Doctor Thorne filming locations

The cast of drama Doctor Thorne with Tom Hollander in the title role | © Hat Trick Productions/ITV

For his first TV drama after penning global success Downton Abbey, award-winning writer Julian Fellowes chose to adapt Anthony Trollope's 1858 novel Doctor Thorne. Just like Downton, several National Trust places had a starring role in the period drama including West Wycombe Park in Buckinghamshire and Osterley Park in west London. Find out the stories behind the filming of Doctor Thorne at places in our care.

The story of Doctor Thorne

Starring Tom Hollander in the title role, the story of Doctor Thorne follows his attempts to secure the romantic and financial fortunes of his niece Mary (Stefanie Martini), as she grows up under his guardianship.

The period drama was shot on location in 2015 with several National Trust places providing backdrops for the show. Speaking about the filming experience, Tom Hollander said: ‘It was a very lovely autumnal tour around some of the most beautiful houses in the country. That was a very special thing.’

Filming locations

The story centres around three main houses and the production team used what executive producer Mark Redhead described as the ‘magic of film’.

You stitch together lots of different interiors and exteriors to create what you hope is a world the audience can navigate their way around.

A quote by Mark RedheadDoctor Thorne Executive Producer

The east front of Osterley Park and House, London with the 'transparent' portico at — The east front with the 'transparent' portico at Osterley Park and House | © National Trust Images/Arnhel de Serra

West Wycombe Park and Osterley Park

West Wycombe Park in Buckinghamshire and Osterley Park and House in west London provided the interiors for Greshamsbury Park, the great house and estate owned by the characters of the Gresham family.

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Tricks of the trade

The teams at National Trust places used during filming were on hand to make sure everything went smoothly. Osterley Park house steward, Judith Evans, said: ‘During the filming we had 50 crew members, 30 extras and 15 cast on site, which is a lot of people in one space.

‘We make sure that our collections - including floors and ceilings - are protected, while also meeting the needs of the film crew so they can actually get the scene done and dusted in the time frame they need.

‘For Doctor Thorne they were using real candles, so we needed to protect the floors using a clear plastic that we put on the ground under the candelabra to catch any drips.’

Behind the scenes video

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Video

Meet the actors in Doctor Thorne

Go behind the scenes with actors Rebecca Front and Harry Richardson, talking about filming Doctor Thorne at Osterley Park

Supporting special places

As well as showing off beautiful locations, filming directly benefits the places in our care that star in the production. The income from location fees goes straight back into conservation work to care for historic houses and landscapes, so that we’ll all be able to see them both on screen and in real life for years to come.