Mammoth Screen and Agatha Christie Limited collaborated to produce the highly regarded BBC One and iPlayer adaptation of Agatha Christie’s critically acclaimed novel, Murder is Easy, in co-production with BritBox International. The two-part thriller is directed by Meenu Gaur, and its adapter is Siân Ejiwunmi-Le Berre.
Fitzwilliam and Miss Pinkerton meet in the 30-second teaser aboard a train bound for London, where she tells him that Ashe is the target of a murderer who is on the loose in the peaceful English village of Wychwood. When it is learned that Miss Pinkerton has died while traveling to Scotland Yard, Fitzwilliam goes to Wychwood to look into it.
Main Street in Tyninghame, Preston Mill in East Linton, Stirlingshire, Forbes Place in Paisley, Sorn Castle in Ayrshire, and Birkhill Station on the Bo’ness and Kinneil Railway were all used for the filming of Murder is Easy.
It continues the tradition started by Mammoth Screen’s (2018) Ordeal by Innocence, which was shot in Bo’ness and on the Ardgowan Estate. Summer 2023 saw the cast and crew of the 2023 Agatha Christie mystery filming, and local press and citizens were able to catch sight of them.
Wychwood Under Ashe
Tyninghame, close to Dunbar in East Lothian, Scotland, is the location of the Wychwood under Ashe village in the novel Murder is Easy. Despite being filmed in Scotland, Agatha Christie’s murder novels are known for their little English communities, and Murder is Easy is no exception.
Tyninghame, a coastal village east of Edinburgh, was selected for the filming location after a shortlist that also included Garvald. With classic cars lining the streets, the community seemed transported back to the 1950s.
Tyninghame Smithy café and the town hall were among the locations where the village scenes for Murder is East were filmed in July 2023, centered around Main Street.
Local Cafe
As the location stated on Facebook and Instagram, the Tyninghame Smithy café on Main Street served as the filming location for the scenes from Murder is Easy.
Mill Buildings
Preston Mill in East Linton is another East Lothian filming site you should keep an eye out for in Murder is Easy. Before the two-part series BBC One broadcast, Film Edinburgh verified the shooting location.
Preston Mill served as the set for the Lallybroch Mill in Season 1 of the Starz television series Outlander. It’s also simple to visit this filming site if you enjoy Agatha Christie or Outlander. While you study its background, you can even witness it in action.
The Scottish Tourist Board has awarded the mill setting from Murder is Easy a 4-star classification, making it a National Trust for Scotland property. To schedule a tour, see the opening hours and admission costs.
London Scenes
In July 2023, Penelope Wilton and David Jonsson shot sequences in Forbes Place, Paisley, for the film Murder is Easy. The two can be seen in one of the press photos standing on Forbes Place with Causeyside in the distance. The streets in Paisley’s historic center are where the Agatha Christie adaption was filmed.
However, in recent years, other parts of the biggest town in Scotland have also been portrayed on television. According to local reports, scenes from Irvine Welch’s Crime were filmed in 2021 on Moss Street and in the vicinity of Woodside Cemetery.
Lord Whitfield’s Manor House
Sorn Castle, located in Ayrshire, is the majestic home where Murder is Easy was filmed. In the Agatha Christie murder mystery, Wychwood is ruled by the local lord of the manor, Lord Whitfield (Tom Riley).
The castle was constructed as a keep, and its earliest walls date from approximately 1400. Courtiers of George I, Queen Anne, and King James VI have resided at Sorn Castle. It had various ownership changes over the ages before being rebuilt in the 19th century. After that, Thomas W. McIntyre purchased it in 1907 and finished the Edwardian-style renovations.
Steam Train
Steam locomotive 55189 was used to film the scenes featuring steam railways in the film Murder is Easy. Built in 1907 for the Caledonian Railway, it was operating on suburban passenger lines by 1954, the year the BritBox drama is set. It has been maintained by the Scottish Railway Preservation Society since 1964.
Furthermore, you might have seen it if you’ve recently traveled to a heritage railway in the UK! The Murder is Easy train has made numerous stops along the way, including stops at the Bluebell Railway, which is a notable Downton Abbey locale, and Bo’ness.
