
On 3 May 2021, filming for the first series of detective drama Karen Pirie (ITV, 2022, UK) took place at the St Andrews Cathedral grounds. This marked the first day of filming in St Andrews, which continued each weekday, and occasionally into the night, until 11 May (The Courier, 6 May 2021).
Based on Fife author Val McDermid’s best-selling novel, The Distant Echo (2003), the three-part series follows the reopening of the unsolved murder case of Rosie Duff (Anna Russell-Martin), a 19-year-old barmaid found stabbed and strangled at the Cathedral ruins. Twenty-five years after the crime, Detective Karen Pirie is assigned to reinvestigate after a true-crime podcast sparks renewed public interest in the case (The Arts Desk, 10 October 2022).
The small-town, coastal charm of St Andrews provides a distinct backdrop for the murder-mystery, a historic and idyllic setting shadowed by the weight of an unresolved crime. As executive producer Simon Heath claims, this made it vital for the production to dedicate a “significant chunk of time” to filming key exterior scenes across the town, capturing the eerie and unsettling atmosphere of its source material. Zach Wyatt, who portrays DS Phil Parhatka, states that filming amidst St Andrews’ “old history, castles and wide coastline really helped to […] give the show its slightly darker, modern detective flavour” (Karen Pirie Press Pack).
To accommodate filming in St Andrews, temporary road restrictions and closures were implemented by Fife Council and managed by Crexcell Ltd. This included the suspension of the one-way system (Order 2013) on The Pends, and a ‘No Waiting / No Loading’ restriction on The Scores during weekdays, with filming presumed to have been paused on the weekend. The schedule of road closures provides insight into the production’s filming schedule. It suggests, for example, that filming took place on The Scores, between junctures for Golf Place and Murray Park in the afternoon to midnight on 3 May (Temporary Traffic Restrictions — Various Roads, St Andrews, April 2021). Between 5 and 7 May, filming took place between The Pends and Shorehead in the late evening to the early hours of the morning. This likely included filming at key locations, such as the harbour and the St Andrews Cathedral grounds. A selection of filming locations can be explored in the following: Interactive Map.
Chris Jenks, who portrays DC Jason Murray, fondly recalls filming in St Andrews, describing the town as “a really beautiful place.” Despite the dark and gritty nature of the murder-mystery, he remarks that “the whole series is a great advert for Scotland” (Karen Pirie Press Pack). Fife Councillor Jane Ann Liston shared a similar sentiment towards the show, telling The Courier, “it’s great to have a major TV production set in the town, as it will showcase how beautiful St Andrews looks” (The Courier, 6 May 2021).
A production team from World Productions, supported by TayScreen, brought experience from acclaimed dramas including Line of Duty (2012–2021) and The Bodyguard (2018) to St Andrews. The show received £364,000 of funding from Screen Scotland’s Broadcast Content Fund to support filming across Scotland, which created job opportunities and vital training for local cast and crew (Tayscreen, Scotland, 1 November 2022), while extras were recruited from St Andrews and nearby communities by Uni-versal Extras (Uni-versal Extras, “Karen Pirie”).
Emer Kenny, who served as an executive producer, writer, and actress on Karen Pirie, credited the input of a predominantly Scottish cast and crew with contributing to the show’s “authentic” feel (Assignment X, 24 November 2022). Similarly, whilst reminiscing on her experience of filming in St Andrews, lead actress Lauren Lyle highlighted the involvement of local Fife residents. Most notably, Lyle recalls a young female detective from Methil, the fictional hometown of Detective Pirie, who served as a police escort while filming took place at the Cathedral. The Methil detective became a great source of inspiration for Lyle, who described their interactions as though “looking into a mirror for Karen” (“Karen Pirie Press Pack”).
Heath recalls that “the town was really welcoming” to the cast and crew (TayScreen Scotland). The cast were accommodated by the five-star Fairmont Hotel, just three miles from the Cathedral, which doubled-up as a filming location. While the production’s stay was relatively short-lived, it was not without its challenges, as Heath explained:
“Covid was still a major issue for us – we had a couple of delays to the shoot and we had to recast one of the smaller roles before we started filming.” (“Karen Pirie Press Pack”).
In May 2021, the advised health and safety protocol for film production across Scotland fell under the guidelines provided by the British Film Commission. According to Heath, time pressures imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic caused adjustments in the production timeline. For instance, while the original novel is set in winter, the adaptation shifted the setting to spring to align with the revised filming schedule (TayScreen Scotland).
Despite this, filming in St Andrews proceeded with minimal issues, benefitting from the emptiness of the town following a year of intermittent lockdowns. Lyle reflects on its eerily quiet atmosphere, noting that the town felt almost deserted. The Fairmont Hotel, for instance, remained largely empty aside from “a couple of golf tourists” in residence (The Sunday Post, 20 September 2022).
Without the usual bustle of students, tourists and locals, the mid-pandemic stillness of St Andrews offered a distinctive backdrop for filming that perfectly captured the haunting atmosphere of McDermid’s novel. The town, caught in an unsettling moment of tranquility, allowed for a finished product which authentically portrays the sense of unrest at the heart of The Distant Echo.
Jessica Johnson (2024)
Works Cited:
Abbie Bernstein, “KAREN PIRIE: Series creator and actor Emer Kenny on new Britbox murder mystery – Exclusive Interview,” Assignment X, 24 November 2022.
Joanna Bremner, “My St Andrews: Fife author Val McDermid on her favourite things about the university town,” The Courier, 27 May 2024.
British Film Commission, “Working Safely During COVID-19 in Film and High-end TV Drama Production,” 5 April 2023.
Stephen Gallacher, “TV: Guilty – I stole the soap! Confessions of Karen Pirie crimefighter Lauren Lyle,” The Sunday Post, 20 September 2022.
Made in Scotland, “Karen Pirie,” Screen Scotland (Accessed November 19, 2024).
Neil Henderson. “Filming for a major new TV crime drama has started in St Andrews this week.” The Courier, 6 May 2021.
Road Closures, “Temporary Traffic Restrictions — Various Roads, St Andrews,” April 2021.
Adam Sweeting, “Karen Pirie, ITV review – Cold Case Mystery drags itself across the Finish Line,” The Arts Desk, 10 October 2022.
TayScreen Scotland, “Major New ITV Crime Drama, Karen Pirie Has Received Huge Acclaim,” TayScreen Scotland, 1 November 2022.
Uni-versal Extras, “Karen Pirie.” (Accessed November 19, 2024).
Word Productions, “Karen Pirie Press Pack,” Itv.com, September 19, 2022.