Embassy of the United States in London

The Embassy of the United States in London is located at 33 Nine Elms Lane in the Nine Elms district of south-west London, England. The building replaced the former American embassy on Grosvenor Square and officially opened in 2018. Designed by the American architectural firm KieranTimberlake, the embassy takes the form of a large crystalline cube raised above a colonnade and surrounded by landscaped grounds, walkways and a large pond. Its glass façade is wrapped in a distinctive outer layer of transparent ETFE panels designed to reduce solar gain and glare while allowing natural light into the building. The embassy became one of the major architectural landmarks of the redevelopment of the former industrial Nine Elms area.

The Embassy of the United States has appeared in The Diplomat (2023–), Black Doves (2024–) and The Agency (2024–). All three series use the building as the real American embassy in London, although the extent to which filming took place inside the actual building differs considerably between the productions.

In The Diplomat (2023–), the real U.S. Embassy provides the exterior identity of the workplace of newly appointed American ambassador Kate Wyler and is repeatedly used in establishing shots throughout the series. The production was also granted unusual access to film inside the actual building. In the season 2 episode “St. Paul’s”, Prime Minister Nicol Trowbridge visits the embassy to sign a book of condolences following the death of Ronnie, and the scene was filmed inside the real embassy lobby. Kate’s office and most of the other embassy interiors were recreated at London North Studios rather than filmed inside the diplomatic building.

In Black Doves (2024–), the U.S. Embassy appears prominently in the season 1 episode “Go Bang Time”. Helen Webb enters the embassy pretending to visit her friend Vanessa while secretly trying to reach CIA agent Cole Atwood. Sam waits outside and telephones Vanessa to distract her, allowing Helen to slip away. Using a stolen security pass, Helen enters a lift, where an embassy security officer discovers that the identification does not belong to her and the two fight. Helen eventually reaches Cole and questions him about the death of the Chinese ambassador before an alarm is raised. Exterior material was filmed at the real embassy in Nine Elms, while the embassy interiors were filmed at Holland Park School in Kensington.

In The Agency (2024–), the U.S. Embassy represents London Station, the CIA base where Martian returns after being recalled from his long-term undercover assignment in Ethiopia. The real building is established immediately in the season 1 premiere, “The Bends”, and its distinctive exterior is repeatedly used to identify the CIA headquarters throughout the London storyline. Much of the series follows Martian, Henry Ogletree, Naomi and other CIA personnel working from offices supposedly located within the embassy while managing operations across Europe and Africa. Exterior filming took place at the real embassy at 33 Nine Elms Lane, while the principal office interiors were created separately for the production.

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