Winter is a new British crime drama from ITV. The show follows Dr. Ethan Winter, a forensic pathologist who helps the police solve hard murder cases. Richard Armitage plays Winter, and Annabel Scholey plays DI Lauren Bell. David Allison and Mark Greig adapted the show, and the directors are Dries Vos and Kaat Beels.
The cast also includes Jamie Kenna, Carlotta Banat, Josh Barrow, Adwoa Akoto, Jay Taylor, Rishi Rian, Deirdre Mullins, Ellis Elijah and Evie Coles. The story is set in Bristol, but most of the filming happened in Belgium. That makes it one of the more surprising crime series of the year for location fans.
Dr. Ethan Winter is clever, bold and not afraid to break the rules. He teams up with DI Lauren Bell to crack tough cases in Bristol. Each episode has its own murder to solve. Behind it all, one bigger mystery runs through the whole season: the unsolved murder of someone close to Winter. The show is based on the French series Balthazar, created by Clothilde Jamin and Clélia Constantine.
Winter premiered on September 30, 2026. It has 6 episodes, and each one runs for about 45 minutes. It arrived just ten days after another ITV mystery, The Blame, so crime fans had a busy month.
The series aired on ITV1 in the UK, and the full box set is on ITVX. In the US, it is shown on PBS Masterpiece. Eagle Eye Drama produced it, together with Masterpiece and ITV Studios.
When and Where Was Winter Filmed?
| Film Name | Winter |
|---|---|
| Genres | Crime Drama, Police Procedural |
| Filming Locations | Belgium (Antwerp, Schelle, Leuven, La Hulpe) and Bristol, England |
| Filming Dates | Early 2026 (filming was already underway by February 2026) |
| Cinematography by | Laurens De Geyter |
| Release Date | September 30, 2026 |
Filming for Winter started in early 2026. ITV confirmed that cameras were rolling in Bristol and Belgium, and the cast list grew at the same time. Most of the shoot took place around Antwerp, with a smaller part in Bristol. The exact wrap date has not been shared. Belgium is becoming a favorite spot for British TV, and if you love this kind of shoot, you can also read about Bookish, which was filmed there too.
Table of Contents
📍 Antwerp, Belgium
Antwerp was the main base for the production. The city has old buildings, modern streets and busy corners, which helped the crew make Belgium look like Bristol. One reported location is Sint-Lievenscollege, a Catholic secondary school with bright green walls. It shows up in Episode 4, when DI Bell visits the school during her investigation.
Antwerp is no stranger to the screen. Its famous diamond streets were used in Rough Diamonds, and the city also appeared in FUBAR and Now You See Me: Now You Don’t.
📍Interescaut Power Station, Schelle, Belgium
Near Antwerp, the team also filmed at the Interescaut Power Station in Schelle. This old power station sits beside the River Scheldt. It has huge, rough, industrial spaces, and that cold look suits a dark murder story very well. Other productions have used this building too, because it looks so strong on camera.
📍 Leuven, Belgium
Some scenes were also shot in Leuven, a historic university city east of Brussels. It is known for its old stone buildings, busy squares and its famous university. After the heavy, industrial look of Schelle, Leuven gave the show a softer and older city feel. Exact street names have not been shared yet.
📍Former Kodak Headquarters, La Hulpe, Belgium
The old Kodak European headquarters in La Hulpe appears in Episode 2. It stands on Avenue du Général de Gaulle, southeast of Brussels. The building is part of a large office area surrounded by trees. That green and quiet setting is very different from the city streets of Antwerp.
📍A Disused Psychiatric Hospital, Belgium
Richard Armitage shared that the team also filmed at an abandoned psychiatric hospital in the middle of a forest in Belgium. The name of the place has not been made public. The empty halls and the thick woods fit the darker side of the show well. It was also a very hot shoot, and Armitage even called in an ice cream van for the crew.
📍 Winter’s Laboratory (Built Set), Belgium
In the story, Winter’s lab sits inside an old Victorian swimming pool in a forest. The team could not find a real building that matched what director Dries Vos wanted. So they built the lab as a full set instead. This gave the crew total control over the space, and it is one of the most unusual places in the whole series.
📍 Bristol, England
Even though Belgium took most of the shoot, the crew spent several days in Bristol, where the story is set. These shots tell viewers right away that this is Winter and Bell’s home city. The Clifton Suspension Bridge is seen in several scenes, along with the Avon Gorge and the Portway road below. The team also filmed around Bristol Harbourside, where Winter is seen walking beside the river.
In Episode 2, DI Bell talks to suspects near the MV Balmoral, a famous passenger ship docked at the Harbourside. Castle Bridge also appears, and a jeweler’s shop in the final episode was filmed near Clifton Terrace. If Bristol is your thing, the city also shows up across England in many other shows, such as Falling, which used The Bottle Yard Studios there.
Winter Behind the Scenes
Working in Belgium meant the cast spent months with a mostly European crew. Annabel Scholey said it felt different from her usual sets, and Jamie Kenna talked about the shared meals that brought everyone together. Richard Armitage also got ready for his role by spending time with real forensic pathologist Stuart Hamilton in Leicester. He wanted to understand the real work behind the job before filming began.
Official behind-the-scenes photos and cast posts have not been widely shared yet. We will add them here as soon as they appear.
Is There Any Trailer Available for Winter?
Yes, the official trailer for Winter is available on ITV’s YouTube channel. ITV also shared first-look pictures from the set in August 2026, before the trailer came out in September.
Winter is set to be released September 30, 2026, by ITV1 and ITVX (UK), PBS Masterpiece (US).
FAQs
Q1: Where was Winter filmed?
A1: Winter was filmed mainly in Belgium, in Antwerp, Schelle, Leuven and La Hulpe. Some scenes were also filmed in Bristol, England.
Q2: What scenes were filmed at the former Kodak headquarters in La Hulpe?
A2: The old Kodak building appears in Episode 2 of Winter. It is one of the more unusual Belgian locations in the show.
Q3: When did filming for Winter begin?
A3: Filming for Winter began in early 2026 and was already underway by February 2026. The show premiered on September 30, 2026.
Q4: Can I visit the filming locations of Winter?
A4: Some of them, yes. The Clifton Suspension Bridge, Bristol Harbourside and the MV Balmoral area are open to the public. Places like the former Kodak offices and the power station are not made for visitors, and the forest hospital has not been named. Winter’s lab was a built set, so you cannot visit it.
Q5: Was Winter really filmed in Bristol?
A5: Yes, but only for a few days. Most of the show was filmed in Belgium, and Bristol was used for the famous city views.
Q6: Is Winter based on another series?
A6: Yes. Winter is adapted from the French crime series Balthazar.
Winter uses two countries to tell one Bristol story. Belgium, with Antwerp, Schelle, Leuven and La Hulpe, did most of the work, while Bristol gave the show its real landmarks. Add a custom-built lab and a hidden forest hospital, and you get a very mixed set of places. We will update this guide if more locations or behind-the-scenes details come out, so keep checking for more filming-location stories.
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