Doctor Who Filming Locations in the UK: The Ultimate Guide

Since its revival in 2005, Doctor Who has continued to captivate audiences with its thrilling adventures, iconic characters, and imaginative storytelling.

But the magic of this beloved science fiction series doesn’t just exist on-screen; it extends to the real world through its breathtaking filming locations scattered across the United Kingdom.

Many people ask, ‘Where is Doctor Who filmed?’. Well, I’m here to answer the question for you!

From ancient castles and bustling city streets to tranquil countryside landscapes, these sites have served as backdrops for some of the Doctor’s most unforgettable moments.

Join us on a remarkable journey as we explore the post-2005 Doctor Who filming locations in the UK, where fantasy meets reality, and fans can step into the very worlds they’ve adored from their screens. Get ready to traverse time and space, all while discovering the charm and beauty of the UK’s most iconic settings.

Cardiff

Due to the BBC studios being based there, Doctor Who Cardiff filming locations have been used extensively over the years.

It has been an especially big player in the Russell T Davies years, with much of the filming taking place here over anywhere else in the revival of Doctor Who (2005), as well as the new Doctor Who 2024.

Many of the Cardiff landmarks and Cardiff tourist attractions were used throughout the show.

Here are some of the top Doctor Who filming locations Cardiff you can visit:

Wales Millennium Centre

The interiors have been used in both “New Earth” as the hospital as well as “The Girl Who Waited”.

However, many Doctor Who fans will recognise the exterior which has been used multiple times throughout the show.

The area outside the centre is used as the location of the Time Rift, known as the Cardiff Rift, as well as Torchwood Tower.

If you’re a Torchwood fan too, make sure to head further along Doctor Who Cardiff Bay so you can visit the Ianto Jones Shrine.

Millenium Stadium

Cardiff’s major sports stadium has been used throughout the series, including in the episodes “Dalek”, “The Christmas Invasion”, “The Runaway Bride”, “Partners In Crime” and “The Impossible Astronaut”. As a major Cardiff landmark, it is also an impressive place to visit during your visit to the city.

Cardiff Castle

Cardiff Castle is one of the most interesting places to go in Cardiff. It was used multiple times as a filming location for Torchwood, as well as a filming location for Doctor Who. Additionally, it features as the monastery in “The Rebel Flesh” as well as “The Almost People.” It appears again in The Snowmen

Queen Street

Queen Street is often used for bustling city centre scenes in Doctor Who. It first features when The Doctor and Rose return to Earth in “The End of The World”. It is also used in the episode “Smith and Jones”.

You may even spot some of the statues from the end of “Blink” on this street! Queen’s Arcade on Queen Street is also the location for the attack of the shop window dummies in Rose, so make sure to visit here too.

Cardiff University

This location serves as the stand-in for the fictional “St Lukes’s University” where the Doctor meets Bill. The gardens were also used as a filming location in “The Last of The Time Lords”.

Take note of the angel statues in the gardens too! The Cathays Park campus is a great spot for Doctor Who fans to explore.

Explore Doctor Who’s Cardiff

Popcorn Chat has made a video exploring the Doctor Who filming locations in Cardiff, so why not go along with them and see all of the wonderful locations in the capital city of Wales.

Llandaff

Llandaff is a short drive north of the centre of Cardiff. This was once the location of the studios in which the bulk of Doctor Who filming took place. This means that they also took the opportunity to incorporate the surrounding areas into the series multiple times.

Fans of The Eleventh Doctor will best recognise The Green in Llandaff, which was used to represent the fictional town of Leadworth, the hometown of Amy and Rory. Llandaff Cathedral has used been used extensively throughout the show.

It has been used as a location in “Human Nature”, “The Family of Blood”, and “The Eleventh Hour”, and even doubled as the famous Church at Auvers in “Vincent and the Doctor”.

Southerndown Beach

Southerndown has been used a couple of times throughout Doctor Who’s run. However, it is best known for being one particular iconic location.

This is the beach on which the Doctor and Rose say their last goodbyes in Doomsday – and then again in the Series 4 finale.

Known to fans as Bad Wolf Bay, this moment lives long in the minds of many Doctor Who fans, making this location surely worth the short drive out of Cardiff to visit.

Fans of the show may also recognise other sections of the beach like Dunraven Bay which were used as the exterior locations for the Series 5 episodes “The Time of Angels” and “Flesh and Stone”.

Dyfferen House and Gardens

Dyfferen House and Gardens has been used extensively throughout Doctor Who, over many different eras.

It might be one of the most versatile Doctor Who filming locations in the UK! In fact, it has been used so many times in so many iconic ways, it’s probably best to lay out a list to cover them all:

• The Palace of Versailles and Reinette’s childhood bedroom in “The Girl In The Fireplace. Fans may best recognise the grounds from the scene in which Reinette’s taking a walk with her friend.
• The monks surrounding the house in “Tooth and Claw”.
• Donna’s children’s hospital rooms in “The Forest of the Dead”.
• Churchill’s office in “The Wedding of River Song”.
• Missy’s Garden in “Deep Breath”.
• Missy’s Tea Room in “Into The Dalek”.

Quite the list! As you can see, this is a great spot to visit for any Doctor Who fan.

Gloucestershire

The Doctor Who team has, on occasion, taken a trip over to Gloucestershire to complete some filming. Not too far from Wales and full of great locations, there are some fab places to visit here. These include:

• Puzzlewood. The ancient forest used in “The Time of Angels” and “Flesh and Blood”. A great day out and a beautiful location, also used in Harry Potter, Star Wars and BBC Merlin. Check out my post on BBC Merlin filming locations here.
• Clearwell Caves. The Sycorax ship in David Tennant’s first full episode “The Christmas Invasion”.
• Gloucester Cathedral. Great for fans of the 14th Doctor’s era and Jo Martin fans. This one features in Fugitive of the Judoon when we find out the truth about Ruth’s identity.

Bristol

Doctor Who has also made the trip to Bristol to do some filming in the past. Fun fact – despite Banksy inspired episode being set entirely in Bristol, it actually wasn’t filmed in Bristol at all” Nor are the scenes set at Bill’s university which is a fiction Bristol-based university. However, there are some Bristol based locations you can visit, and here are some of them:

• Much of the filming for Christmas special “The Snowman” took place in Bristol. Locations such as Corn Street, St Nicholas Market, and Portland Square all featured in the episode.
• Bristol University buildings also featured in the Eleventh Doctor story “The Angels Take Manhatten.” The stairwells in the School of Physics were used, as well as the ones in the Institude For Advanced Studies. The Intitude was also used for many of the interiors in Asylum of the Daleks.
• Waring House was used as the housing estate in Night Terrors. Make sure to be unintrusive and respectful if visiting this location, as these are people’s homes.

Sheffield

With the new Chris Chibnall and Jodie Whittaker era of Doctor Who came a new home for the series. Much of the filming of the newer era of Doctor Who is done up in Sheffield, making it another gem in the Doctor Who filming locations in the UK round up. So, if you’re a fan of the new episodes like Doctor Who series 14 or Doctor Who season 14, here are some of the top spots for you to visit.

• Garth Hill. This hillside in Yorkshirt serves for the location we first meet Ryan, when he’s learning to ride his bike. It also serves as a location for a scene between The Master and The Doctor in “The Timeless Child”. This makes for great views and a nice walk, as well as being a fab Doctor Who location.
• Shoreham Street. Whilst not a major sightseeing spot, this is a great place to visit for Yaz fans. This is the spot where we first meet Yaz as she resolves a parking dispute.
• Park Hill Flats. These serve as the location for Yaz’s flat, and are featured in “Arachnids in the UK”, “Demons of the Punjab” and “Spyfall Part 1”. Remember to be respectful when visiting, as these are peopl’s homes.

London

London might be the biggest of Doctor Who filming locations in the UK besides Cardiff, with many of the stories being set there. Here are some of the top locations for Doctor Who fans to see the sights of London whilst also enjoying some great Dr Who filming locations.

Westminster Bridge

This has featured in Doctor Who a number of times, including some very iconic moments and episodes. These include “Rose”, “Aliens of London”, World War Three”, “Army of Ghosts” and “The Bells of Saint John”. It is one of those iconic locations that set the scene for London being the central location of the episode.

South Bank

The South Bank of the River Thames has also been used to set the scene for a London location throughout the run of Doctor Who. A couple of specific areas are particularly notable.

The first is Albert Embankment, where the TARDIS lands in “The Rise of the Cybermen” and “The Age of Steel”.

The second is The Queen’s Walk, the location of the London Eye which features in “Rose”, the crash site location from “Aliens of London” and “World War Three”, and the TARDIS site in “The Bells of Saint John”.

Royal Air Force Memorial

This spot is featured once but is quite an iconic ones for fans of the revival. This is where the TARDIS lands in central London in the first episode “Rose”, and where Rose enters the TARDIS for the first time. This makes it the site of the first companion TARDIS reaction of the revived series.

Brandon Estate

The Brandon Estate is the filming location for the fictional Powell Estate – home of Rose Tyler. It features throughout the first two series, including episodes “Rose”, “Aliens of London”, “World War Three”, “The Christmas Invasion”, “Army of Ghosts” and “The End of Time”.

This is a great spot to visit for Rose fans. Remember to be respectful when visiting here, as these are people’s homes.

The Shard

The Shard is an iconic London location that features prominently in “The Bells of Saint John”. It acts as the headquarters for The Great Intelligence and makes for a lot of iconic moments in the episode. This makes this an iconic London landmark as well as an iconic Doctor Who location!

The Globe Theatre

Home to Shakespeare, this was of course the filming location for “The Shakespeare Code”. You are able to take a tour round the theatre – or you could keep an eye open for when they next show Macbeth and get the real witchy experience.

Canary Warf

Featuring heavily in “The Army of Ghosts” and “Doomsday”, this business area of London was the original location for Torchwood tower. It was also the location for Rose’s last scenes in her own universe, making this a top spot for Rose Tyler fans.

St Paul’s Cathedral

This is another iconic London landmark, and should definitely be on your to-visit list. This location features primarily in the series 8 episode Dark Waters. It plays as the location in which we see Cyberman streaming out of the cathedral and out into London.

Trafalgar Square

Another famous London location that was used for a very memorable scene in Doctor Who. This spot features as the opening scene in the 50th anniversary special “The Day of The Doctor, as the TARDIS flies in with The Doctor hanging off the side. Quite an iconic London location in many ways!

Take On Online Doctor Who Tour Of London

Londonist Ltd. has made a great online tour of the Doctor Who locations in London. Give it watch to see the iconic locations in the city.

Conclusion

As you can see there are so many Doctor Who filming locations in the UK. You could even make a road trip of it and explore as many as possible using a Doctor Who filming locations map!

There’s somewhere to head for any fan of any era of the revived series, whether you’re looking for Doctor Who filming locations 2023 or classic spots from the RTD era. I hope you have tons of fun exploring some of these iconic locations.

If you want to check out more Doctor Who places to visit, check out the amazing and comprehensive Doctor Who Locations website. You can even take a Doctor Who tour Cardiff to see many of the key spots, or visit the Doctor Who Experience Cardiff 2023 exhibit.

Thank you so much for reading and I hope to see you back here again soon.

Ta-ta for now! x