Netflix viewers bugged by 'glaring mistake' in hit show set in Edinburgh
Edinburgh locals have been left annoyed after sitting down to watch Netflix's Department , which was filmed across the capital
Edinburgh residents have been left less than impressed after tuning into Netflix's new detective series Department Q.
The show, which was shot in the heart of Edinburgh and East Lothian, premiered on May 29 and has quickly become a hot topic among locals.
The bone of contention for many Edinburgh natives is the series' reference to a fictional location known as Leith Park, which they insist doesn't exist.
Despite being filmed at various real locations such as Leith Links and the Calders, the show's creators opted to rename a well-known spot, much to the annoyance of local viewers.
The switch from 'links' to 'park' was likely made to cater to an international audience unfamiliar with Scottish terminology for open spaces, reports Edinburgh Live.
Edinburgh residents haven't shied away from voicing their irritation online. One viewer expressed on X: "Watched the first episode, looks good."
However, they added: "It really bugged me when they kept saying Leith Park - which one Keddie, Vici or what it probably is the Links. Irrational but bugged me."
Another said: "Just finished episode one and thoroughly enjoyed it (except for the references to Leith Park which made my ears bleed)."
And another said: "Leith Park really annoyed me!"
Edinburgh comedian Jo Caulfield shared other aspects of the show that bothered her husband while watching the hit series set in their home city. She tweeted: "Watching Dept Q (set in Edinburgh and Leith) with husband.
"HUSBAND: 'That bus doesn't go to Leith. And that street don't lead to the city council building.' ME: 'Shhhhh.' HUSBAND: 'And that bar is nowhere near that church.'"
The filming of the series took place in spring last year, with production taking over various locations including the West End, Portobello, and FirstStage Studios in Leith.
Starring Matthew Goode, Chloe Pirrie, Kelly Macdonald, Alexej Manvelov, Shirley Henderson, Kate Dickie among other notable actors, the show has garnered significant attention.
After its release on Netflix on Thursday, May 29, Department Q quickly climbed to the top spot in the streaming platform's TV section.
Variety praised the show as a "riveting watch", saying: ""Dept Q is deeply intense and complex."
"Dark with neo-noir elements, the series' central mysteries are riveting, but its characters make it a standout."
Entertainment Weekly lauded lead actor Matthew Goode's performance as "grumpy perfection", adding: "The mystery comes to a satisfying - if a bit convoluted - conclusion, and Frank certainly leaves things open for more grim (and grimly funny) adventures with his Dept Q misfits down the line."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scotsman
14 minutes ago
- Scotsman
ADHD, disability and working-class life: Tom Newlands wins prize for breakout Scottish debut
Scottish author Tom Newlands has won the 2025 Society of Authors McKitterick Prize for Only Here, Only Now, a bold, funny and moving debut novel about a teenage girl with undiagnosed ADHD growing up in a 1990s Fife council estate. Sign up to our Arts and Culture newsletter, get the latest news and reviews from our specialist arts writers Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... The book was also named runner-up for the ADCI Literary Prize, which celebrates fiction by disabled and neurodivergent writers. Newlands, 45, born in Perth and now based in London, is emerging as one of the most distinctive new voices in contemporary fiction. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad His debut is a vivid coming-of-age story featuring Cora Mowat, a sharp, sparky teenager navigating grief, friendship and identity — all while trying to make sense of a world that often doesn't make room for her. Tom Newlands The novel is rooted in Newlands' own experience of growing up neurodivergent in a working-class community and shines a light on a life rarely depicted in British fiction. 'For many readers, Cora is just a funny, outspoken, impulsive teenager,' Newlands says. 'But to others — those with autism and ADHD — she represents a way of being that is rarely seen in literature.' Newlands only began writing seriously at 40, during the COVID-19 lockdown, after being furloughed from his job in a warehouse. With no formal training, he completed the first draft in just three months — a feat he credits to his ADHD hyperfocus. Before that, he hadn't written creatively since high school. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'Growing up disabled in a working-class Scottish community, there were no role models for someone like me,' he says. 'I didn't believe someone with my brain could write a novel, let alone publish one. It turns out my brain is why I could do it.' Only Here Only Now A hit with book clubs and booksellers, Only Here Only Now has been praised for its wit, emotional force and sharp observation, earning a spot as a Guardian Fiction Book of the Year and shortlisted for the Gordon Burn Prize. 'I wrote Only Here, Only Now because I couldn't find the book I needed — a warm, funny story that talked about poverty, disability and belonging without flinching,' says Newlands. 'To see it now recognised like this is overwhelming. I hope it shows other neurodivergent writers that their voices matter too — and that it's never too late to start.'
Scotsman
14 minutes ago
- Scotsman
Author Dr. Gillian Shirreffs raises over £30,000 for Beatson Cancer Charity
Scottish writer Gillian Shirreffs has now raised more than £30,000 for Beatson Cancer Charity—thanks to the overwhelming response to her latest fundraiser, held to mark the launch of her second book, Elephant. Sign up to our Arts and Culture newsletter, get the latest news and reviews from our specialist arts writers Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... The event, hosted by broadcaster Laura Boyd and featuring a live performance from Brownbear, brought in over £2,600 in a single afternoon. It was a warm, emotional gathering—full of generosity, laughter and music—with supporters coming together to celebrate Gillian's remarkable resilience and her powerful new book. Diagnosed with breast cancer in 2021, Elephant is Gillian's unflinching account of what followed: 800 days shaped by 22 rounds of chemotherapy, 15 radiotherapy sessions, two major surgeries, and the long, strange aftermath. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Told through WhatsApp messages, emails, tweets, stories and photos, it's a fragmented but deeply human portrait of life during illness. Heartbreaking, funny, and brutally honest, Elephant captures what it feels like to keep going when everything falls apart. Dr Gillian Shirreffs This is Gillian's second book. Her 2023 debut, Brodie, raised over £27,000 for Beatson and won acclaim for its dark humour and sharp insight. Although Elephant is not a charity publication, the launch event was a fundraiser in honour of the support Gillian received from Beatson during her treatment. 'I didn't intend to write Elephant. It's a book that found me and I'm so happy that readers are now finding it,' said Gillian. 'I'm so grateful to everyone who came to Elephant's fundraising launch for Beatson Cancer Charity. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad "It was a brilliant afternoon of laughter, friendship and generosity, made all the more special by our incredible host Laura Boyd and our special musical guest, the amazing Brownbear'. Elephant Diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2007, Gillian began writing while bedbound. A former HR director and English teacher, she holds a Doctor of Fine Arts in Creative Writing, with her thesis exploring how illness changes how we see the world—something that runs through every page of Elephant. Elephant isn't just about cancer. It's about love, pain, disconnection and being stitched back together by the people who show up. It's a story of survival, told in moments—funny, sharp, chaotic, and utterly real.
The National
43 minutes ago
- The National
Pro-Palestine takeover to protest Scottish arts centre policy
Organised by Art Workers for Palestine Scotland, the event at the Centre for Contemporary Arts (CCA) in Glasgow – running from Tuesday to Saturday – will feature events, workshops and screenings that showcase Palestinian art and culture and interrogate 'the complicity of Scottish cultural institutions' in the ongoing genocide in Gaza. The takeover will be held in the public courtyard in what was described as a response to the CCA board's recent refusal to adopt a Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) policy or endorse the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI). The PACBI advocates for a boycott of Israeli academic and cultural institutions. Earlier this year, an open letter signed by more than 800 artists, workers and audiences urged the CCA to take action to endorse PACBI and align policy with its public values, but the board has reportedly refused. READ MORE: What happens if Palestine Action is banned under terrorism laws? A spokesperson for Art Workers for Palestine Scotland said: 'The board's decision not to endorse PACBI reveals a disturbing trend of institutional complicity. 'We cannot stand by as our cultural spaces are used to sanitise genocide. This takeover is a community-led act of transformation reclaiming CCA as a space of justice, resistance and Palestinian cultural life. 'We are here to show the depth and breadth of solidarity with Palestine in Glasgow and beyond. Through this takeover, we centre Palestinian voices and culture while holding our institutions to account. 'Another CCA is possible and urgently necessary.' The CCA has been approached for comment. Art Workers for Palestine Scotland also recently called out the Glasgow Film Theatre's (GFT) decision not to endorse BDS and PACBI. Glasgow Film said this was in order to retain "independent decision making" and uphold its "commitment to Cinema For All". Three members of the GFT board resigned, raising concerns about the processes leading to the decision. READ MORE: The proscription of Palestine Action has frightening implications Art Workers for Palestine Scotland said: "It will go down in history that, given the opportunity to stand with the Palestinian people following months of genocide and starvation at the hands of a colonial oppressor, the GFT chose complicity, cowardice and blatant disregard for human life." Earlier this year, front-of-house and cleaning staff at the GFT staged a boycott on handling any goods connected to the BDS movement, which resulted in Coca-Cola products no longer being served. Campaign group Art Workers for Palestine Scotland then published an open letter to the GFT calling for the cinema to adhere to the BDS movement and endorse PACBI. The letter was signed by more than 1400 people and included the likes of Ghassan Abu-Sittah, the rector of the University of Glasgow, and filmmaker Ken Loach.
