Bristol Cathedral, Westminster and the Thames: The filming locations of The Lords' Day
The Lords' Day
The Palace of Westminster is not easy to film in. Its security protocols, its active parliamentary function and the sheer logistical complexity of taking a camera crew into one of Britain's most tightly controlled buildings make it an almost impossible location for a fiction series — even one set almost entirely within its walls. When Bad Wolf and Netflix needed the Palace of Westminster for The Lords' Day, they went to Bristol first. And then, in August, they got the real thing.
The Lords' Day is a six-episode political action thriller produced by Bad Wolf — the company behind Doctor Who, His Dark Materials and Industry — for Netflix. It is based on the novel by Michael Dobbs, who wrote the source material for House of Cards and is himself a member of the House of Lords. The series stars Damson Idris as Harry Jones, a convicted traitor and ex-spy who finds himself inside the Palace of Westminster during the State Opening of Parliament — when the building is locked down in a terrorist siege. As hostages are taken, loyalties are tested and not everyone will survive.
Filming began in spring 2026. The cast alongside Idris includes Harry Lawtey (Industry), Arsema Thomas, Sophie Willan, Gemma Whelan and Timothy Spall.
The crew was filming The Lords' Day around Bristol Cathedral on Thursday June 18, 2026. Bristol Cathedral — founded in 1140 and one of the finest examples of Gothic architecture in England — provided ecclesiastical grandeur and medieval stone architecture that reads convincingly as the historic interiors of the Palace of Westminster.
After the Cathedral, the moved to the Wills Memorial Building at Bristol University. The neo-Gothic tower on Park Street — completed in 1925 and one of the most architecturally imposing university buildings in Britain — is a regular filming destination for productions requiring grand institutional interiors. Its Great Hall, corridors and carved stone exterior are convincingly parliamentary in scale and atmosphere.
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Then came the real thing. In the weekend of August 22 and 23, the production filmed around the actual Palace of Westminster and along the River Thames — a remarkable authorisation for a production built around a terrorist siege of the same building. A UK Parliament spokesperson confirmed: "The activity around Parliament is part of a controlled and authorised production, and there is no incident or emergency on the parliamentary estate." Specialist vehicles were used during filming, with signs placed around the area to inform the public.
Seeing the Gothic towers of Westminster, the Victoria Tower, the Thames Embankment and the surrounding streets being used as a live film set for a hostage thriller is striking — but not unprecedented. The Houses of Parliament have featured in a number of productions over the years, including Darkest Hour, Suffragette and Anatomy of a Scandal.
The production's primary studio base is Wolf Studios Wales in Cardiff — Bad Wolf's facility that has housed the sets for Doctor Who, His Dark Materials and Industry. For The Lords' Day, the Cardiff stages contain the built interior sets of the Palace of Westminster: committee rooms, corridors, lobbies and the House of Lords chamber itself.
No release date has been confirmed. The Lords' Day is expected on Netflix in late 2026 or early 2027.
SOURCE
BBC // What's on Netflix // Reddit Bristol // UK Parliament // Instagram
CREDITS
© Netflix, Bad Wolf
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