One Day reimagined: This is what Emma and Dexter would be like as Liverpool students

Here are a few Liverpool locations that would be featured in Netflix’s One Day. I would say no spoiler alert but I think that would be unfair, so I’d suggest you stop reading now if you haven’t watched it. It’s what Emma Morley would have wanted. Hopefully I can sell Liverpool for a season two of some sort – the Sydney Jones definitely needs its screen time.

First year accommodation

This is easy – Dexter just screams edgy boy in Crown who thinks all his flatmates are weird and has slept with all the fit girls on his floor. Or the entire block. He would definitely walk into his flat having Christmas dinner without him, then regret not making more of an effort when he realises in semester two they’re all really sound. He likes realising things a little late, doesn’t he! Emma Morley instead would probably be in Melville Grove. Her and Tilly would be the iconic duo in their flat who share dinners and have daily post night out debriefs, waking up next to piles of cold chips and gravy.

Nightlife

I can assume they rarely crossed paths that often in town; Dexter would’ve been in Meraki or 24 Kitchen Street with his jaw swinging swarmed with Liverpool’s finest rah girlies. I can just hear “Dexyyyyyy come back for afters and get on the decks with Hugo, Dexy”. Deafening. Emma would definitely be seen in the Brookhouse or Black Cat, ending up in concert square Mcooleys with Tilly until the lights turn on. I’m sure Dexter would also be dragged there pretending to hate it, but in reality he loves white girl dancing to Whitney Houston.

Bombed out church X grad ball

via Netflix before edits

Picture this – the bombed-out church but inside is the graduation ball where they have their first encounter. Afterwards, Tilly and Emma are perched on the steps, gazing into Krunchy Fried Chicken with gravy and cheese smeared on their dresses whilst Dexter comes to find her. A Liverpool love story. They get the night bus home and Emma explains to Dexter what a my ticket is. The rest is history. 

Sefton Park as Arthur’s Seat

via Netflix before edits

Unfortunately, Liverpool isn’t as hilly as Edinburgh so a Seffy stroll will have to do. They’d soak up that Sefton sun around the lake and admire the baby ducklings with overpriced ice cream from the central cafe. Dexter would probably bump into his edgy friends near the palm house and Emma would abruptly leave. It’s okay though because he’d chase her down Smithdown and give her a kiss goodbye underneath Tesco. 

Lark Lane to the Georgian Quarter

via Netflix before edits

Dexter’s gentrified shag pad would have to be in a 200m radius from Lark Lane, where he’d later set up his own coffee shop. Although they’d live here for a while, they would be on the hunt for an authentic townhouse in the Georgian Quarter where they’d eventually settle down. Well…

Smithdown Road

Not to be morbid but, I think this is where it may end. The chaos of Aldi, Asda, about 10 sets of lights and crossings combined with swarms of school children and students just all adds to the horror. Sorry. 

I think if One Day can teach us anything- it’s to cherish the small moments at uni. Oh, and that Southerners probably aren’t as bad as we think. 

Related stories recommended by this writer:

• Girls On The Go: The Liverpool women’s community helping to create friendships and empowerment

•Dropping the Beat, Not the Venues: The Student’s Guide to Rescuing Liverpool’s Dance Music Hotspots

• Saltburn to skinny scarves: Uni micro-trends you’ll definitely see in 2024

Featured image via Netflix