Black Doves Season 2 filming locations show how the Netflix thriller widens its world without losing its London identity. The new episodes move from familiar central-London streets and landmarks to the English countryside, Paris and Italy. That broader geography reflects a larger story: Helen and Sam are no longer dealing only with the immediate fallout of one operation; the season opens up more of the organization, its history and the people connected to it.
There is an important distinction when comparing the two seasons. Netflix previously reported that Season 1 used more than 100 locations around London, particularly Westminster and the South Bank. So it would be inaccurate to claim that Season 2 simply used more London locations. Its expansion is better understood geographically and dramatically: Season 2 keeps London at its centre while taking the story into additional countries and revealing more of the Black Doves network.
How Season 2 expands the world of Black Doves
Showrunner, writer and executive producer Joe Barton told Netflix Tudum that he wanted to widen the world and show more of how the operation works. The introduction of Mr. Conteh, who becomes Helen’s handler while Reed is missing, helps make that ambition visible. The story spends more time with the organization’s internal structure, its rivalries and the consequences of the work its agents do.
The locations support that change. London remains the operational and emotional centre, but the plot also reaches a country estate in Hertfordshire and Italian settings connected to Sam’s past. Paris appears in the season’s opening world, while Berlin-era history is recreated through locations in London rather than by filming in Germany.
London remains the heart of the production
Gray’s Inn stands in for Downing Street and Whitehall
Wallace’s move into the prime minister’s office changes Helen’s public life and raises the risks around her secret work. The production did not film inside the real 10 Downing Street. Netflix’s location guide says some interior scenes were filmed at Harefield Grove in Uxbridge, while exterior shots representing Downing Street and Whitehall were filmed at Gray’s Inn in Holborn. The substitution gives the series a convincing government setting while allowing production to work at a controlled location.
Harefield Grove provides the interiors
Harefield Grove, in Uxbridge, was used for some of the interiors presented as rooms inside Number 10. This is a useful example of how location work and production design combine: the screen setting is meant to read as the prime minister’s residence, but the actual filming location is a separate property.
Somerset House turns a London landmark into an action setting
Somerset House is used for the chase sequence involving Helen and Laila in Episode 2. Netflix’s guide identifies the real gallery, alleyway and riverside corridors as part of the sequence. The landmark’s grand architecture gives the action a different texture from the series’ more intimate interiors.
St. Mary le Strand and Battersea Park ground the story in real London
The courtyard at St. Mary le Strand is where Helen and Laila meet to discuss Reed before an attempted abduction interrupts them. Battersea Park returns as a quieter meeting place for Helen and Reed. These contrasting settings help the show move between public danger and private conversations without leaving the city.
Chinatown, Truman Brewery and the show’s less polished London
Laila’s Chinatown setting blends real Soho-area streets with interior filming at the Truman Brewery. The combination gives the story an urban, lived-in atmosphere while allowing the production to create controlled interiors. Netflix also identifies the Rosewood London in Holborn as Sam’s hotel setting, and the National Theatre’s South Bank walkways as the backdrop for a tense conversation between Helen and Mr. Conteh.
Beyond London: the countryside, Paris and Italy
Luton Hoo and the Hertfordshire country estate
The remote house where Reed is held is represented by Luton Hoo Hotel in Hertfordshire and a private Luton estate, according to Netflix Tudum. The location gives the rescue sequence a more isolated scale than the London scenes. It also shows how the series uses the English countryside to make the characters feel cut off from the city networks they usually rely on.
Paris provides the opening international atmosphere
Season 2’s story includes a Paris-set opening sequence. Condé Nast Traveller reports that the Hôtel Plaza Athénée was used for the Paris hotel setting, while some reception and other interiors were filmed at the Four Seasons Hotel London at Tower Bridge. This is another example of screen geography: a scene can be set in one city while being assembled from locations in more than one place.
Nazzano, Italy, connects the geography to Sam’s personal history
Italy is not simply a scenic change of pace. Netflix’s guide identifies Bar Punto di Riferimento in Nazzano as the real location for Matteo’s bar, which is tied to Sam’s retreat and his relationship with the bar’s owner. The exterior of the village church was filmed on Via Della Chiesa in Nazzano. These locations give the Italian storyline a distinct village atmosphere and connect the season’s wider map to Sam’s search for a life beyond his work.
Berlin in the story, London in the production
The season’s Berlin flashbacks add another layer to its geography, but the production did not need to film in Germany for every Berlin scene. Time Out reports that the Truman Brewery in Brick Lane stood in for the exterior of the Black Doves’ Cold War-era Berlin headquarters. The location’s industrial character helps the show create a convincing period setting while remaining within its London production base.
Did Season 2 use more filming locations than Season 1?
The available reporting does not establish a reliable like-for-like total proving that Season 2 used more locations overall. Netflix’s Season 1 guide says the first season used more than 100 London locations. For Season 2, Netflix and other location guides identify a wider range of settings across London, the English countryside, Paris and Italy. The safest conclusion is that Season 2 broadens the series’ geographic reach and the world shown on screen—not that it definitively beats Season 1 in total location count.
Why the location expansion matters to the story
The shift in geography mirrors the shift in the characters’ circumstances. London is where Helen’s public identity and secret work collide. The countryside offers a space for captivity and rescue. Paris establishes the international scale of the threats, while Italy gives Sam’s storyline a more personal and reflective setting. The recreated Berlin scenes connect the present-day conflict to older secrets.
Rather than treating locations as a travel checklist, Season 2 uses each setting to change the mood and the stakes. That is what makes the expanded map meaningful: it makes the Black Doves feel like a network with a past and an international reach, while keeping the relationships at the centre of the drama.
Frequently asked questions
Where was Black Doves Season 2 filmed?
Season 2 was filmed across London and locations beyond the capital, including parts of the English countryside and Italy. Paris is also represented through a combination of locations, including the Hôtel Plaza Athénée and London interiors used for some scenes.
Was Black Doves Season 2 filmed at 10 Downing Street?
No. Netflix says some interiors representing Number 10 were filmed at Harefield Grove in Uxbridge, while exterior shots representing Downing Street and Whitehall were filmed at Gray’s Inn in Holborn.
Was Somerset House used in Black Doves Season 2?
Yes. Netflix identifies Somerset House as a real location used for the Episode 2 chase involving Helen and Laila.
Where were Sam’s Italy scenes filmed?
Netflix identifies Bar Punto di Riferimento in Nazzano as the location for Matteo’s bar and Via Della Chiesa in Nazzano for exterior shots of the village church.
Did the production film the Berlin flashbacks in Germany?
Not all of them. Time Out reports that the Truman Brewery in London stood in for the exterior of the Black Doves’ Cold War-era Berlin headquarters.
Did Season 2 use more locations than Season 1?
There is no verified like-for-like total in the sources cited here. Netflix reported more than 100 London locations for Season 1, while Season 2’s reported locations span London, the countryside, Paris and Italy.
Sources and further reading
- Netflix Tudum: Inside the Black Doves Season 2 Locations, from London to Italy
- Netflix Tudum: Black Doves — filming locations and production background
- Time Out: Black Doves Season 2 filming locations
- Condé Nast Traveller: Where was Black Doves filmed?
- TV Guide: Black Doves Series 2 filming locations
By Shivam Das
