The Night Caller filming locations: Where was the Channel 5 drama filmed?

Channel 5 is bringing viewers a brand new drama they can sink their teeth into this weekend. The Night Caller is a contemporary thriller about a lonely taxi driver's growing obsession with a late-night radio DJ.

Leading the cast is Robert Glenister, known for his roles in Sherwood, Spooks, and Hustle, in the role of Tony, a 50-something cab driver from Liverpool, who used to be a respected teacher but lost his job, his confidence, and his marriage.

Tony spends his nights listening to a late-night radio talk-show host called Lawrence, portrayed by You and Gotham star Sean Pertwee, as he ferries passengers across the city, but embarks on an unhealthy obsession after he plucks up the courage to ring the radio station. Channel 5 has described The Night Caller as a "claustrophobic tale about the power of influence those with the loudest voice have over the most vulnerable people".

The Night Caller is set in Liverpool, where Tony works the night shift as a black cab driver in the busy streets, however, filming for the Channel 5 drama actually took place in Dublin. Director, Diarmuid Goggins, has spoken about how they tried to make the transition seamless.

He said: "We shot the majority of the series in Ireland and then sent over a second unit to do a few days in Liverpool and get the backdrop of the city. So everything that looks at Robert in the cab was shot in Ireland, and everything that looks out of his window was shot in Liverpool. So, we spent three days in Liverpool, not celebrating the nightlife but filming it! And we got key shots of Anfield and the churches and docks."

Diarmuid continued: "A lot of series will shoot in different cities to where the story is set these days, and I was apprehensive because sometimes it doesn't work. It's hard to cheat certain parts of the world and I never want to break the illusion for viewers.

"I’ve tried to film a London show in Dublin before for example, and they're very different cities. London is much bigger, it's got far more high-rise architecture and the scale of it is immense, so I don't think that worked.

"But there's much more shared history between Liverpool and Dublin, there's a similarity in the red brick architecture and the docks. When we drove round we realised pretty quickly that they're not a million miles apart. Eagle eyed viewers will probably notice that, but I think it's quite seamless."

Actor Robert also spoke about filming his taxi scenes, explaining that the crew didn't use any green screen and over the course of seven weeks made the most of night shoots.

He shared: "We were filming in Dublin, and it’s interesting seeing a city at night, you do see it in a completely different light. We didn’t use any green screen – I was driving the cab myself a lot, or we were on a low loader with lights and a camera, which was quite exciting going through the clubbing part of Dublin on a Thursday night. Everybody wanted to be in the scene after a couple of jars!"

He added: "I loved it, and I got quite good at pressing the fare button casually, I could do it without looking! The low loader is really good because the front wheels are connected to the steering wheel, so you don’t have to concentrate on the driving, you just literally hold onto the steering wheel."

Asked how he felt about creating the city of Liverpool while in Dublin, actor Stephen Walters, who plays Rob in The Night Caller, explained: "I guess you're always curious when you when you shoot something in a different city – I recently filmed something set in Moscow and shot in Liverpool, which was weird! But I think Dublin and Glasgow are the closest cities to Liverpool. They’re very similar with the river, the humour, the people and the architecture, so it’s a really good match.

"We were filming at night, which would usually be really quiet, but in the heart of Dublin we were competing with night revellers and students, as well as church bells, so that was a challenge!"

He added: "I didn’t get to be in Dublin for very long because I had another job straight afterwards, but I think it’s a crime not to look around a city if you're filming away from home, so I did a little tour and finally saw Trinity College, which I really wanted to see."

The Night Caller starts on Channel 5 at 9pm on Sunday, July 7.