Imagine spending three years raising your child, only to discover he isn’t yours. Switched at birth. That’s the premise of ITV’s gripping new drama, Playing Nice. The emotional storm at the heart of the story is mirrored by the dramatic Cornish coastline where much of the series was filmed.
Starring James Norton and Niamh Algar, Playing Nice brings psychological tension and raw emotion to screen, but it’s Cornwall’s rugged beauty that helps shape the tone of the show. From stormy sea stacks to peaceful lidos, here’s a guide to the real-life filming locations and how you can visit them.
The Cast of ITV’s Playing Nice Series
James Norton – Pete Riley
Pete is a devoted stay-at-home dad whose life shatters when it’s revealed his son may not be his. In one of the most gripping sequences, he searches desperately for his missing child through the narrow lanes and harbour of Mevagissey. The fishing village setting amplifies his panic and the claustrophobic tension of the moment.
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Niamh Algar – Maddie Wilson
Maddie is a hardworking restaurateur and mother whose world comes undone as the truth emerges. She has one of the most intense confrontations of the series with Lucy at the Jubilee Pool in Penzance. The Art Deco lido, with waves crashing beyond, becomes a dramatic backdrop to their strained emotions.
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James McArdle — Miles Lambert
Miles is the confident, affluent father of the other switched child. His life by the coast is shown in scenes of surfing and family calm at Mawgan Porth Beach, where his clifftop home overlooks the Atlantic. The location reflects his outwardly perfect lifestyle while hinting at the cracks beneath.
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Jessica Brown Findlay — Lucy Lambert
Lucy is more guarded and restrained, intensifying the series’ psychological tension. She faces Maddie at Jubilee Pool during the heated confrontation, and later appears at a stylish charity gala filmed at Tate St Ives, her composed demeanour contrasting the chaos around her.
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Where was playing nice filmed?
Park Head, near Porthcothan Beach
Towering above the Atlantic, Park Head is one of Cornwall’s most cinematic coastlines. It’s no wonder the dramatic final scenes of Playing Nice were filmed here. Perched on the headland between Porthcothan and the iconic Bedruthan Steps, Park Head delivers soaring views, wind-sculpted cliffs, and a deep sense of isolation—ideal for scenes steeped in emotional tension.
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History & Folklore
Park Head and the surrounding coastline have long captured the imagination. Just south, the famed Bedruthan Steps sea stacks are shrouded in Cornish legend. According to local folklore, a giant named Bedruthan used the towering rocks as stepping stones across the bay. While likely a tale spun for Victorian tourists, the name and the mystery have endured.
This stretch of coastline is steeped in history. You’ll find Iron Age earthworks nearby, traces of ancient settlements that once watched over the same sea. The whole area falls under the stewardship of the National Trust, preserving its natural and historical significance.
Other Filming in the Area
Playing Nice isn’t the first production to be lured in by this rugged coast.
- Bedruthan Steps has been featured in BBC documentaries and promotional campaigns due to its distinctive rock formations.
- Porthcothan Bay, just to the south, was used as a location in Poldark, doubling as Nampara Cove, where Ross meets Demelza on the sand.
- Treyarnon and Constantine, further up the coast, have appeared in fashion shoots, music videos, and travel shows, thanks to their broad beaches and golden-hour glow.
Park Head itself remains relatively unknown to the average visitor, making it all the more haunting and atmospheric on screen.
What to Expect
From the National Trust car park at Park Head, take a scenic walk through open farmland and head toward the coast path. As the land drops away, you’ll be rewarded with uninterrupted views of sea stacks, seabirds wheeling on the wind, and waves crashing far below. On stormy days, the drama in the skies mirrors the stories this place tells.
Penzance Jubilee Pool
In Playing Nice, one of the series’ most emotionally charged moments takes place by the sea at Penzance’s striking Jubilee Pool. This iconic lido, where Lucy and Maddie face off, offers a fittingly raw and open backdrop for their confrontation.
With its clean Art Deco lines and curved geometry echoing the waves, Jubilee Pool feels like it belongs both to the past and the future, timeless, bold, and unmistakably Cornish.
Jubilee Pool
History of Jubilee Pool
Opened in 1935 to celebrate King George V’s Silver Jubilee, the pool is one of the last surviving saltwater lidos in the UK. Designed by architect Captain F. Latham, its bold geometric shapes and streamlined aesthetic reflect the optimism and modernism of the interwar period. It’s a lasting tribute to Penzance’s seaside heritage and love of open-air swimming.
During its lifetime, the pool has seen storms, closures, community campaigns, and rebirths. After suffering serious storm damage in 2014, it was restored and reopened with the help of passionate locals and volunteers.
Today, it not only offers cool saltwater swims, but also features a unique geothermal pool, the first of its kind in the UK. Naturally heated using deep geothermal energy, this warm pool has helped extend the swimming season year-round and marks a turning point in the lido’s sustainability journey.
A Star-Ready Backdrop
Its clean white walls, sweeping curves and sea views have made Jubilee Pool a popular feature in Cornish visual culture—from retro postcards to fashion shoots. With Playing Nice, the pool’s moody skies and tidal edge take centre stage.
Jubilee Pool has also appeared in:
- Cornish tourism films, promoting health and wellness on the coast.
- Local documentaries exploring the changing nature of public spaces and community ownership.
- Music videos and short films that harness its nostalgic feel.
Watergate Bay
With waves rolling in and cliffs wrapping around golden sand, Watergate Bay is one of Cornwall’s most iconic beaches. It’s here, in Playing Nice, that scenes set in Maddie’s restaurant unfold, filmed on location at Zacry’s Restaurant, known for its upscale seasonal dishes and panoramic sea views.
Whether you’re watching the tension rise on screen or sipping a flat white after a surf, Watergate Bay blurs the line between high drama and relaxed coastal living.
Watergate Bay Beach
More Than Just a Pretty Beach
Watergate Bay isn’t just a postcard-perfect beach, it’s a vibrant hub of surf culture, culinary creativity, and year-round energy. Stretching for two miles at low tide, the bay is a magnet for beach lovers, dog walkers, and water sports enthusiasts.
Its reputation as a surf mecca was cemented in the early 2000s when it became home to the English Surfing Federation, and the annual Boardmasters Festival often hosts competitions here. The consistent swell and long beach make it a great spot for beginners and seasoned surfers alike.
In Playing Nice, Watergate’s cinematic appeal helps frame the story with wildness, openness, and a sense of emotional vastness. It’s a fitting place for characters to seek solace, confront truths, and attempt to reconnect.
Other Film & TV Links
While Playing Nice is one of the most recent dramas to feature Watergate Bay, the area has long been favoured by filmmakers and photographers:
- BBC dramas and commercials have used the wide, sweeping beach for shots requiring an untamed and elemental backdrop.
- Fistral Beach, just down the road in Newquay, has often stood in for far-flung surf destinations in music videos and extreme sports features.
- Holywell Bay, a few miles north, has appeared repeatedly in Poldark and House of the Dragon for its distinctive dunes and rocky headland.
Mawgan Porth
Tucked between dramatic headlands on Cornwall’s north coast, Mawgan Porth is a beach with soul. In Playing Nice, it’s where characters take a breath, walking the sand, surfing the waves, and revealing parts of themselves away from the chaos. It’s also where Miles and Lucy’s home is set, high above the bay, looking out over the Atlantic.
Beyond its role in the ITV drama, Mawgan Porth is beloved for its slow pace, natural charm, and easygoing surf culture. It’s a place where families, walkers, surfers and film crews all find space to breathe.
mawgan porth beach
A Star of Screen and Surf
Mawgan Porth’s wide, sandy beach is featured in multiple scenes throughout Playing Nice. Cast and crew alike spent time here off-camera too, learning to surf with local instructors at King Surf School, a well-loved fixture in the village.
Its cinematic appeal lies in contrast, it’s both expansive and intimate. The cliffs feel protective, yet the ocean feels endless. For filmmakers, that means emotional resonance. For visitors, it means a beach that lingers in your memory long after your footprints are gone.
Other Film Connections Nearby
While Mawgan Porth itself has a quieter film history, the surrounding coastline is a goldmine for location scouts:
- Holywell Bay and Constantine Bay, both within 25 minutes, have featured in House of the Dragon and Doc Martin respectively.
- Bedruthan Steps (a short drive north) has featured in everything from Poldark to global advertising campaigns.
- Newquay Airport, just inland, is often used for aerial shots and equipment staging.
St Ives
In Playing Nice, the drama shifts to St Ives for a more poised yet poignant moment: a charity gala hosted by Lucy and Miles in honour of their son, David. The setting? The iconic Tate St Ives, perched above the rolling surf of Porthmeor Beach.
As the couple take to the stage and speak openly about their emotional journey into parenthood, the soft hues of the early evening sky and the Atlantic beyond lend the moment a serene yet stirring backdrop. It’s a scene of calm amidst chaos and one that shows just how closely the setting mirrors the sentiment.
St Ives by Scott Fisher
About the Tate
One of Cornwall’s most prestigious cultural landmarks, Tate St Ives celebrates the region’s long-standing connection with British modernism. Inside, you’ll find works by renowned artists like Barbara Hepworth, Ben Nicholson, and Wilhelmina Barns-Graham, many of whom were part of the celebrated St Ives School.
With its curved white architecture and sweeping sea views, the gallery is as much a part of the landscape as the beach below it.
Cinematic History
- Summer in February (2013), starring Dan Stevens and Dominic Cooper, was partially filmed here, telling the story of the Lamorna art colony and painter Alfred Munnings.
- The town has also featured in travel documentaries and lifestyle shoots thanks to its painterly light and distinctive scenery.
- Its connection to the St Ives School of artists makes it one of the most visually recognised spots in the UK.
Mevagissey
It’s not often that Mevagissey appears on screen, but in Playing Nice, it plays a vital role in episode three when Pete (James Norton) desperately searches for his missing son, Theo. The suspense unfolds across the harbour and through the narrow lanes, offering a jarring contrast to the village’s real-life charm.
In reality, Mevagissey is all about slow living. This working harbour town in South Cornwall has buckets of character, think cobbled alleyways, fresh seafood, bobbing boats and a pace of life that gently hums rather than buzzes.
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A Filming Favourite
- Mevagissey featured in the 1970s drama The Onedin Line, a maritime series that brought Victorian shipping to the screen.
- It was also used for scenes in Wild West starring Dawn French, a quirky sitcom about life in a fictional Cornish town.
- With narrow streets and an unspoilt harbour, it’s often used in period pieces or Cornwall-themed shoots looking for authenticity.
