Part of Netflix’s new film The Dig was filmed at King’s

A section of the film took place at the Strand campus


Netflix’s new film The Dig is based on the real life discovery of Sutton Hoo in Suffolk and the majority of filming took place in Surrey and Suffolk. However, when Carey Mulligan’s character, Edith Pretty, travels down to London for a doctor’s visit, nearly the entire sequence is shot in and around KCL’s Strand campus.

If you’ve ever travelled to uni via Temple station, had a class in the elusive Macadam building, or visited the Philosophy Bar, you will recognise where The Dig was filmed.

Aldwych Tube Station

The first shot of London in the film is when Carey Mulligan’s character leaves a tube station.

This is actually the closed Aldwych tube station which is located right in the middle of the Strand building and Modern Languages Centre. All King’s students will recognise the station’s Strand entrance and the shot in the film was of the other entrance on Surrey Street round the corner.

The now closed Aldwych station on Surrey Street

The Norfolk, Chesham, and Philosophy buildings

She then walks down the street to the doctor’s office through a London preparing for war. Children are playing in the street and soldiers are patrolling but the buildings are undeniably those on Surrey Street.

She walks past the Philosophy building, the former Philosophy bar and the Chesham building and the Norfolk building.

The Norfolk and Philosophy buildings at King’s

Surrey Street

She then goes through an alleyway which in real life leads onto Strand Lane about halfway down Surrey Street.

This is usually gated shut nowadays and is located between the Norfolk and Chesham buildings.

The gates to the alleyway next to the Norfolk building

Strand Lane

Her doctor’s office has a small metal balcony and is on a quiet side street in a white building with the room forming a tunnel over the quiet street.

This road is actually in the heart of King’s College London’s Strand campus and if you walk over those passageways which bridge the gap between the Strand building and Macadam building you will see the exact street in used in the film out the windows, doctor’s office included – which is presumably an office or classroom of some sort. Miraculously, the film managed to keep the enormous concrete Strand building out of shot in their period 1930s drama.

Strand Lane which runs down the middle of the Strand campus

The rest of the film was shot in Surrey and Suffolk around the end of 2019, so filming likely took place at King’s around the same time.

Related stories recommended by this writer:

• King’s has introduced a Fair Assessment Policy for grades this year

• KCL students unable to take online exams due to KEATS crash

Over 1,900 King’s students sign safety net policy petition