Set in Aberdeen, Scotland, Granite Harbour follows Davis Lindo, a former Royal Military Police sergeant whose dreams of becoming a New Scotland Yard detective are dashed when he’s despatched north to train as a Detective Constable in the unfamiliar “Granite City.” Mentored by the razor-sharp DCI Lara “Bart” Bartlett, Lindo must quickly adapt to a world entirely alien to him, forging an unlikely alliance with his new colleague as they investigate murders entangled with corporate power struggles, community tensions, and Aberdeen’s distinctive oil-industry-shaped society.
Granite Harbour is a British police procedural drama produced by LA Productions for BBC Scotland and BBC One, based on an idea by Adriel Leff and Kul Muhay. The series premiered on BBC Scotland on 1 December 2022 before airing on BBC One, with subsequent international distribution through BritBox (badged as a BritBox Original in the US and Canada from August 2023). Following a well-received first series, the show returned for a second series in May 2024, and a third series—filmed from September 2025—is set for broadcast in 2026, cementing Granite Harbour’s place as one of BBC Scotland’s flagship contemporary crime dramas.
The series centres on Lance Corporal Davis Lindo (Romario Simpson, Small Axe, Andor), a former Royal Military Police sergeant who, having completed his final tour, dreams of becoming a detective at New Scotland Yard. Instead, he finds himself posted to train as a Detective Constable in the north-east of Scotland, forced to quickly adapt to life in Aberdeen—a city and a police force entirely alien to anything this soldier has previously known. Lindo finds an ally and mentor in DCI Lara “Bart” Bartlett (Hannah Donaldson, Shetland, Annika, The Crown), a razor-sharp, experienced detective who guides him through the steep learning curve of civilian policing whilst the pair navigate cases where every decision carries serious consequences.
Series One centres on the murder of a senior oil industry executive in Aberdeen, sparking what the BBC describes as a “corporate battle between old and new energy”—a plot that draws directly on Aberdeen’s identity as the historic capital of the North Sea oil industry, now navigating the energy transition toward renewables. This grounding of the mystery plot in genuine regional economic and social tensions gives Granite Harbour a distinctive flavour amongst British procedurals, using Aberdeen’s specific industrial history and geography as more than just picturesque backdrop. Series Three shifts focus to a suspicious death within the travelling community at an estate on Aberdeen’s outskirts, with Lindo and Bart’s investigation unearthing a complicated cross-community romance and a troubled past, demonstrating the show’s willingness to explore different corners of Scottish society across its run.
The supporting cast provides strong continuity across series. Michelle Jeram plays DS Simone “Monty” Montrose, Bhav Joshi appears as DI Jaiyush Mallick, and Dawn Steele (River City, Monarch of the Glen) portrays DCI Cora Macmillan, all contributing to the investigative team dynamics within Police Scotland’s Aberdeen operations. Series One also featured Gary Lewis (Billy Elliot, Vigil) as Shay Coburn and Fiona Bell (Shetland) as Isla Breck, whilst Series Three brought guest stars including John Gordon Sinclair as Chief Constable Graeme Willis, Ellie Haddington as Rose Gough, and Alastair Mackenzie as Richard Loughty—the latter reuniting on screen with Dawn Steele two decades after their Monarch of the Glen days.
Filming takes place extensively across Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire, with additional filming in Glasgow and other Scottish locations. Lead actor Romario Simpson has spoken warmly of falling in love with “the Granite City” during production, noting that establishing shots across locations ranging from Broad Street to the beach genuinely showcase Aberdeen’s beauty—scenery he admits he hadn’t fully appreciated was being captured until seeing the finished episodes on screen. This authentic sense of place has become one of the series’ defining strengths, presenting Aberdeen as a genuine character in its own right rather than a generic Scottish backdrop, embracing the city’s distinctive granite architecture (from which the show takes its title), its North Sea coastal setting, and its particular blend of traditional fishing heritage and modern oil-industry wealth.
The production is helmed by Liverpool-based LA Productions, whose previous credits include several acclaimed Jimmy McGovern dramas—Moving On, Common, Reg, and Care—featuring performers such as Tim Roth, Adrian Dunbar, Sean Bean, Anna Friel, Sheridan Smith, and Alison Steadman. This pedigree in socially grounded, character-driven drama translates into Granite Harbour’s approach, prioritising authentic character development and regional specificity over pure procedural plotting. Colin McKeown serves as Executive Producer for LA Productions, working alongside Gavin Smith, Executive Producer for BBC Scotland, who has expressed enthusiasm for the series’ innovative approach to Aberdeen-set crime drama and its commitment to exploring new communities and stories with each series.
The writing team includes Sarah Deane (story), Robert Fraser, Jillian Mannion, Ciara Conway, and Tara Hepburn, collectively shaping Lindo and Bart’s evolving partnership and the distinctive Aberdeen-set mysteries across the show’s run. Donna Molloy produces, with Caroline Bridges as cinematographer capturing Aberdeen’s granite streetscapes and dramatic coastal scenery, whilst composers Matthew Hall and Stephen Vedmore provide the series’ score.
Central to the show’s appeal is the evolving relationship between Lindo and Bart—an unlikely partnership between a military-trained outsider adjusting to civilian policing and an experienced local detective who becomes both mentor and friend. Both lead actors have spoken of their deep connection to Aberdeen and their characters; Donaldson noted that “Aberdeen has a very special place in my heart,” whilst Simpson described returning for subsequent series as “stepping into Lindo’s shoes again” with genuine enthusiasm for the fresh challenges each new case presents.
Granite Harbour represents a distinctive entry in the landscape of Scottish television crime drama, sitting alongside shows like Shetland and Karen Pirie in showcasing different corners of Scotland through the crime procedural format, whilst carving out its own identity through Aberdeen’s specific industrial history, granite architecture, and North Sea character. With a third series in production and continued international distribution through BritBox, Granite Harbour has established itself as a significant addition to BBC Scotland’s drama output, proving that authentic regional specificity—rather than interchangeable Scottish backdrops—can drive compelling, sustained crime drama across multiple series.
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Credits and More
Credits
📚 Original Author
Granite Harbour is based on an idea by Adriel Leff and Kul Muhay, who conceived the core premise: a former Royal Military Police soldier whose ambitions of joining New Scotland Yard are redirected to Aberdeen, forcing him to adapt to civilian policing in an unfamiliar Scottish city. This foundational concept established the fish-out-of-water dynamic at the heart of the series—Davis Lindo’s military background and outsider status providing a fresh lens through which to explore Aberdeen’s distinctive character, from its granite architecture to its North Sea oil industry economy. Leff and Muhay’s idea gave the production team a strong hook that distinguished the series from other Scottish crime dramas, grounding its mysteries in genuine regional specificity—corporate energy politics, traveller community tensions, and the particular social fabric of the “Granite City”—rather than more generic tartan noir plotting.
🎬 TV Series Creator
Granite Harbour is produced by LA Productions, a Liverpool-based company whose credits include several acclaimed Jimmy McGovern dramas—Moving On, Common, Reg, and Care—bringing a pedigree in socially grounded, character-driven storytelling to this Scottish-set procedural. Colin McKeown serves as Executive Producer for LA Productions, working in partnership with Gavin Smith, Executive Producer for BBC Scotland, who commissioned the series and has championed its “innovative” approach to Aberdeen-set crime drama across multiple series. The writing team—Sarah Deane (story), Robert Fraser, Jillian Mannion, Ciara Conway, and Tara Hepburn—developed the scripts, shaping both the evolving partnership between Lindo and Bart and the show’s willingness to explore different facets of north-east Scottish society with each series, from corporate oil politics in Series One to traveller community stories in Series Three. Donna Molloy produces, with Caroline Bridges as cinematographer capturing Aberdeen’s distinctive granite streetscapes and coastal scenery, and composers Matthew Hall and Stephen Vedmore providing the series’ score. This experienced production team’s ability to secure two further series renewals, alongside international distribution through BritBox, reflects confidence in both the original concept and the ongoing creative execution bringing Aberdeen’s “Granite Harbour” to life on screen.
