What is The Singapore Grip and why was it filmed in Kuala Lumpur and Penang?
- In the lavish period drama, historic locations in Malaysia stand in for early 1940s Singapore
- Heritage houses Carcosa Seri Negara, in Kuala Lumpur, and the Blue Mansion, in Georgetown, also appeared in Crazy Rich Asians
Lavish new television period drama The Singapore Grip is set in the Lion City and features stunning locations – all of which are in Malaysia.
Based on the third book in J.G. Farrell’s Empire trilogy, published in 1978, the story revolves around rubber barons Mr Webb (Charles Dance) and Walter Blackett (David Morrissey) against the backdrop of the fall of Singapore. But the production team found the city state too gleamingly modern and urban to fit the bill for the early 1940s. Instead they headed to Kuala Lumpur and Georgetown, the capital of Penang island.
“A lot of people ask why we didn’t film in Singapore,” says producer Farah Abushwesha. “This is a drama set midway through World War II, about the Japanese invasion of Singapore. Singapore is now so built up [...] you wouldn’t be able to film what we’ve been able to in Malaysia.”
Writer and executive producer Christopher Hampton, who spent part of his childhood in Hong Kong and whose uncle worked in Penang ahead of the second world war, says, “Malaysia was the logical decision, especially as some of [the book] was already set in Penang and it was discovered that lots of other locations could be found in Penang.”
This is not the first time Malaysia has stood in for Singapore. When the film Crazy Rich Asians (2018) was released, it did not go unnoticed by Malaysians that some of the locations were in their country. A couple of those settings feature in The Singapore Grip, too. Here are some of the locations.
Kuala Lumpur
Carcosa Seri Negara