Kent Locations Used: Reculver Country Park; Walpole Bay
Pandemonium is a one-off TV drama in which the Jessops family, having had a terrible year due to the Pandemic, decided to take a holiday to boost morale, but it is October in Margate.
Walpole Bay is 400 meters long with a sandy beach, promenade and tidal swimming pool. Facilities include a cafe, jet ski hire, parking, golf, tennis and indoor bowls. It features in the production where a car drives off the seawall onto the beach below and has also featured in Liar Series 1 & 2 (2017)
Kent Locations Used: The Historic Dockyard Chatham
Bridgerton is a period drama inspired by Julia Quinn’s historic romance novels about a large powerful family, the Bridgeton’s and their closest acquaintances. Set against the backdrop of Regency England, this eight-part series is a saga of lust, greed and betrayal. The plot will be centred around the Bridgerton family as they navigate the “marriage mart” in high society London.
The production visited The Historic Dockyard Chatham during filming. The exterior of the Ropery was used as a stand in for various London streets, and the Tarred Yarn Store was transformed into a boxing ring. A private location in Chatham was also used.
The Crown is a Netflix Original ten-part historical drama series focusing on the reign of the Queen Elizabeth II played by Claire Foy in Series One and Two and Olivia Coleman in Series Three and Four. The series delivers a world full of intrigue and revelations from behind the closed doors of Westminster and Buckingham Palace as The Queen steps up to represent the world’s most powerful monarchy and forge relationships with her Prime Ministers including Sir Winston Churchill played by John Lithgow in Series One to Three.
Peter Morgan (TheQueen, Frost/Nixon) is writer and creator of The Crown, reportedly the most expensive series to be produced by Netflix, estimated at £100 million at the time of the first series release. Benjamin Caron (Wallander, Scott & Bailey) directs various episodes from Series One through Four while Series One and Two directors include Stephen Daldry (The Reader, The Hours), Philip Martin (Prime Suspect: The Final Act, Hawking) and Julian Jarrold (Becoming Jane, Kinky Boots). Directors for Series Three and Four joining Benjamin Caron include Samuel Donovan (Four Lions, Liar (2017-2020), Jessica Hobbs (Apple Tree Yard, Broadchurch) and Christian Schwochow (Children of Mars, Badbanks).
The Series One and Two cast includes Claire Foy (Wolf Hall, Little Dorrit), Matt Smith (Doctor Who, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies) as Prince Philip, The Duke of Edinburgh, Jared Harris (Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, Mad Men) as King George VI, Vanessa Kirby (About Time, Everest) as Princess Margaret and John Lithgow (Interstellar, Shrek) as Winston Churchill. A stellar cast stepped into the roles of the Royal Family in Series Three and Four with Queen Elizabeth II played by Oliver Coleman (The Favourite, The Other Boleyn Girl (2008)), Helena Bonham Carter (Enola Holmes, Suffragette (2015) as Princess Margaret and Tobias Menzies (Game of Thrones, The Night Manager) as Prince Philip, The Duke of Edinburgh.
The first series of The Crown was released on Netflix on Friday 4th November 2016.
In Series Four production visited the Royal School of Military Engineering (Chatham) Brompton Barracks to film scenes set in London. Brompton Barracks is ideally suited as a location to double for iconic London landmarks with a large parade ground, vaulted cellars under the Officer’s Mess, statues, stone bridges, a museum and a large ornate arch.
Series Four will be released on Netflix on Sunday 15th November 2020.
Oscar-winning writer and director Steve McQueen (Widows (2018), 12 Years a Slave (2013)) brings a new series to BBC One with six one hour-long anthologies about London’s West Indian community spanning three decades.
Directors: Owen Harris, Aoife McArdle, Andrij Parekh, Craig Zisk Writers: David Wiener, Grant Morrison, Brian Taylor, Aldous Huxley (novel) Producer: Chloe Moss Starring: Stuart Walker, Jeanie Hackman, Summer-Joules Production Company: Amblin Television, NBC Universal Content Studios
Kent Locations Used: Dungeness Estate and Old Lifeboat Station, Dungeness, Lydd Camp
Brave New World is a new eight part TV series is an adaptation of Aldous Huxley’s dystopian novel of the same name. It is set in America 200 or 300 years from now and explores the lives of two citizens who decide to explore life beyond the strictures of their society by travelling to the ‘Savage Lands’ where they become entangled in a violent rebellion.
Dungeness Estate is a unique location which includes ramshackle huts as well as two lighthouses, an historic railway station, two pubs and artist galleries along with a nuclear power station. Dungeness has a derelict look to some of the areas making for an ideal location to film a dystopian series. The Old Lifeboat Station is a Historic Grade II listed building recently celebrating its centenary. This imposing building is almost 46 metres high to the top of the weathervane and is constructed of engineering bricks with sandstone inner walls.
Writers: Dennis Kelly, Dean O’Loughlin, Kit de Waal Director: Philippa Lowthorpe, Marc Munden Starring: Jude Law, Naomie Harris, Mark Lewis Jones, Amer Chadha-Patel, Katherine Waterston Production Company: Plan B Entertainment, Punchdrunk International, SKY Studios Kent Locations Used: Fog Signal Station, Allens Farm, Chiddingstone, Bedgebury National Pinetum Forest, Hever Castle, Shellness Beach and Huts, Quex Park, St Clere Estate, Grain Coastal Park and and other private Kent locations.
Jude Law (Captain Marvel, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald) leads the cast in mysterious six-part limited series The Third Day (2020) due to air in the UK on Sky Atlantic and NOW TV. Blurring the lines between fantasy and reality, the adventure tale finds Law’s character Sam traveling to a strange island off the British coast where he encounters its inhabitants, eventually clashing with them as his sanity is threatened.
Production visited many locations in Kent for filming, including Fog Signal Station at Dungeness, Allens Farm, St Clere Estate, Bedgebury National Pinetum Forest, Hever Castle, Quex Park, Grain, Chiddingstone and Shellness Beach.
Hever Castle is an outstanding 13th century Tudor castle and moat. The grounds include stunning Italianate gardens, a large lake, as well as a mock Tudor Village. It was the original home of the Boleyn family. Inkheart (2008) and The Other Boleyn Girl (2008) have previously filmed there.
Set in 2800 acres of the rolling Kent countryside, St Clere estate offers stunning views of the North Downs, formal gardens, paddocks, a meadow, ploughed fields, a kitchen garden, orangery, green houses, workshops and stunning features such as a hawthorn archway, lime avenue and a temple by the lake. Gangs of London (2020) and The Great (2020) have recently filmed here.
Shellness Beach has an area of mixed sand and shingle beach adjoining Shellness on the Isle of Sheppey. The beach is bordered by private chalets, some of which are available for filming. Both Dark Heart Series 1 (2018) and Kiss Me First (2018) have previously filmed here.
Situated in Dungeness on the Kent coast, The Fog Signal Station has been re-furbished to an incredible standard from old government buildings into contemporary dwellings. The interior leads outside via large glass doors on to decking and shingle. Vistas from the site include two light houses and a look-out tower. Una (2017) and All Or Nothing (2002) have previously filmed at Dungeness.
Quex Park is a regency-style country estate with a unique museum containing dioramas of African landscapes and gardens. The science fiction show Blakes 7 – Bounty (1978) was filmed here.
Grain Coastal Park on the Isle of Grain gives visitors a chance to walk along two miles of shoreline and pass by ancient Forts. There are also leafy avenues with tunnels of trees that host a variety of wildflowers. Peterloo (2018) and London Spy (2015) have both previously made use of the various locations available on the Isle of Grain.
The Third Day (2020) will be available to stream on Sky Atlantic and NOW TV from 15th September 2020.
Writers: Henk Pretorius, Jennifer Nicole Stang Director: Henk Pretorius Starring: Jemima West, Christopher Dane, Rebecca Hanssen, Harry McMillan-Hunt, Rachel Lin, Tori Butler-Hart Production Company: Dark Matter Studios Kent Locations Used: Home Farm, Swale.
The Unfamiliar is a horror film that features an army doctor returning from war. Initially believing she is suffering from PTSD, Izzy (Jemima West) begins to wonder if there are supernatural forces toying with her as all she once knew becomes unfamiliar.
The psychological horror is set at Home Farm in Swale. Home Farm is a Colonial style, weather boarded villa with a veranda’s overlooking the countryside bordered by woods. Inside, high rooms are decorated in a vintage chic style, with reclaimed wood floors, radiators and chateau doors. Previous productions to have filmed here include The Autopsy of Jane Doe (2017) and Juliet, Naked (2018).
The Unfamiliar is due for release on 11th September 2020 on Amazon, Sky Store, Google Play, Apple TV and other digital channels.
For more information about Kent’s Filming History please visit our Movie Map.
Writer: Gaby Hull Director: Al Campbell Starring: Maisie Williams, Sian Clifford, Mawaan Rizwan Production Company: Kudos Film and Television for SKY UK TV Kent Locations Used: Herne Bay, Dreamland, Harbour Arm and Margate Beach
Maisie Williams (Game of Thrones, Doctor Who, Mary Shelley) stars in the new six-part comedy drama Two Weeks to Live (2020) for Sky TV. The series will focus on the adventures of Kim Noakes, a young woman raised on the margins of society by her mother. Fifteen years after the death of her father, Kim decides to leave everything behind and find his killer.
During filming production visited Herne Bayto film a scene on Hampton Pier as well as a house on Grand Drive. The cast and crew also filmed in Margate at amusement park Dreamland, the Lighthouse Bar on the Harbour Arm and Margate Beach.
Writer: Jessica Swale Director: Jessica Swale Starring: Gemma Arterton, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Penelope Wilton, Tom Courtenay Production Company: British Film Institute, Quickfire Films Kent Locations Used: The Historic Dockyard Chatham, Dover Castle
Production for Swale’s directorial feature film debut visited The Historic Dockyard Chatham, making use of multiple areas at the location including; the exterior of the Captain’s House, Officers’ Terrace, Old Pay Office, Sail and Colour Loft and the Fitted Rigging House cellars on Anchor Wharf. The exterior of the medieval Dover Castle makes a small cameo in the film in a dream-like scene.
Writer: Michael Elkin Director: Michael Elkin Starring: Sam Gittins, Jamie Foreman, Adam Deacon, Terri Dwyer, David Yip, Rutger Hauer, Sophie Stevens, Luke Mably Production Company: Break Films, Scanner-Rhodes Productions Kent Locations Used: Canterbury Prison
A young, talented snooker player caught up in the world of serious crime when a local gangster and veteran pool champion from China offers him the opportunity to break free, realise his potential and become more than he ever thought he could be.
