The bulk of Two Doors Down is filmed at Dumbarton Studios.
“For series four, we have filmed the brief external shots in Hamilton, for various logistical reasons.
“It worked out well in terms of timing and convenience given that this series there is an episode with Christine in hospital, which was shot at nearby Motherwell offices.
“Latimer Crescent is a fictional suburban street so we chose a location which could reflect that, and could also accommodate filming for a week with cast and crew there.
“The neighbours were very welcoming and the street looks perfect on screen.”
North Lanarkshire Council posted on Facebook: “Check out how the basement of our Civic Centre was turned into a hospital to film tonight’s episode of Two Doors Down.
“Amazing skills designer!”
■Just two weeks ago, we reported how eagle-eyed viewers also spotted a Hamilton street being used as the setting for the award-winning comedy show, when the fourth series kicked off.
The popular show also scooped the Best Comedy award at the 2017 Royal Television Society Scotland Awards. of a BBC set