Channel 5’s Cooper & Fry was set in the Peak District but filmed elsewhere – here’s what we know about the locations for the Stephen Booth adaptation
Megan Nisbet Content Editor
13:56, 18 Nov 2025
Cooper & Fry is the brand new detective drama from Channel 5. The series is an adaptation of the beloved Stephen Booth books and follows two mismatched young detectives, affable local Ben Cooper, played by Coronation Street and Downton Abbey star, Robert James-Collier and guarded newcomer Diane Fry, played by Mandip Gill, known for Doctor Who and Hollyoaks.
The series is set in the mystery-shrouded Peak District in Derbyshire, specifically in the fictional town of Edendale where local folklore is rife. The series sees Mandip’s character Diane Fry move from Leeds to the countryside to work alongside Ben Cooper.
Speaking about the importance of the supernatural element and the setting of the series, Robert, who plays Cooper, said: “As beautiful as the Peak District is, it’s also foreboding and there are a lot of dark elements in the woods.
DC Ben Cooper and DC Diane Fry played Robert James-Collier and Mandip Gill (Image: Channel 5)
“If you’re in a bleak corner of your life, which Diane is, that feeling is projected onto the landscape and fired back at you. The landscape can be intimidating, too, especially if you’re there alone and realise how a fall or a quick turn of the weather could kill you.”
However, despite being set in the Peak District, filming actually took place in Ireland, with Robert explaining that his sacrifice for his character was spending “one of the hottest summers Ireland has ever experienced,” wearing a signature jacket.
He said: “Ben’s jacket was inspired by Bergerac. He used to wear a tan leather jacket and I wanted a signature jacket for Ben.
Cooper & Fry is based on the novels by Stephen Booth and is coming to Channel 5(Image: Channel 5)
“I kept wearing the jacket, with a zip-up wool top underneath, even though we were filming through one of the hottest summers Ireland has ever experienced. That was my sacrifice for the character.”
Over the course of the series filming actually took place in County Wicklow, specifically in Bray, Glendalough, Newtown Mount Kennedy, Glendarragh, Lough Dan, Roundwood, and Cloghleagh Forest, as well as Ballymore Eustace and Kilteel in County Kildare. Scenes were also filmed in Dublin.
Speaking about filming, Mandip, who plays, Fry, said: “My favourite scenes were definitely the ones where we’re out and about, and we filmed on a lot of lovely farms, cottages, and high streets.
“They were so nice because those scenes were so different from all the filming we did in the police station.
Downton Abbey star Robert James-Collier plays DC Ben Cooper in the new Channel 5 drama(Image: Channel 5)
“We were in the police station solidly for a couple of weeks, filming all the scenes for the episodes, which meant we were in the interview room for days on end. Anytime we left the police station was great.”
Cooper & Fry starts on Channel 5 at 8pm on Tuesday, November 18.
