Dept Q: Is Mhòr a Real Island? Is Egley House a Real Place in Scotland?

‘Dept Q’ is a crime thriller that revolves around a police unit that specializes in reopening cold cases and uncovering abandoned mysteries by following long-buried threads. Carl Morck, an exceptional detective but unpleasant company to be around, leads this lonesome department out of Edinburgh’s police force. In time, his team-for-one grows with the addition of assistant Akram and junior detective Rose, who delve into solving the mysterious disappearance of prosecutor Merritt Lingard. Consequently, this investigation takes them to Mhòr, an island off the shore of Edinburgh and home to their missing person victim. Likewise, Egley House, a care residential place for people with disabilities, which houses Lingard’s brother, William, also turns into a frequent pit stop for Carl and his team. Naturally, as these case-imperative locations inform much of the show’s world, they’re bound to become points of intrigue.

Mhòr Provides a Background For Merritt’s Fictional Backstory

‘Dept. Q’ pens a fictitious story without any direct connections to real-life criminal cases or events. As a result, save for Jussi Adler-Olsen’s Danish crime novel series, ‘Department Q,’ which serves as the literary source material for the on-screen adaptation, the show has no other tangible sources of inspiration. Consequently, most of Merritt’s characterization as a prosecutor in the public eye remains a work of fiction. This seems to extend to Mhòr, the small town island from which the lawyer hails. In real life, similarly titled places exist, such as Innis Mhòr, a tidal island on Scotland’s east coast, and Tanera Mòr in Loch Broom.

Nevertheless, neither of the locations appears to be a firm inspiration for the on-screen Mhòr due to crucial differences, including their lack of connection to Edinburgh or dissimilarity in population. For the most part, Merritt’s hometown of Mhòr is identified by its close-knit community that fosters a lack of privacy while also managing to horde community-wide secrets. Furthermore, it adds a sense of tragedy to the prosecutor’s background, which inevitably plays into her overarching narrative. Thus, by fictionalizing this small coastal Scottish town, the show gets to exert complete creative freedom in shaping Merritt’s equally fictional storyline.

Egley House is a Fictional Establishment That Showcases a Realistic Issue

Similar to other elements in ‘Dept. Q,’ Egley House is also a fictitious place that doesn’t exist in real life. On-screen, a park in Gorebridge, UK, Vogrie Country Park, becomes the filming location for the institution’s sprawling estate. The show introduces the establishment as a charitable care residential house for people with disabilities. William, Merritt’s younger brother with aphasia, is a resident at this place under the legal guardianship of its owner, Wallace. Although the latter claims to be looking after William in order to study his condition within scientific research parameters, a more menacing reality remains. As it turns out, Wallace is actually using her patients’ hefty inheritances to fill up her own pockets by wrongfully hoarding guardianship over them.

In real life, this and other forms of financial abuse remain an active problem facing the disabled community. In fact, reports suggest that it’s the growing types of abuse that people with disabilities are vulnerable to. Furthermore, the perpetrators of such abuse and exploitation often tend to be people who hold a caregiving role over individuals with disabilities. Therefore, even though Egley House isn’t directly based on any specific residential houses, it highlights an aspect of reality that often preys upon real people who may resonate with William’s story. Ultimately, the addition of such establishments adds a layer of nuance to the worldbuilding within ‘Dept. Q.’