A humanoid robot called Linda walks into a charity shop in Hemel Hempstead and turns the day into a disaster. That is episode two of Ann Droid – and it was filmed at exactly the kind of real, unglamorous, recognisably British location that the show was built around.
Ann Droid is a six-part BBC One comedy created by Diane Morgan – who also stars as Linda, an outdated humanoid robot assigned to care for Sue (Sue Johnston), a grieving widow. Rather than highlighting a tech-inspired landscape of glass and servers, the production deliberately focused on familiar British streets, parks, businesses, and public spaces to ground Linda's distinctive presence in an otherwise ordinary world.
Filming commenced in October 2025, primarily across Hertfordshire – in and around Hemel Hempstead and St Albans — with additional location work in Southend-on-Sea.
Hemel Hempstead contributed the largest share of the show's location work, with the Dacorum Film Office working closely with the production team to scout and recommend venues that matched the script and connect crew with local businesses and venues.
Confirmed Hemel Hempstead locations include Shendish Manor, Grovehill Community Centre and the Rennie Grove charity shop in Henry Wells Square. The charity shop scene – in which Sue volunteers and Linda causes havoc – was filmed at the Rennie Grove Charity Shop, a real working shop in the town.
The Grovehill Community Centre, Bunkers Park and the industrial Cupid Green Depot all feature across the series. Hemel Hospital provided the setting for several clinical scenes. The production also extended into greener surroundings at Apostles Pond and the residential streets of Wootton Drive.
A Dacorum Borough Council spokesperson confirmed: "Those filming days not only brought the story to life on screen, but also generated location hire income for participating businesses and welcomed cast and crew into our local economy." The first episodes have been warmly received, so we think the council will already be keeping its fingers crossed for a second series.
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Chipperfield Common – the open woodland and grass common in the village of Chipperfield, west of Hemel Hempstead — was also used during filming.
St Albans supplied one of the show's most clearly documented filming transformations. The Music Department, located at the corner of Lattimore Road and London Road, was converted into the fictional business "Off the Scale" – Michael's workplace in the series. Both interior and exterior filming took place at the shop on October 16 and 17, 2025.
Beyond Hertfordshire, production traveled to Southend-on-Sea in Essex – the Thames Estuary resort town with its seafront, pier and seaside character.
The locations across the show are a precise reflection of the creative decision behind the series: not to make Ann Droid look like a science fiction program, but to make Linda look like an anomaly in a world that is entirely, recognisably normal. Hemel Hempstead's charity shops, community centres and industrial depots are the correct setting, so make that real.
Ann Droid debuted on BBC One and BBC iPlayer on July 17, 2026, with new episodes airing every Friday.
Watford Observer // Dacorum Borough Council // IMDb / BBC
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