Production is underway in Toronto on the last two episodes of Houdini & Doyle, with Jeff Renfroe (Remedy, Haven, Beauty and the Beast) set to direct the Canadian-shot eps.

The first eight episodes of the drama, a Canada/U.K. coproduction from Shaftesbury and the U.K.’s Big Talk Productions, were shot in Manchester, U.K. from July to November 2015. Moving the shoot to Toronto coincides with a Canada-centric storyline in the plot while also fulfilling the treaty coproduction conditions, said Maggie Murphy, head of Shaftesbury U.S. and executive producer on the series.

“The first few days have been excellent, and we are using some beautiful Ontario locations including Black Creek Pioneer Village, which has provided a rich backdrop for one of the episodes. We will be shooting our season finale in the Royal York Hotel, which is a gorgeous location. We will also be shooting at Casa Loma in Toronto, Parkwood Estate in Oshawa, in Dundas, Ontario and on the Scarborough Bluffs. Our British partners have commented on how wonderful the dailies are looking,” Murphy told Playback Daily.

The crew for the Toronto shoot are Canadian and mostly different from the crew used for the U.K. shoot, Murphy said, with Renfroe and producer Suzanne Colvin-Goulding among the key crew joining the series for its Canadian shoot.

Several key crew, however, including costume designer Claire Finlay-Thompson, production designer Arwel Wyn Jones and hair and makeup consultant Emily Bilverstone have made the trip across the pond to supervise local teams and ensure continuity throughout the series. The production time in the U.K. also gave the team a chance get a head start on facing potential challenges, like hair and makeup for a period drama.

Production on Houdini & Doyle is set to wrap by mid-December, and will bow on Global in 2016. The series will also air on ITV Encore and has been licensed in the U.S. on Fox. The series is produced in association with Shaw Media, ITV Encore, Sony Pictures Television and Shore Z Productions.

Executive producers are David Shore, David Titcher and David Hoselton. Executive producers for Shaftesbury are Christina Jennings, Murphy and Scott Garvie, and Kenton Allen, Matthew Justice and Luke Alkin for Big Talk Productions. Producers on the series are Colvin-Goulding and the U.K.’s Adrian Sturges. Houdini & Doyle is distributed by Sony Pictures Television.

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