It looks like an ordinary street – but in The Neighbourhood, every neighbour is a rival and every interaction could cost you £250k. Fronted by Graham Norton, ITV’s new reality show turns suburban life into a pressure cooker. But where was the show actually filmed?
In The Neighbourhood, six households – all made up of families and groups of friends – move into a purpose-built community, where they live side by side under constant observation. Their goal is simple: to become the most liked household while avoiding elimination – also called “Removals.” But their neighbours have total control over their fates and only they decide who gets to stay.
Combining strategy and social dynamics, the series brings together a group of households competing, not just to survive, but to be the most popular family on the street in the hopes of winning the cash prize. Across 11 episodes, the families are pushed into a series of neighbourhood challenges designed to test their resilience and their ability to maintain relationships.
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Given The Neighbourhood’s focus on community life and the lush landscapes surrounding the street, some viewers may draw comparisons between the reality series and long-running ITV soap Emmerdale, which is set in the Dales. However, unlike the Yorkshire-based soap, The Neighbourhood was not filmed in a real village.
Instead, The Neighbourhood was filmed in a specially constructed set in Matlock, where production transformed the Darwin Lake Holiday Park, located in Derbyshire’s Peak District. The production team built an entire residential street from the ground up, creating an immersive space where contestants could be filmed continuously.
Contestants can enjoy strolls through the fictional neighbourhood, which features its own cafe and even a fully functioning pub called The Uppin Arms. Neighbours are also included in a WhatsApp group, where they receive all the latest information about their challenges and the eliminations.
ITV
The choice of Derbyshire also adds a striking visual contrast with the series’ internal drama. Surrounded by countryside and scenic routes, the setting provides a picturesque backdrop.
Speaking of the scale of production, Graham struggled to contain his admiration. “Arriving in Derbyshire and seeing the set, I’d seen pictures but I didn’t quite understand the scale of it,” he said. “It really is like being on a movie set, except it’s 360 – everywhere you look, it’s real.”
This expansive setting also allows for sweeping aerial shots. “We’re making a big show,” Graham added, “Then, add on top of that, what Derbyshire does when the drone goes up and we see The Neighbourhood and the nature. It’s so beautiful, those big driving shots. It’s just gorgeous.”
Despite the calm exterior, the neighbourhood itself is anything but peaceful. In its opening episode, contestants come from across England, bringing with them a wide range of personalities, lifestyles and perspectives that inevitably collide.
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As the competition unfolds and the groups encounter their first neighbourhood challenge by being suspended seven metres in the air from a large clothing line, tensions begin to simmer beneath the surface.
While some contestants form early bonds, others find themselves at odds as personalities clash and strategies quickly emerge. And with elimination always looming at the end of each episode, the households carefully navigate their relationships, knowing their neighbours will have the last word.
Among the households are a blended family from Bedfordshire, a group of university housemates from Nottingham and a multi-generational family from Essex, highlighting the range of personalities placed under one pool – and the potential for conflict, or even rivalries, to rock The Neighbourhood.
The Neighbourhood airs this Friday, April 24th at 9pm on ITV.
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