The BBC's new political drama Roadkill was filmed partly in Hastings.

The show sees Hugh Laurie playing corrupt Tory government minister Peter Laurence, who in the first episode is seen lying in court during a libel trial, sleeping with his mistress and burying evidence of a love child.

The second episode of the four-parter, directed by Line of Duty's Michael Keillor, airs tonight.

The cast also includes Us actors Saskia Reeves and Iain De Caestecker alongside Peaky Blinders star Helen McCrory.

The Argus: Hugh Laurie plays fictional MP Peter Laurence in the BBC dramaHugh Laurie plays fictional MP Peter Laurence in the BBC drama

The bulk of programme was filmed in London.

But while the Westminster backdrop was essential to its realism, some filming also took place outside the capital.

Back in January Laurie and co were spotting shooting scenes in Hastings in Sussex.

Filming units took over parts of the Pelham car park on Hastings seafront.

>> SEE ALSO: Hugh Laurie films new BBC series in Hastings

Filming also took place at the Pig’s Palace pub at White Rock, Hastings and at a kebab shop at Warrior Square in St Leonards.

Crews were pictured in Sussex on January 7.

A Hastings Borough Council spokesman said at the time: “We have confirmed with the location manager that it is a BBC drama which will be aired in 2020.

"We aren’t able to say any more.”

What is Roadkill about?

The BBC synopsis reads: “Peter’s public and private life seems to be falling apart – or rather is being picked apart by his enemies. With his enemies so close to home, can Peter Laurence ever out-run his own secrets to win the ultimate prize?”

Hare explained that he did not want to base his show on real life situations or figures, and that Roadkill is an exercise in imagination.

“I wanted to imagine what it would be like if a Conservative politician, naturally gifted with a mix of charm, intelligence, charisma and high humour, managed to find his path from a working-class household in Croydon right into the heart of Westminster,” he said.

The Argus: Hugh Laurie filming in Hastings earlier this yearHugh Laurie filming in Hastings earlier this year

“Considering that they’ve formed our last six governments, it’s amazing how little fiction Conservatives have generated.

"I wanted to ask what happens when you put ideals of freedom and personal responsibility above all other virtues.

“I was also interested in the effect of believing that every one of us is alone responsible for the destiny and progress of our own lives. But to inquire into these questions, it was essential to me to invent.

“My hero, Peter Laurence, is not based on anyone. Nor are the other characters. Mine is a parallel world to the real one, and there is no secret passage between the two.

“You will be wasting your time if you think that the purpose of the series is to work out who everyone is ‘meant to be’. In Roadkill, neither Covid nor Brexit consume every politician’s waking hour.”

  • The second episode of Roadkill airs on BBC tonight at 9pm