BBC One’s newest crime thriller series hit screens across the UK earlier this month and it’s already gripped the attention of viewers.
The show may be set in Dundee, but did you know it was actually filmed in Manchester?
Joining the ever-growing and impressive list of tv shows, films and blockbuster productions to be filmed on the very streets of our city, Traces – the six-part drama series, which can already be watched in full on BCC iPlayer – stars Three Girls actress Molly Windsor and Line Of Duty’s Martin Compston.
The premise follows Emma Hedges (Windsor) as she returns to Dundee to start a new job.
Her new career brings her mother’s unsolved murder into sharp focus, and Emma joins forces with her forensic lab colleagues to uncover the truth about her mum’s death, with many twists and turns along the way.
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And while it’s true that some parts of the series were in fact filmed on location in Dundee, Scotland – presumably just to add authenticity – the majority of scenes were actually shot in Manchester, with actor Laura Fraser – who plays Professor Sarah Gordon in the series – revealing to The Scots Magazine that: “It’s set in Dundee, but they actually only shot for a week in Dundee – it was all Manchester.”
“We filmed a lot of it in Manchester, but obviously, we had to get up to the location in Dundee,” Martin continued.
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Adding to the discussion, Bobby Cochrane from Screen Manchester – the organisation which helps to facilitate filming in the city – told Creative England: “It was great to facilitate Traces in Manchester and we worked very closely with the locations department to support and permit their requests across the city.
“Key locations included city centre bars, restaurants and hotels, as well as residential properties and park locations to the south and north of the city.”
He continued: “With Manchester doubling as Dundee, it shows the fantastic diverse range of locations that the city has to offer for urban, suburban and rural scenes”.
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Yet another reason why Manchester is so brilliant, right?
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Traces continues on BBC One at 9pm next Monday 18th January, with all episodes available to view in full on BBC iPlayer now.
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John Stones is leaving Manchester City after a decade
Danny Jones
Manchester City defender John Stones has revealed he will be leaving after nearly a full decade in sky blue at the end of the season.
The England and Man City defender has lifted pretty much everything there is to win at club level, being part of the ‘Centurions’, Treble-winning and four-in-a-row sides.
John Stones signed for City back in August of 2016 and has gone on to be part of their greatest-ever period of success under Pep Guardiola, not to mention becoming a mainstay in the national team during that time.
Sharing a moving video on social media, announced the decision that will see him depart after the best part of 10 years this summer.
Having made nearly 300 appearances for the Cityzens, he will leave the Etihad as one of their most decorated players, with a tally of 19 major trophies, the same number of goals and nine assists during his time with the club.
That being said, depending on how the remainder of this 2025/26 campaign goes, all of those stats could improve even further.
Writing in an official statement of their own, Man City went on to say: “Armed with wonderful technique, a sublime passing range allied to a superb work rate and astute reading of the game, Stones was in many ways the very embodiment of Pep Guardiola’s City.
“Such was his natural talent and tactical flexibility that Stones’ City career later saw him often deployed in a hybrid role, which saw him move into the middle of the City engine room to great effect, not least in the 2023 UEFA Champions League final…”
He is now set to leave as a free agent this June.
John Stones will leave Manchester City in the summer, bringing an end to a memorable and hugely successful ten-year stay.
They sign off by adding that “the Club and all of our supporters will take the time to deliver a fitting tribute and farewell to a superb servant of Manchester City Football Club at the end of the season.”
Following rumours of his departure in recent weeks and months, a number of clubs across Europe are already thought to have expressed interest in a transfer for the 31-year-old.
Some of the names floating around the Yorkshire-born centre-back’s signature include AC Milan and Bayern Munich; there have even been some hints at Everton attempting to re-sign him.
Where does he rank among your favourite City stars of all-time, Blues?
Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua fight FINALLY booked
Danny Jones
It seems like it’s official: Tyson Fury is finally set to fight Anthony Joshua – and it sounds like it’s happening this year.
Put it this way, it better be worth all the hype after all this time.
Arguably one of the most anticipated all-British bouts of the last few decades, the boxing match between Fury and Joshua is one that fight fans, and even those only occasionally interested in the sport, have been waiting to be booked for ages.
It got to a point where we almost started to think we’d never get to see it come to fruition whatsoever, but now promoter Eddie Hearn has confirmed that it’s all locked in.
As you can see, putting things in the simplest terms possible, the Matchroom Boxing boss said on social media: “Signed, sealed, delivered! AJ v Fury is on!”
This comes after a previous post, in which he wrote: “The biggest piece of business we’ve ever done, but more importantly, the one we’ve always wanted.
“Biggest year of AJ’s career coming up, the comeback is on.”
Tagging the chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority (GEA) and co-founder of Zuffa Boxing, Turki Al-Sheikh, the government official looks to have recently held a major event in which he hosted several big sporting names.
It was already heavily expected that any potential clash would take place in the Middle East, and it now looks like nailed on that it will be part of the country’s annual ‘Riyadh Season’.
Although things have been relatively tight-lipped on Fury‘s side, ‘The Gypsy King’ did share a little reaction of his own online…
Still more of a teaser on his end than full verification, we hope they’re not going to lead us down the garden path on this one; boxing heads have waited long enough for this one.
The 37-year-old Manchester-born boxer returned to the ring after yet ANOTHER ‘retirement’ earlier this month, winning comfortably against Arslanbek Makhmudov.
Meanwhile, Joshua, now 36, will be making his own comeback of sorts against Kristian Prenga on July 25 – this will also be taking place in Riyadh.
Emily Sergeant -
13th January 2021 
