Cardiff is the production heart of modern British sci-fi television, with recognisable locations across the city and bay. Here is what was filmed where, and which guided tours cover the best spots.
Cardiff served as the main filming base for Doctor Who from 2005 and Torchwood from 2006 to 2011, and its streets have doubled for London in Sherlock and American cities in Havoc. Key sites include Roald Dahl Plass, Cardiff Castle, the National Museum Cardiff and Bute Street, most of them walkable or covered by guided location tours.
Cardiff has quietly become one of Britain's most reliable places to spot a familiar screen location. As the primary production base for Doctor Who since 2005, the city has hosted aliens, time travellers and rift activity for two decades, and the trail of productions has only grown. Torchwood, Sherlock, His Dark Materials, Industry and the 2025 Netflix film Havoc have all used its streets, museums and waterfront.
Much of the appeal is practical. Cardiff Bay, the castle, the museum and the university buildings sit close together, so a visitor can cover a dozen filming sites in a day on foot. Several guided tours now build routes around these spots, led by guides who point out scenes viewers half remember.
The city also doubles well. Productions repeatedly use Cardiff to stand in for London, and for American cities in Havoc, where the Pierhead Building and Bute Street were transformed beyond recognition. That versatility keeps crews returning, which means new locations join the map most years.
The productions below explain why fans keep arriving in Cardiff. Doctor Who and Torchwood dominate, but the list spans costume drama, fantasy, banking drama and comedy, and several productions share the same handful of locations, which makes route planning straightforward.
| Title | Year | Type | What was filmed here |
|---|---|---|---|
| Doctor Who | 2005-present | TV | Extensive use of Cardiff Bay, Castle, Museum, University for episodes including New Earth, The Lazarus Experiment, Heaven Sent |
| Torchwood | 2006-2011 | TV | Roald Dahl Plass as The Hub entrance, Cardiff Castle, Bute Street, various Bay locations |
| Sherlock | 2010-2017 | TV | National Museum as Antiquities Museum, Bute Street, Cardiff Castle, university buildings doubling for London |
| His Dark Materials | 2019-2022 | TV | Plasturton Gardens, Cardiff University, Temple of Peace |
| Casualty | 2012-present | TV | Roath Lock Studios and various Cardiff locations |
| Havoc | 2025 | Film | Cardiff Bay, Bute Street, Pierhead Building doubling for American cities |
| Industry | 2020-present | TV | Mount Stuart Square, Cardiff Bay |
| Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light | 2024 | TV | Cardiff Castle |
| The Sarah Jane Adventures | 2007-2011 | TV | Cardiff Castle, various city locations |
| Gavin & Stacey | 2007-2019 | TV | Various Cardiff and Barry locations (tours available) |
| Class | 2016 | TV | Roath Lock Studios |
| A Discovery of Witches | 2018-2022 | TV | Cardiff locations |
| Black Cake | 2023 | TV | Cardiff Barrage, Bay |
| Infinite | 2021 | Film | City centre |
| Gangs of London | 2020-present | TV | City centre streets |
12 locations. The map loads when it scrolls into view.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors
Wales, Cardiff Free to see
Filmed here: Castle interiors/exteriors for monastery, rift scenes, London doubles; Exit Wounds, Rebel Flesh
A workhorse location for Doctor Who, Torchwood, Sherlock and the 2024 series Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light. Interiors and exteriors have served as a monastery, rift-related scenes and London doubles. It is open to visitors with ticketed entry and features on most guided filming tours of the city.
Wales, Cardiff Free to see
Filmed here: Hub entrance, rift, hospital scenes; New Earth, Girl Who Waited
The most famous Torchwood site in Cardiff. The public square functioned as the entrance to The Hub, with additional Doctor Who scenes including the hospital sequences of New Earth and moments from The Girl Who Waited. Access is free, and the square anchors nearly every bay walking tour.
Wales, Cardiff Free to see
Filmed here: Museum interiors for exhibitions, Lazarus demo, Big Bang; London doubles
Used for Doctor Who's The Lazarus Experiment demonstration and the Big Bang, and as the Antiquities Museum in Sherlock. The grand interiors make it a favourite London double. The museum is open daily with ticketed entry, and its galleries are easy to pair with nearby Cathays Park locations.
Wales, Cardiff Free to see
Filmed here: Rift scenes, recent series filming
A walkable stretch of the bay used for Doctor Who rift scenes and filming for recent series. The path is free to access and makes a pleasant extension to a bay locations walk, with open water views that frequently appear on screen without audiences realising it is Cardiff.
Wales, Cardiff Free to see
Filmed here: Street scenes, pub interiors, banking drama
One of the busiest filming patches in the city. Torchwood, Sherlock, Industry and Havoc all shot here, covering street scenes, pub interiors and banking drama. The streets, pubs and buildings remain fully accessible, so visitors can step inside venues seen on screen.
Wales, Cardiff Free to see
Filmed here: Human Nature / Family of Blood 1913 scenes
An open-air museum west of the centre used for the 1913 village scenes in Doctor Who's Human Nature and Family of Blood. Entry is ticketed. The historic buildings give the period episodes their convincing setting and reward fans making the short trip out of the city.
Wales, Cardiff Free to see
Filmed here: University buildings, St Luke’s, institute scenes
University buildings and the surrounding civic architecture appear in Doctor Who, Sherlock and His Dark Materials, standing in for institutes and London institutions. Campus areas are largely accessible, though some buildings are ticketed. It pairs naturally with the National Museum next door.
Wales, Cardiff Free to see
Filmed here: Lazarus Experiment scenes
The modern parliament building hosted scenes from Doctor Who's The Lazarus Experiment. Access is free and public tours are available, making it one of the easiest locations to visit properly rather than simply photograph from outside.
Wales, Cardiff Free to see
Filmed here: Boom Town station scenes, Ghost Machine
A working station used for Doctor Who's Boom Town and Torchwood's Ghost Machine. Public access is unrestricted, so travellers arriving by train effectively step onto a filming location the moment they reach the platform.
Wales, Cardiff Free to see
Filmed here: Pub interiors
A genuine working pub on Bute Street whose interiors appeared in Sherlock. Visitors can drink where the cast filmed, and it sits within easy reach of the other Bute Street and Mount Stuart Square locations used by Industry and Havoc.
Wales, Cardiff Free to see
Filmed here: Portal scenes
A quiet public park in Pontcanna used for portal scenes in His Dark Materials. Fans of the trilogy will find it a low-key stop, best combined with other west-side locations rather than treated as a destination on its own.
Wales, Cardiff Free to see
Filmed here: Mrs Coulter’s apartment / Royal Arctic Institute (CGI enhanced)
This historic building stood in for Mrs Coulter's apartment and the Royal Arctic Institute in His Dark Materials, enhanced with CGI. Access inside is limited, so most visitors view the exterior while walking the Cathays Park civic quarter.
BBC Roath Lock Studios in Cardiff Bay, on Porth Teigr Way, are the purpose-built drama studios that housed Doctor Who production until 2022, along with Casualty and the 2016 series Class. The studios are not generally open to the public inside, but the exterior features on Cardiff Bay walks. The Cardiff Film Office supports productions and provides location information for screen tourists, and Silverscreen Tours runs bookable guided walking tours of Doctor Who and other filming locations around the city.
Guided tours concentrate on Doctor Who territory, which suits the city's biggest fan base. A standard walking tour covers the central locations, while bay-focused options reach Roald Dahl Plass and the waterfront. Private tours suit travellers who want a flexible route, and one day tour departs from London for visitors who cannot easily reach Cardiff independently. Ratings and review counts below reflect traveller feedback at the time of writing.
Doctor Who Cardiff City Walking Tour
The most reviewed option at 4.7 from 109 reviews, this walking tour covers the central Doctor Who locations on foot and suits first-time visitors who want the core sites with a knowledgeable guide.
Private Tour: Doctor Who TV Locations and Tour of Cardiff
A private guide and dedicated car mean the route can extend beyond the city centre to locations group walks skip, ideal for dedicated fans who want depth and flexibility. Rated 4.5 from 15 reviews.
Cardiff: Doctor Who Cardiff Bay Walking Tour
A bay-focused walk that reaches Roald Dahl Plass and the Torchwood waterfront, with a perfect 5.0 rating from 5 reviews. Best paired with a separate central city stroll.
Cardiff City and Dr. Who Movie Private Day Tour from London
A private day trip that handles the journey from London, designed for travellers who want Cardiff's Doctor Who locations without organising rail travel or overnight stays.
Doctor Who has been filmed primarily in and around Cardiff since the series returned in 2005, with production based at BBC Roath Lock Studios until 2022. Locations including Cardiff Bay, the castle, the National Museum and the university appear in episodes such as New Earth, The Lazarus Experiment and Heaven Sent.
Yes. Roald Dahl Plass, the public square that served as the entrance to The Hub, is freely accessible at all times. There is no actual underground base, but the square and the Wales Millennium Centre beside it are unmistakable on screen.
The National Museum Cardiff appeared as the Antiquities Museum, while Cardiff Castle, university buildings and Bute Street all doubled for London. The Packet pub on Bute Street also features, and visitors can drink there.
No. Most major sites, including Roald Dahl Plass, Cardiff Bay Barrage, Bute Street and the Senedd, are free to access. Cardiff Castle and the museums require tickets. Guided tours add context and scene-by-scene detail, and several are available for visitors who prefer a structured route.
Plasturton Gardens hosted the portal scenes, Cardiff University buildings appear in the series, and the Temple of Peace stood in for Mrs Coulter's apartment and the Royal Arctic Institute, enhanced with computer imagery.
BBC Roath Lock Studios on Porth Teigr Way are not generally open to the public inside. Visitors can view the exterior as part of a Cardiff Bay walk, and Casualty production has continued at the site.
Cardiff rewards both casual viewers and devoted fans. The bay locations are free and walkable, the castle and museums add genuine sightseeing value, and a guided tour can tie the scenes together for anyone who wants the full picture. Arriving by train even puts visitors on a filming location, Cardiff Central Station, before the tour has begun.
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The tours travellers book most for Cardiff.