Patrick Melrose: How to follow in Benedict Cumberbatch's footsteps... in Glasgow
Scotland doubles as 80s New York in the new Sky Atlantic drama
In the first episode of Patrick Melrose, Benedict Cumberbatch careers around early 80s New York on a bender.
Cumberbatch looks pretty dreadful as bereaved, tormented, heroin-addicted Melrose, but New York has never looked cooler. Even the funeral home is fabulously decorated.
In fact, the whole episode was shot in the UK – and much of it was filmed in Glasgow.
Here's how to follow in Cumberbatch's footsteps.
- Find cheap flights to Glasgow
- Find hotels in Glasgow
- Lovesick's Daniel Ings on why he's fallen for Glasgow big time
1. Don an eye patch, oversized specs or shoulder pads and saunter down Cochrane Street. Imagine it's full of yellow taxi cabs and Melrose is in one of them, sweating profusely. This is how his New York trip begins: with a traffic jam.
2. There's no need to hail a taxi to reach your next stop. Simply saunter on until you reach St Vincent Street. 149 was the exterior of the funeral home where Melrose collects his father's ashes.
3. In nearby Bothwell Street, look out for number 95 – a grand sandstone building with an elaborate gold sign. In real life, it's the home of the Scottish Legal Life Assurance Society, but it doubled as the exterior of the five-star Drake Hotel, where Melrose soon makes himself at home in his luxurious suite.
100 Bothwell Street has a cameo in a later episode, when Melrose's money has run out and he's reduced to a budget hotel.
4. Book a table at Glasgow's oldest restaurant, The Rogano. Its gorgeous Art Deco decor hasn't changed since 1935 and was modelled on a ship called Queen Mary – a steamer that used to run from Glasgow down the River Clyde to Arran.
This is where Melrose dines alone, scoffing steak tartare and red wine, while arguing with the voice in his head. If raw meat isn't your thing, order the fantastic seafood, fresh from Scottish waters.
5. Go for a post-prandial stroll around The Barras, which was turned into a meat market where Melrose scores heroin. This indoor and street market has been going since the 20s and is a Glasgow institution. It's well worth a visit if you're fond of curios, designer knock-offs or a bit of banter. Don't go at night though – it's only open at weekends.
Patrick Melrose is on Sundays on Sky Atlantic at 9pm