“We also did a Friday night shoot on Park Street. And it was a lovely sunny day so it looks really good on camera. “It was fun to drag everyone to Weston-super-Mare. I managed to get a line in from one of the characters saying ‘it’s nice to be by the sea’ and the response of ‘what sea?’ because the tide is so far out.
“We also got to go to Weston-super-Mare for series two, which was great. But let’s be honest, it’s also nice snooping around other people’s homes we’re using for filming too! “We found all sorts of interesting and unusual locations but what’s really fun is getting to go inside places you wouldn’t have access to normally like going to the top of the bond warehouses at Ashton, that was great. A lot of the action is still based around the Sea Mills community centre and Kingsdown but viewers watching series two will spot several Bristol locations.īristol-born Stephen Merchant says he hopes a third series of The Outlaws will be filmed in Bristol (Image: Paul Gillis/Reach PLC) It feels like part two of the first series really.”įor Bristol-born Merchant, returning to the city also meant he got to film in more unusual locations. “There’s a continuity to it, too, because the locations are the same, the faces are the same and the crew was the same.
We did over 220 days of filming, which is unheard of in TV land, but despite it being really hard work I’m really glad we did because it means we have this second series ready to go. “We ended up doing two series back-to-back because of Covid and being shutdown and coming back, it was very arduous. Originally, we talked about each series being a different group of offenders in a different town but I really like these characters and I really like filming in Bristol because people have been so welcoming to us - why change it for the sake of it? “I hope it will be filmed in Bristol again - I see no reason why not to. The first two series were filmed back-to-back throughout the pandemic but Merchant wants to keep the continuity with the city. What is certain is that if and when series three happens, it’s more than likely to be set and filmed in Bristol again. “And if that doesn’t happen, I’m going to really embarrass myself!” “Oh, let’s say there will be 17 series, a musical, two film spin-offs and Outlaws on ice,” he jokes.
READ MORE: Chart-topper Charli XCX confirmed as Forwards festival headliner So, how far does he think he can go with it? With a record 11 million streams on iPlayer, the BBC comedy-crime drama about a group of young offenders in Bristol has been a massive success for Merchant. I’m up for the idea but I’ve just got to wait for the official go ahead from people further up the chain.” “I don’t want to say it’s definitely happening as I’ll embarrass myself if it doesn’t happen but we’ve got plenty of ideas and stories for series three.
When I meet him in his home city of Bristol, he’s expecting the question and has a quick-fire response. The second season of hit show The Outlaws hasn’t even aired and creator Stephen Merchant is already asked on a daily basis about the third series.