Is Cold Call based on a true story and where was it filmed?

Sally Lindsay stars in psychological thriller Cold Call, that originally aired on Channel 5. Now the series has been added to Netflix, viewers have lots of questions about the show.

You can't go wrong with any series that has Sally Lindsay at the helm, and her talents are now being brought to a wider audience. Cold Call first aired on Channel 5 back in 2019, but caused an immediate stir the moment it was added to Netflix recently - viewers can't get enough of the four-part psychological thriller. Sally stars as June Clarke, a woman who loses everything when she's targeted by a cold call scammer. Attending a support group for victims, June meets an old school friend who has a job suggestion for her.

Taking the job, June begins to suspect the respected business she works for is behind the criminal enterprise that targeted her. Her ultimate aim is to track down exactly who took her money and bring them to justice. Netflix has recently added crime dramas A Confession and The Buckingham Murders to their catalogue, which led to questions about whether they're based on true stories -the same is now being asked about Cold Call.

Is Cold Call based on a true story?

Cold Call isn't based on a particular true story, but the series creators did draw on the experiences of the millions who are targeted by phone scams every day. According to Citizen's Advice, around nine million people were caught out by financial scams in the past year, equating to just under one in five adults. Due to feelings of shame surrounding the nature of the crime, telephone and other financial scams are more likely to go unreported, and the numbers could be higher.

Actress Sally Lindsay has spoken about almost being a victim of phone scamming herself. Talking to Chris Evans on his Virgin Radio Breakfast Show, Sally explained, "There's so many [scams]. I mean, the week before I went to a meeting and I got a call from this supposed gas board saying that we were going to have a [County Court Judgment] against our name."

She continued, "We had not paid [the bill] for up to two years. And I know I had. I knew I had. I'm an intelligent person. The thing in my head was I got one years ago when I was a student, and I've never actually quite got over it." Unsettled by this experience, the actress used it to fuel authenticity into the role of June Clarke.

Cold Call Trailer - YouTube

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Speaking to Drama Quarterly, Sally expanded on the story behind the series, "What was so fascinating about the show is it is also like an education in the fact we’re hoping to show the viewer how they do it and how not to fall for it," she said, adding, "The weirdest thing was I didn’t really have to do any research because the minute I started talking about it, everybody had a story – my neighbours, random people I was meeting with.

"These stories came at me thick and fast. It’s almost like it’s just under the skin of society. Half the population it’s not happened to know about it and feel very vulnerable because they don’t know what to do, while the other half of the population have experienced it and they’re angry and feel June’s rage. So hopefully we’ve got a balance in that way. That’s why I find it so exciting."

Where was Cold Call filmed?

Cold Call was filmed in and around Manchester and Cheshire. Per Drama Quarterly, Sally Lindsay was behind the show’s choice to split filming between Manchester and Cheshire. June's Manchester home was to represent a working class single mother, working hard for what little she has - and loses. Upmarket Cheshire was to show how the wealthy scammers were living from the money they made from ordinary people.

In Manchester, the pub where June meets Aubrey is the Star & Garter on Fairfield Street. Flats in Howarth Close were used as the exterior of June's flat, while Collar House in Macclesfield stood in for Kirk's mansion. The Bright Building in Pencroft way was also used in the series as Kirk's office.