After her hit show Girls, which ran from 2012-2017, there has been much anticipation about Lena Dunham’s second act. And it finally landed on our screens earlier this month in the form of Too Much: a semi-biographical 10-episode series produced alongside Dunham’s husband, Luis Felber, and featuring a star-studded, Hollywood cast featuring Stephen Fry, Richard E Grant, Andrew Scott, Emily Ratajkowski and Jessica Alba. And Londoners will be thrilled to learn that much of it is filmed in their home city. 

The story follows Jessica (Megan Stalter): a New York workaholic in her mid-thirties, reeling from a broken relationship who decides to make a fresh start by taking a job in London. Here, she meets Felix (Will Sharpe) – a walking series of red flags – but finds that their unusual connection is impossible to ignore, even as it creates more problems than it solves. As she navigates the ups and downs of London dating, she also traverses the capital, from posing for Instagram snaps in Notting Hill to frequenting musical institutions in south-east London. Here are all the Too Much filming locations and London backdrops to look out for. 

Jessica’s flat: St Peter’s Estate, Hackney

Protagonist Jessica feels buoyed about her move to London – until she arrives at her new flat. Having romanticised the capital, and naively expecting to be living out her city dream in a polished Bridgerton-esque townhouse, she instead arrives via black cab with all her bags in tow to a Hackney council estate. Named Hoxton Grove Estate in the series, the scene was actually filmed at St Peter’s Estate in Hackney. Fun fact: the interior of Jessica’s flat was shot in a studio as the interiors of the real flats in the block would have been too small and restrictive for filming. Welcome to London renting. 

The live music pub: The Ivy House, Nunhead

Having picked herself up after an anti-climatic arrival at Hoxton Grove Estate, Jessica heads out to London music institution, The Ivy House, where she first meets love interest Felix after his gig. It was a top choice for Felber, who is no stranger to the Nunhead pub’s stage. He told TimeOut: “Ivy House was one of the first venues I played in when I moved to London at 17 or 18. We wanted it to feel real.”

The first work dinner: The Ivy Richmond Brasserie

So, in real life, there would be absolutely no need for Jessica to cross town for dinner at The Ivy (the group now has dozens of locations across the capital). However, in an early episode of Too Much, Jessica, her work colleagues and a Leyton Orient footballer head to the restaurant’s Richmond location for a stylish dinner – check the waiting staffs’ uniforms for proof.

The dinner party: Notting Hill

Notting Hill is no stranger to film crews (the eponymous 1999 film starring Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant took care of that). In fact, Jessica is such a fan of the aforementioned movie that she makes a pilgrimage to West London to find the exact door featured in Notting Hill, which is situated at 280 Westbourne Park Road. The door is so popular that it’s actually considered a public space and therefore permission from the landlord is not required to film outside. Later in the episode, Jessica returns to Notting Hill with Felix on her arm to take him to her boss’s house for dinner. 

The Donkey Fest: Hackney City Farm

Where else would provide the perfect backdrop for a gig in London? Hackney City Farm, of course. Instead of picking from the plethora of London music venues, Dunham originally scripted the gig to take place in a London park but, instead, found favour with the farm – plus, it was super close to Jessica’s estate so it made geographical sense. 

Multiple scenes: Shoreditch Town Hall

Shoreditch Town Hall takes on many iterations throughout Too Much. The building’s free workspace doubles as a vet’s waiting room (where Jessica’s hairless chihuahua needs medical attention) and a hospital room (which Jessica attends after accidentally setting herself alight). Drama seems to follow that woman. 

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