Henry Crabbe – Pie in the Sky
Richard Griffiths played Detective Inspector Henry Crabbe in five seasons of the TV show Pie in the Sky back in the mid 1990s.
Henry is hoping to retire from the police force so he can spend more time at his new restaurant “Pie in the Sky”, indulging in his passion for food and cooking.
But Henry is prevented from leaving his police work behind, and is repeatedly called on to solve difficult cases when he would much rather be cooking.
With each episode viewers enjoy two distinct plotlines: one centered on Henry’s investigative skills, and the other on the challenges he, his wife, and their staff face in running the restaurant.
Where was Pie in the Sky filmed?
The show is set in the fictional town of Middleton in the fictional county of Westershire, with the town of Marlow in Buckinghamshire often filmed to represent the location.
Scenes featuring the exterior of the restaurant were filmed at 64 High Street, Hemel Hempstead. The building will be instantly familiar to anyone who watched the show.
Scenes featuring the restaurant interior were filmed elsewhere, at Bray Studios in Berkshire.
The image here is from google and you can click on the (+) to zoom in and take a closer look. This image is from 2022, when the location was home to a hairdresser.
Clicking on “view on google maps” will take you to street view, where you can select older versions and see how it’s changed over the years.
Drive the length of Hemel Hempstead High Street in this video, with the Pie in the Sky filming location at 1:12m
In addition to Hemel Hempstead, the TV series utilized various Hertfordshire locations to create its world.
- St Albans, with its scenic countryside and historic sites, provided an essential setting
- Tring’s quaint streets and period architecture contributed to the show’s atmosphere
- Watford’s urban landscape added a dynamic backdrop
These diverse locations, each with its own character, played a crucial role in shaping the series’ visual narrative and solidifying Hertfordshire’s significance in Pie in the Sky’s legacy.
As the location of Henry Crabbe’s restaurant, Hemel Hempstead’s role in Pie in the Sky has made it a must-visit destination for fans of the series. Start planning your visit today!
Getting there
Hemel Hempstead is 39 kilometres (24 miles) northwest of London. You can catch a train to Hemel Hempstead Station, and then take a bus another two miles north to the Old Town and the High Street.
Explore Hemel Hempstead on Tripadvisor.com
Find the TV show on Amazon.com
Pie in the Sky on imdb.com
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