The Hardacres is essential escapism viewing, with a large fan base of dedicated viewers - but it's not only the action gaining attention, the beautiful filming locations are capturing audience imaginations.
If you're a fan of All Creatures Great and Small, you'll probably have been dancing with excitement to find the creators of the hit show were bringing another equally addictive series to your screen. The Hardacres is the perfect period drama that has viewers gripped by its rags-to-riches saga. Set in 1890s Yorkshire, the series is based on the novels by CL Skelton, and follows the the Hardacre family as they make an unexpected fortune in the most extraordinary way.
The family's rapid rise from lowly fish gutters to wealthy entrepreneurs, sees them transported to a large country estate and grappling to adjust to their newly transformed lives. A series of memorable characters enter their world as they deal with snobbery and the ways of the upper classes they find themselves living alongside. As is customary for period dramas, the backdrop to the show is also a talking point, leaving many viewers asking where The Hardacres was filmed - we reveal the surprising real locations found in the show.
Where is The Hardacres filmed?
Although The Hardacres is set in Yorkshire, viewers might be surprised to find it was actually filmed in Dublin and County Wicklow, Ireland. Speaking to Radio Times about the reasons for filming in Ireland, set designer Derek Wallace, shared, "Back in the 1800s, Dublin was the second biggest city in the Empire. It was London and then Dublin. So we do still have a lot of Georgian infrastructure and Victorian infrastructure."
On creating authentic sets in Ireland, he added, "The buyers were tasked with finding as much as they possibly could here in Ireland because of the logistics for Brexit. And in fairness to them, they came up trumps. Almost 90 per cent we sourced here in Ireland."
Liam McMahon, who plays Sam Hardacre, is from Northern Ireland. Speaking about filming in the country, he said, "I got to come home and do this. I think that the themes are universal so for it to be filmed in Ireland and not Yorkshire doesn’t really matter. Basically at that time in the 1890s everybody had the same struggles going on everywhere."
The actor also opened up about the welcoming atmosphere on set, adding, "It was very, very easy to get up at 5 o'clock every morning in the cold and rain to meet a crew that was really welcoming."
He continued "The family dynamic that we have [as a cast] very much spilt out into the other people that were equally getting up at 5 in the morning to help us create the world we wanted to."
Is The Hardacres based on a true story?
Although we know The Hardacres is based on CL Skelton's series of novels, his books weren't inspired by real events and therefore the series has no basis in real life. Skelton's only influence for the novels were his family history and love of Yorkshire. It was important for the show's creators to maintain historical accuracy when dramatising events from the books.
Director Rachel Carey told Radio Times, "I wanted the series to resonate with the present while honouring the past. It was a mantra for us. I didn't want to play fast and loose with historical accuracy. Instead, I focused on showing people the historical details they might not have seen before, in a truthful and cinematic way."
Some viewers have also wondered about the portrayal of disability, which isn't often seen in historical dramas - Harry Hardacre is portrayed by Zak Ford-Williams, who has cerebral palsy. Zak said, "It would have been so common – war injuries, poor health care, starvation... I think it's important to make sure we don't accidentally rewrite history and erase people by making everyone pretty and clean."
On the level of inclusivity the show introduces by having a disabled character, Zak concluded, "It's really important to give people a proper look into what these periods were like for all sorts of people."
The Hardacres: Cast
- Claire Cooper as Mary Hardacre
- Liam McMahon as Sam Hardacre
- Julie Graham as Ma
- Adam Little as Joe Hardacre
- Shannon Lavelle as Liza Hardacre
- Zak Ford-Williams as Harry Hardacre
- Taheen Modak as Callum Saunders
- Holly Sturton as Adella Fitzherbert
- Cathy Belton as Emma Fitzherbert
- Owen Roe as George Fitzherbert
- Sarah Agha as Betsy Temple
- Siobhán O’Kelly as Lena Temple
- Ingrid Craigie as Mrs Dryden
- Mark Doherty as Beesley
- Ella Maria Carmen as Maggie
- Connor Byrne as Victor Ward
- Conor Deane as Fred
- Paul Ward as Albie
- Paula Wolfenden as Mrs Henderson
- David Pearse as Mr Shaw
- Michele Moran as Lady Beaumont
- David O’Reilly as Little Pete
- Jack Weise as Jack
- Rosaleen Linehan as The Duchess
- Chris McHallem as Doctor Mason
