WHEN Robert Thorogood decided to create his new murder mystery series, he set it in one of ‘the loveliest locations on the Thames’.
The writer, known for BBC‘s Death in Paradise, that films on the island of Guadalupe, decided to pick his actual hometown to be the setting for Marlow Murder Club which is about to enter its second series.
Writer Robert Thorogood based his TV series and books in his hometown of Marlow[/caption]
Robert told Sun Travel: “When I came up with Death in Paradise, it was filmed so far away, so when I came up with my next set of characters, I wanted to find somewhere a bit closer.
“I’ve set it in my hometown of Marlow because I was just trying to find somewhere iconic and beautiful, and not too big, not too small, like a Goldilocks town – it is the perfect English spot.
“But then of course, there are downsides to that, because now all of my neighbours in the street are worried that I think they’re all murderers – which I do.”
With so much insider knowledge of the beautiful Buckinghamshire town, Sun Travel sits down with Robert who gives us the ultimate guide to Marlow.
Robert simply told us: “The one thing you have to do in Marlow is go on a pub crawl.
“My wife and I have moved to Marlow because of The Bounty pub.
“Marlow is quite grand, you’ve got the Compleat Angler and Tom Kerridge’s restaurants and it’s very lovely, but also quite expensive.
“We used to live in South East London, so it all felt a bit swish for us. When we found The Bounty, we went ‘actually, this is really nice, this is for us’.”
The cast and crew of Marlow Murder Club descend on the town for months at a time filming in all sorts of locations.
In series two you’ll spot Higginson Court Manor, River Thames, All Saints Church, Marlow High Street, the Marlow Suspension Bridge, and the Marlow Rowing Club.
The river plays a big part in the lives of Marlow residents[/caption]
The Hand and Flowers gastropub has two Michelin-stars[/caption]
Marlow has been called one of ‘the loveliest locations on the Thames’ by the tourism board and it’s a hotspot for celebs too.
The likes of Chris Evans, Ricky Gervais, ex England cricket captain Andrew Strauss and actor Tom Chambers all call Marlow home.
Marlow is also home to two of Tom Kerridge’s restaurants, The Coach and The Hand and Flowers, which was the first gastropub to ever be awarded two Michelin stars.
Robert said: “If you can, pop into one of Tom’s restaurants. You can always get a table at The Coach, you don’t have to book either, you can just walk in. It’s absolutely top-tier, and Tom is amazing, he’s revitalised the town.
“But if I were to choose one restaurant in Marlow, it would be The Oarsman, which is quite a Tom Carriage-y type place, but it’s run by a different person, and they do sensationally good food.
“And another of my favourite places is along the river where you’ll find an amazing pizza boat, lovely chap runs it, on a big old canal boat.
“He’s got a pizza oven on the back, so you can enjoy it in the open air.”
Robert also revealed that when production takes over Marlow for a few months, the cast even find their own haunts.
Leading actress Samantha Bond has found her favourite pub in Marlow[/caption]
The three leading ladies are all returning for series two[/caption]
Robert revealed: “I have met a number of people who kept telling me they’d seen the lead actress [Samantha Bond] in The Ship.
“Our crew are real aficionados of ice cream, and because English crews film in the summer, they hit the gelato shop, called Amorino, on the corner of the high street – they rave about it.”
We all know Judith Potts (played by Samantha) loves swimming in the River Thames in the show, and Robert told us that locals also enjoy taking a dip in the river.
Robert said: “People don’t swim here quite as much as they used to do, because the river isn’t quite as clean as it used to be.
“But for swimming, there is Longridge Outdoor Activity Centre. I used to go and swim with the family up at Hurley Lock, which is a 30 minute walk west of Marlow.
“What’s amazing about moving to Marlow, particularly from London, is that people live on the river. They’ve got kayaks, boats, paddle boards, boats at the sailing club, and they swim in it too.”
With Michelin-star restaurants and beautiful swimming spots, it’s no surprise Robert left us with a final few encouraging words about the town.
“When we film in Marlow, we make the town look a million dollars. But it really is the most welcoming, perfect, and very English spot.”
Here’s another beautiful village on the Thames – which had three Michelin star restaurants.
And the other little-known islands on the ‘Thames Riviera’.
Watch the next episode of Marlow Murder Club at 8pm on Wednesday 26 March on U&Drama.
Marlow is the backdrop to a show that drew in almost 3 million viewers[/caption]
