Where was Hostage season 1 filmed? Complete guide to all filming locations and other production details

Netflix's latest show, Hostage season 1, brings a tense political thriller to the streaming platform. The series showcases British Prime Minister Abigail Dalton facing the toughest challenge in her life as her husband gets kidnapped. As the French President, Vivienne Toussaint, visits the UK, a risky video clip brings in numerous threats and difficulties for her.

With the two leaders standing in peril, Hostage season 1 follows how they fight against all odds to come out of danger. The series was mainly filmed in different locations of the United Kingdom and Spain.

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Every major filming location where Hostage season 1 was filmed

A still from the series (Image via Netflix)

Hostage season 1 delivers unique scenes to the viewers, ranging from high-profile events to the dingy sites of kidnapping. From political gatherings to high-risk spots, the series brings the characters to varied settings, incorporating a variety of filming locations for the show. The backdrop of Spain and England helped to make every shot more lively and impactful for the viewers.

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1) London, England

The capital city, London, acts as one of the main backdrops of the series. It has been a pivotal location for several films and series before, but its inclusion in Hostage season 1 becomes relevant to the plot of the story. Shoreditch Town Hall, located at 380 Old Street, was one of the areas where a large part of the series was filmed. Several other locations used for the French Embassy, hospital scenes, and more were also based in London.

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2) Hertfordshire, England

One of the most unique filming sets prepared specifically for Hostage season 1 was based in Hertfordshire, England. As the series revolves around the British Prime Minister, scenes showcasing 10 Downing Street became important. As filming there was not possible, the set designers Arwel Jones and Laura Mayall replicated the location in Hertfordshire. Bovingdon Airfield Studios was used for constructing the prominent set as well.

The settings of Langleybury House/Mansion in Abbots Langley in Hertfordshire were also heavily used for the filming of Hostage season 1. The set design team had to make several arrangements at the location as per the needs of the show, without hampering the original aesthetics of the location.

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3) La Palma, Spain

The kidnapping of the British Prime Minister's husband is one of the most pivotal parts of the entire series. La Palma, an island in Santa Cruz de Tenerife province of the Canary Islands, Spain, was chosen for the puzzling and action-packed sequences regarding the kidnapping. The location doubled as French Guiana in the series.

From the site where hostages were kept to the elaborate car chase scenes, La Palma became the backdrop of some of the most high-risk scenes from Hostage season 1.

Isabelle Sieb, the director of Hostage season 1, expressed that there were several challenges faced by the team while shooting in La Palma. As mentioned by Cosmopolitan, Sieb said:

"On Las Palmas there were logistical issues that were really time consuming. For example, the car chase we shot there - which was one of my favourite things to do, because I love directing action - was tough because there's only small roads on the island, and just getting access to them with our multiple vehicles lead to a lot of time delays - which is time we never got back."

Adding to it, the director said:

"So I often had to think on my feet and make sure that we get everything we needed, even though it sometimes meant that I had to let go of a few dream shots. Hopefully though, the viewer will watch the sequence and never know that it was challenging."

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Other production details of Hostage season 1

A still from the series (Image via Netflix)

One of the highlights of Hostage season 1 is the elaborate sets that were specially designed to bring more authenticity to the backdrop of every scene. While real-life locations were also incorporated, special designs had to be created for the specific requirements of the show.

The set design for 10 Downing Street was one such prominent creation by the team. Set designers Jones and Mayall had to take the help of Google Maps to replicate the location as the original site could not be accessed.

Sharing their work on the same, Arwel said to TVGuide:

"We knew we couldn’t shoot at the real place. Although we did ask whether we could go and measure up at Downing Street. But we were denied for some reason. While ideally you would survey the real thing, Laura worked out the scale of it from using Google Maps."

Further elaborating on the process, Mayall shared:

"While we watched a lot of footage and looked at a lot of images online, the main resource for us in recreating it was Google Maps. That was able to give us the relative position of everything. Then we had to work out how much we needed to build… In the end, the set was about 55 metres in length. We replicated both sides of the street, and ended up building it to the height of the ceilings of the first floor."

Even the House of Commons was recreated by the team for the show. While the shooting was supposed to happen at the real location, a change in the government led to differences, pushing the team to create a new set for the same.

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What is Hostage season 1 all about?

A still from the series (Image via Netflix)

Abigail Dalton, the British Prime Minister, is met with a challenging situation when her husband, Dr. Alex Anderson, is kidnapped. Her daughter, Sylvie, is also disturbed by the large media attention she was receiving due to her mother's career. The French President, Vivienne Toussaint, visits the UK and meets a threatening fate due to a secret video clip.

With dangerous forces behind their political career, the two leaders try to push all limits to save their political careers and their personal lives. Suranne Jones plays the role of the British Prime Minister, Dalton, while Julie Delpy takes the role of the French President, Toussaint.

Corey Mylchreest appears in the series as Matheo Lewis, Toussaint's stepson. Other prominent cast members include Lucian Msamati as Kofi Adomako, Ashley Thomas as Dr. Alex Anderson, Isobel Akuwudike as Sylvie Anderson, and more.

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Watch Hostage season 1 on Netflix.