New BBC drama Two Weeks in August stars Jessica Raine, Damien Molony, Antonia Thomas, Nicholas Pinnock, Leila Farzad and Hugh Skinner, and follows a group of friends who reunite for a Mediterranean holiday.
Right from the off there are clear tensions on display, but things take a turn after an illicit kiss takes place. After this, Raine’s Zoe begins to act on her deepest desires, with consequences for all of them.
As you’d expect from a series about a holiday which is, at least intended to be, paradisal, it features some stunning, sun-dappled locations across its eight episodes. But where is it set and where was it all actually filmed.
Read on for everything you need to know about the locations used to shoot Two Weeks in August.
Where is Two Weeks in August set?
Two Weeks in August is set in Greece, with this being particularly important to writer Catherine Shepherd.
Explaining the drama’s origins when speaking with Radio Times, Shepherd said: “I wanted to write something about a group holiday, and a group holiday in Greece, specifically.
“I was inspired by real life, many, many group holidays, some really good, as well as some bad. I used to go to Greece a lot as a child and into my 20s, with my parents and my siblings, and one event really stayed with me. We were in Corfu at the end of a really nice day. We could see Albania across the water and we saw gunfire – people were shooting at each other.
“It was really far away, so we weren’t in danger, but it struck me as the blackest of comedy that we continued to have dinner while that was going on, and emblematic of what it’s like to be alive at the moment – trying to have a good time while bad things are going on.
“And clinging on to this idea that you can have and deserve time away and to not have to think about real things, which I think is really interesting. It’s really true. When I was thinking about the project I was planning a holiday in Greece and I went on to some of the message boards for Greece.
“And again, they are the most sort of comi-tragic things, because they’re people saying, ‘How bad is the political situation in this island? And while it’s kind of awful to ask these questions, it’s also truthful. You don’t want your two weeks spoiled by real things.”
The drama sees a group of university friends reunite in Greece for a group holiday – one which quickly goes awry.
Where was Two Weeks in August filmed?
Despite being set in Greece, Two Weeks in August was actually filmed in Malta.
Shepherd told Radio Times that “we couldn’t make it work to shoot it in Greece”, but that the replacement of Malta “actually works really, really well”.
Speaking separately ahead of the show’s debut, Shepherd said of Malta: “Malta is a stunningly beautiful place, which is very important to the story, because it’s about trying to find paradise – a place of escape where all worries and anxieties disappear.
“The island has a dramatic, rugged landscape and, like Greece, is steeped in thousands of years of ancient history; it truly has everything. Filming there has been wonderful. The island is a character in its own right; it is beautiful, but a bit dangerous. When things get difficult for our characters, it won’t be there to protect them.”
Dan star Damien Molony revealed that the first day of filming took place in Dwejra Bay, while Zoe star Jessica Raine said that she had “never been so cold in my entire life” filming in Malta at the beginning of March – despite having filmed in Iceland before.
“There’s a birthday party scene we filmed early on where we’re all in summer clothes, but everyone’s secretly got thermals on underneath wherever they can fit them,” she explained. “We were packed with hot water bottles.
“People didn’t believe me when I called home at the beginning of the shoot and said it was freezing. Thankfully, the weather did change for the better. The locations were stunning – shooting on Gozo was a real treat.”
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Meanwhile, Molony added while speaking with Radio Times: “It’s an amazing island in the middle of nowhere, with so much history. So much of our crew were Maltese, who were fantastic.
“And so much gets filmed there, massive movies, so it was a hugely experienced crew. It’s a beautiful island, the weather is incredible. The days that we had off, there was this great history to go and explore.”
Two Weeks in August will air on BBC One and BBC iPlayer from 9pm on Saturday 23 May 2026.
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