It is the question almost every viewer asks by the second episode: where is After Life filmed? Ricky Gervais’s bittersweet Netflix drama is set in Tambury, a small town so convincing — the high street, the local paper, the park bench where Tony sits with his dog — that thousands of fans have searched for it on a map. The answer is that Tambury does not exist. It was assembled from real towns in Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire and London, chosen because they already looked like the place Gervais imagined.
This guide identifies the main locations, explains which real town stands in for which part of Tambury, and covers what you can and cannot visit if you want to see the settings of one of Netflix’s most loved British series in person.
Is Tambury a Real Place?
No — Tambury is fictional, created for the series and stitched together from several real locations so the production could always find the street, shopfront or view a scene needed. As Wikipedia’s page on After Life outlines, the series ran for three seasons on Netflix between 2019 and 2022, following widowed local journalist Tony Johnson as he grieves for his wife Lisa. Gervais has said the town’s ordinariness is the point: Tambury is meant to feel like anywhere, which is why recognisable but unglamorous real streets serve it so well.
The trick works because the locations share one architectural language — brick high streets, Victorian and Georgian frontages, green open spaces — so cutting between towns never breaks the illusion. Viewers who “recognise” Tambury are usually recognising the generic English small town of their own experience, which is precisely the emotional effect the production was designed to produce.
Hemel Hempstead: The Main Tambury
The bulk of After Life was filmed in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, particularly its Old Town. The Old Town high street, with its historic buildings and independent shops, provides the Tambury townscape that appears throughout the series, and the area around St Mary’s Church and Gadebridge Park supplies the green, reflective spaces used for many of Tony’s walks and bench scenes — the emotional centre of the show.
Hemel Hempstead suited the production practically as well as visually: it is close to London’s studios and crew base, its old town reads on camera as a timeless market town rather than a modern new town, and its council and residents were accommodating across three seasons of filming. When fans picture Tambury, they are mostly picturing Hemel’s Old Town — it is the single most important answer to where After Life is filmed.
Beaconsfield and Hampstead: The Supporting Locations
Beaconsfield, in Buckinghamshire, contributed additional street and interior locations, including the kind of pubs, cafés and community spaces where Tony’s interactions with Tambury’s residents unfold. Its well-preserved old town has a slightly more polished look, and the production used it where scenes needed that register — one of the quiet ways the fictional town gains variety without ever feeling inconsistent.
Hampstead, in north London, provided the third element: leafier, more urban scenes that widen Tambury’s world. Hampstead’s village atmosphere, historic streets and proximity to the Heath let the series shoot London-flavoured material while keeping the same visual identity. Between the three locations, the editors could build a town with a high street, suburbs, green space and graveyards — the cemetery scenes central to the story were filmed in real churchyards among these locations — without ever leaving the Home Counties.
Can You Visit the After Life Filming Locations?
Yes, with ordinary courtesy. Hemel Hempstead’s Old Town is a public high street — you can walk the routes Tony walks, visit Gadebridge Park and photograph the same frontages, and local businesses have grown used to fans doing exactly that. Beaconsfield’s old town and Hampstead are equally open; both reward a wander even without the television connection, and all three are reachable by train or tube from central London.
The limits are the obvious ones. Houses used for exteriors, including the property that stood in for Tony’s home, are private residences: look from the street, do not knock, photograph through windows or wander into gardens. Interiors were a mix of real premises and sets, so a café that looks familiar may not match inside. Treat the locations as living towns rather than a theme park, and the visit stays enjoyable for everyone, residents included.
Conclusion
So where is After Life filmed? In Hemel Hempstead above all, with Beaconsfield and Hampstead completing the portrait — three real places folded into one fictional town that viewers believed in completely. That belief is the tribute: the locations were never dressed up to look like somewhere else, just chosen well and filmed with affection.
For fans, the good news is that Tambury’s streets are open to anyone. Walk the Old Town, sit on a bench in the park, and you are standing inside the show — no studio tour required, just a train ticket and a little respect for the people who actually live there.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is After Life filmed?
Mainly in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire — especially the Old Town — with additional filming in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire and Hampstead, London, combined to create the fictional town of Tambury.
Is Tambury a real town?
No. Tambury is fictional and exists only in the series. It was assembled from several real UK towns so the production could give it exactly the look and facilities the story needed.
Where is Tony’s house in After Life?
The exterior is a real private house in the Hemel Hempstead area. Its exact address is not promoted as an attraction, and it should only be viewed from the public street.
Where was the bench in After Life filmed?
Tony’s bench scenes — among the show’s most famous images — were filmed in the green spaces around Hemel Hempstead’s Old Town, including the churchyard and park areas that stand in for Tambury’s quiet corners.
Can you visit the After Life locations in one day?
Yes. Hemel Hempstead and Beaconsfield are both within easy reach of London, and Hampstead is on the Northern line, so a determined fan can cover the main spots in a single day trip.
Will there be more After Life filmed?
No — the series concluded with its third season in 2022, and Ricky Gervais has consistently said the story is complete, so the locations have a finished body of scenes attached to them.
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