HPI: the inconsistency of episode 4 that does not go unnoticed by the Northerners

Fans of HPI were treated to a fourth episode of season five full of twists and turns… and geographical inconsistencies. Between a TER train from another era and a mix-up between Boulogne and Dunkirk, those from the North quickly spotted the details that were off. A look behind the scenes of this episode that made people in the North of France grind their teeth. A retro TER train that makes people smile (or grind their teeth) Episode four of season five of HPItakes us into a surprising railway huis clos. Morgane and her family take a TER train from another era, supposedly connecting Lille to Boulogne-sur-Mer. The problem: the rolling stock looks more like a museum than the current TER trains in the Hauts-de-France region.

The aesthetic choice is deliberate, with a nod to

Murder on the Orient Express. But rail purists point out several anomalies: A train that’s far too old for 2025 The lack of visible numbering on the cars Velvet seats that haven’t existed for decades Amusing little detail: the victim buys a soda on the train. An impossibility on real TER trains where no catering service is offered.The scriptwriters clearly favored style over realism.

Fictitious stations and approximate geography For the purposes of filming, the team had to adapt the geographical reality. Since the line used was that of the Aa Tourist Railway (CFTVA), some liberties were taken:The departure station becomes “Mont-de-Terre” instead of Lille, while the Arques station is renamed Strazeele. These changes are explained by technical constraints, but create some confusion for local viewers.

• The real problem arises with the final destination. The Alvaro family is supposed to go to Boulogne-sur-Mer to scatter Serge’s ashes. The last will even specifies Equihen Beach… which isn’t in Boulogne, but in the neighboring town of Equihen-Plage.
• Dunkirk instead of Boulogne: the big faux pas
• The inconsistency becomes glaring when the family arrives… in

Dunkirk . The shots clearly show the town’s characteristic factories and chimneys, a far cry from the landscapes of the Opal Coast.The scattering of ashes takes place on the Braek dike, near the Saint-Pol fire pit – an iconic Dunkirk landmark. The producers clearly preferred this industrial setting to the charming “bowling pins” of Equihen.

This substitution raises the question:

Why not film on the real beaches of Boulogne?

Was it an artistic choice or simply practical?

How do local viewers perceive this approximation? However, this geographical freedom has not gone unnoticed by informed viewers in Northern France. Proof that even in fiction, local details matter… especially when one claims to accurately depict a region.