Author: Kent Film Office

Too Close (2021)

Posted on by Kent Film Office
Connie Mortenson (played by Denise Gough) and psychiatrist Dr Emma Robertson (played by Emily Watson) stand side by side looking to camera with a dark background, the mood of the image is sinister.

Too Close (2021) © ITV images

Writer: Clara Salaman
Director:  Bruce Goodison
Starring: Emily Watson, Denise Gough, Eileen Davies
Production Company: Snowed-In Productions Ltd, All3Media for ITV
Kent Locations Used: Kingsferry Bridge – Isle of Sheppey, Swale

Too Close (2021) is a psychological drama for ITV starring Emily Watson. The three-part mini‑series tells the story of a forensic psychiatrist who must assess a criminal suspect – only to fall victim to their manipulative nature.

Dedicated forensic psychiatrist, Dr Emma Robinson played by Emily Watson (The Third Day (2020), Chernobyl) is sent to assess Connie played by Denise Gough (Paula, Guerrilla) who is on trial for a terrible crime When Connie quickly gains insight into Emma’s deepest insecurities and starts to brutally exploit them, their sessions become a complex psychological game. Eileen Davies (Grantchester, Peterloo (2018)) also stars as Julia de Cadenet.

Too Close (2021) is based on the book of the same name, written by Clara Salaman under the pseudonym Natalie Daniels, and is directed by Bruce Goodison (Born to Kill, Doctor Foster) for Snowed-In Productions for All3Media.

During filming, production visited Kent to film a stunt sequence on Kingsferry Bridge, a combined road and railway bridge that links the Isle of Sheppey to mainland towns Sittingbourne and Kemsley. The maximum bridge lifting height is 84 feet and when reached a claxon sound is heard to confirm the bridge is at full height. The Kingsferry Bridge is no longer as busy as it once was, traffic now able to use the New Sheppey Crossing Bridge. Previous productions to film on the bridge include Kiss Me First (2018).

Too Close (2021) is due for release on ITV on April 12th at 9pm.

 

For more information about Kent’s Filming History please visit our Movie Map.

Ammonite (2021)

Posted on by Kent Film Office
Image of two faces overlapping and facing one another - Actress Saoirse Ronan playing Charlotte Murchison and Kate Winslet playing Mary Anning.

Ammonite movie poster
© EF Neon

Writer: Francis Lee

Director: Francis Lee

Starring: Saoirse Ronan, Kate Winslet, Fiona Shaw, Gemma Jones.

Production Company: See-Saw Films, British Film Institute, BBC Films

Kent Locations Used: Romney House, School Road, Charing, The Historic Dockyard Chatham

Ammonite is film loosely based on the life of the acclaimed English fossil hunter Mary Anning (Kate Winslet) in 1840s England. Widely known for her contribution to prehistoric geology, she made ground-breaking Jurassic period discoveries as she spent time investigating the cliffs at Lyme Regis and Charmouth in Dorset. Whilst the film will clearly address Anning’s professional life, it will also explore her private affairs and her struggles to make ends meet.

The film was written and directed by Francis Lee (God’s Own Country, The Farmer’s Wife) and Kate Winslet (Titanic, The Reader) stars as Anning alongside Saoirse Ronan (Hanna, Lady Bird) as her fellow geologist Charlotte Murchison.

Several scenes for the film, despite being set for the most part on the Jurassic coast, were shot in Kent. Romney House, a grade II listed building in Charing, was used to stand in for a Lyme Regis property belonging to Dr Issacson.

Charing is a quaint, traditional and beautiful village in the Ashford district of Kent and is situated on the historic Pilgrim’s way that stretches from London to Canterbury. The high street has many old whitewashed buildings comprised of brick and tile, some also exhibiting exposed timber frames. It is also home to the famous building the Archbishop’s palace, a large manor house historically belonging to the Archbishop of Canterbury.

A further sequence was also shot at The Historic Dockyard in Chatham, in which a boat from Lyme Regis arrives at a dockside in London.

The Historic Dockyard was established in the mid-16th century and is located on the River Medway. A location with an extensive history, evident through its numerous buildings and exhibitions open to the public. The site offers maritime, industrial, Georgian and Victorian architecture and cobbled streets, an ideal set for many film productions. Recent films that have used the Dockyard in their productions include Red Joan (2019) and The Mercy (2018).

Ammonite is scheduled for release on video on demand on 26th March 2021

For more information about Kent’s Filming History please visit our Movie Map.

 

 

 

Pennyworth Series 1 – 2 (2019 – 2021)

Posted on by Kent Film Office
Alfred Pennyworth points a gun on this poster image with a montage of characters in the background. Red backdrop with faint image of castle in the background

Pennyworth (2019–2021 ) ©IMDb


Creator / Writer: Bruno Heller
Directors: Danny Cannon, Rob Bailey, Bill Eagles, Jon East, Clare Kilner, China Moo-Young
Starring: Jack Bannon, Ben Aldridge, Hainsley Lloyd Bennett, Paloma Faith
Production Company: Warner Bros
Kent Locations Used: The Historic Dockyard Chatham

Pennyworth Series One tells the origin story of Alfred Pennyworth a former special‑forces soldier living in London in the 1960s and how he came to work for Bruce Wayne’s father, Thomas Wayne.

This TV series for Starzplay was created by Bruno Heller and co-written by Bill Finger, Bob Kane, Danny Cannon and Seth Sinclair. Pennyworth was directed by a collaboration of directors Danny Cannon, Rob Bailey, Bill Eagles, Jon East, Clare Kilner and China Moo-Young.

Jack Bannon (The Imitation Game, Fury, Endeavour) stars as Alfred Pennyworth with co-star Ben Aldridge (Our Girl, Fleabag, Toast) playing Thomas Wayne. Pennyworth also stars Hainsley Lloyd Bennett (King of Crime, Catastrophe), Ryan Fletcher (Beats, Outlander) and singer songwriter Paloma Faith (Peter & Wendy, Doctor Parnassus).

During Series One production visited The Historic Chatham Dockyard for filming where exterior scenes were shot around the Ropery, including a chase scene on the roof, Old Pay Office, Admiral’s Office and Anchor Wharf to stand in as 1960s London.

During Series Two production visited former MOD site Lodge Hill in Rochester, Medway to shoot some scenes.

Chatham is home to one of Kent’s most popular film locations The Historic Dockyard Chatham. The Medway area has previously been seen on screen in The Third Day (2020), Great British Railway Journeys Series 11 (2020) and Call the Midwife Series 1 – 9 (2012 – 2020).

The Historic Chatham Dockyard is a historic tourist attraction on the site of a former Royal Naval Dockyard and has been the location for several recent productions set in the 1950s and 1960s including Call the Midwife (2018) and The Crown (2016). Lodge Hill in Rochester is a huge former MOD site of around 350 hectares offering numerous large warehouses, hard standing for set builds, two lakes, a helicopter landing area and miles of country roads and dirt tracks for driving sequences.

Pennyworth Series One was released on Starzplay on 25th October 2019.

The air date for Series Two is Sunday 28th February 2021.

 

For more information about Kent’s Filming History please visit our Movie Map. 

Unforgotten (2021)

Posted on by Kent Film Office
The image shows head shots of actors Sanjeev Bhaskar and Nicola Walker looking into the distance. Sanjeev wears a black coat and Nicola wears a red coat.

Sanjeev Bhaskar and Nicola Walker in Unforgotten (2020) Series 4 © Alex Fletcher BT TV News

Writer: Chris Lang

Director: Andy Wilson

Starring: Nicola Walker, Sanjeev Bhaskar, Sheila Hancock, Susan Lynch, Phaldut Sharma, Liz White, Andy Nyman, Clare Calbraith, Lucy Speed

Production company: Mainstreet Pictures

Kent Locations Used: Rochester City, Rochester Cathedral, Medway Rowing Club, Strood

 

Unforgotten is a murder mystery series set in London, that follows two detectives, DCI Cassie Stuart (Nicola Walker) and DI Sunny Khan (Sanjeev Bhaskar) as they investigate and attempt to unravel unsolved crimes. Series 4 kicks off with the discovery of a thirty-year-old corpse, the perfect cold case for the detectives to solve.

 

Unforgotten Series Four, was once again written by award winning Chris Lang (Innocent, A Mother’s Son) and directed by Andy Wilson (Cracker). It stars Nicola Walker (Spooks, Four Weddings and a Funeral) as DCI Cassie Stuart and Sanjeev Bhaskar (Yesterday, Absolutely Anything) as DI Sunny Khan. Co-stars are set to include Sheila Hancock (The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas), Susan Lynch (Killing Eve), Phaldut Sharma (EastEnders) and Andy Nyman (Judy).

 

Filming took place in historic Rochester City, featuring Rochester Cathedral. Another feature filmed in the city at the  Royal Victoria & Bull Hotel was feature Last Orders (2002). Standing above the River Medway, in the centre of the city,  Rochester castle  has featured in Bollywood feature, Veer (2010) and the Dicken’s adaptation of The Mystery of Edwin Drood (2012).

 

The production also visited neighbouring Strood, across the River Medway, a popular location for those who enjoy water sports, fishing or even a boat trip along the river.

 

Unforgotten (2020) Series 4 has been confirmed to be released in early 2021 by ITV.

 

 

For more information about Kent’s Filming History please visit our Movie Map. 

 

 

Tags: Unforgotten, TV series, drama, murder mystery, London, Kent film locations, Rochester Cathedral, River Medway, Strood, ITV

 

 

Devils (2021)

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Patrick Dempsey as Dominic Morgan & Alessandro Borghi as Massimo Ruggero are walking down a stairway outside with skyscrapers in the background.

Patrick Dempsey as Dominic Morgan & Alessandro Borghi as Massimo Ruggero
© Antonello&Montesi

Writers: Elena Buccacio, Mario Ruggeri, Alessandro Sermoneta, Ben Harris, Chris Lunt, Michael A Walker

Directors:  Nick Hurran, Jan Michelini

Starring: Patrick Dempsey, Alessandro Borghi, Laia Costa

Production Company: Lux Vide, Sky Italia

Kent Locations Used: Kingsgate Bay in Broadstairs

 

Based on the novel by Guido Maria Brera, Devils is a brand new TV series set in the London Offices of a large investment bank where Massimo Ruggero (Alessandro Borghi) discovers a worldwide financial conspiracy. Will he side with the perpetrators or expose the fraud?

 

The writing of the show is shared amongst several writes, including Elena Buccacio (Magie and Bianca Fashion Friends), Mario Ruggeri (Don Matteo), Alessandro Sermoneta (Once Upon a Time The City of Fools), Ben Harris (Dark Heart), Chris Lunt (Prey) and Michael A Walker (Primevil). It is directed by Nick Hurran (Sherlock), and Jan Michelini (Medici). Starring Patrick Dempsey (Grey’s Anatomy, Bridget Jones’ Baby), Alessandro Borghi (Romulus and Remus: The First King), and Laia Costa (Cities, Only You).

 

Production visited the Kingsgate Bay in Broadstairs to film a dialogue scene on the clifftops.

 

Broadstairs is a coastal town on the Isle of Thanet in the East Kent district. Productions that have also visited this area include and The Tunnel series (2013-2017) and Human Series 2 (2016) and

Devils was released in Italy in 2019.

UK release date is 17th February 2021 on Sky Atlantic and Now TV.

For more information about Kent’s Filming History please visit our Movie Map. 

Pandemonium (2020)

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The Jessop family stand in front of the Towers at Reculver country park on their family holiday

Alison Steadman pictured centre
© BBC Studios / Andrew Hayes Watkins

Writer: Tom Basden

Director: Ella Jones

Starring: Alison Steadman

Production Company: BBC Studios

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.

Produced by BBC Studios the show was written by Tom Basden (Plebs, After Life (2019)), directed by  Ella Jones and stars Alison Steadman (Gavin & Stacey)

Production visited Reculver Country Park and Walpole Bay as the Jessop’s holiday destinations.

Reculver is a popular destination, comprising the atmospheric Reculver Towers and Roman Fort ruins and the surrounding country park and has previously featured in The Tunnel: (2017-2020) and The Medusa Touch (1978).

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)

Pandemonium will air on Wed 30 December 2020 on BBC.

For more information about Kent’s Filming History please visit our Movie Map: https://kentfilmoffice.co.uk/kent-movie-map/moviemap-live-2/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bridgerton (2020)

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The Bridgerton family stand in a group on the steps outside their Regency home

Bridgerton cast- © Netflix

 

Writers: Chris Van Dusen, Sarah Dollard, Janet Lin, Abby McDonald, Julia Quinn

Directors: Sheree Folkson, Alrick Riley, Julie Anne Robinson, Tom Verica

Starring: Phoebe Dynevor, Regé-Jean Page, Golda Rosheuvel, Jonathan Bailey, Adjoa Andoh, Julie Andrews

Production Company: Shondaland

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.

Bridgerton was adapted by Chris Van Dusen (Scandal, Grey’s Anatomy) and written with Sarah Dollard (Love Me, Neighbours), Janet Lin (The Orville, The Night Shift), Joy C. Mitchell (The Letter for the King, Deutschland 86), Abby McDonald and Julia Quinn.

The large ensemble cast include Phoebe Dynevor (Dickensian, Snatch) , Adjoa Andoh (Liar (2017-2020), Fractured), Julie Andrews (The Sound of Music, The Princess Diaries) and Jonathan Bailey (Broadchurch, W1A).

The production visited The Historic Dockyard Chatham during filming. The exterior of the Ropery and Officer’s Terrace were used as stand ins for various London streets and the Tarred Yarn Store was transformed into a boxing ring. Meanwhile, Commissioner’s House Garden stands in as the Bridgerton family garden for some scenes.

The Historic Dockyard Chatham is located on the river Medway and has become a popular filming location in Kent. Features include Georgian and Victorian buildings with cobbled streets, a maritime environment and a dry dock. Previous productions that have filmed there include: Call The Midwife (2012-2020), Pennyworth (2019) and Belgravia (2020).

Bridgerton will air on Netflix on 25th December 2020.

For more information about Kent’s Filming History please visit our Movie Map.  

 

Tags: Bridgerton, Netflix, Drama, Shondaland, Julie Andrews, Phoebe Dynevor, Adjoa Andoh, Jonathan Bailey, Chatham Dockyards, Chris Van Dusen, Julia Quinn, Historical Romance

The Crown Series 1 – 4 (2016-2020)

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Actress Olivia Coleman as Queen Elizabeth II dressed in regimental uniform sitting on a black horse saluting. In the background is a crowd

Olivia Coleman in The Crown (2020) © Netflix

Writer: Peter Morgan

Directors: Stephen Daldry, Benjamin Caron, Philip Martin, Julian Jarrold

Starring: Claire Foy, Matt Smith, Jared Harris, Vanessa Kirby, John Lithgow, Olivia Coleman, Helena Bonham Carter, Tobias Menzies

Production Companies: Left Bank Pictures, Sony Pictures Television Production UK

Kent Locations Used: The Historic Dockyard Chatham, Royal School of Military Engineering (Chatham) Brompton Barracks

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 (The Queen, 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 Crown production team chose to visit Kent to film at The Historic Dockyard Chatham during Series One where they filmed a dockside scene on Anchor Wharf after building part of the side of a ship. The Historic Dockyard Chatham dates back to the 17th century and contains over 100 buildings from the Georgian and Victorian periods. The Historic Dockyard Chatham is a popular film location that has previously featured on screen in Suffragette (2015), Downton Abbey (2013) and Les Miserables (2013).

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.

For more information about Kent’s Filming History please visit our Movie Map. 

 

Small Axe (2020)

Posted on by Kent Film Office
A woman is struggling with two policeman stood either side of her holding her arms. They are outside a building.

Rochenda Sandall pictured centre © McQueen Limited

Starring:  Joshua Viner, Malachi Kirby, Rochenda Sandall, Letitia Wright, John Boyega, Malachi Kirby, Joshua Viner

Production Company: Amazon Studios for BBC

Kent Locations Used:  Canterbury Prison

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.

The name of the series is derived from the Jamacian proverb ‘if you are the big tree, we are the small axe’ (Bob Marley) and focuses on the lives of a group of friends and their families living in West London from 1968 to 2014 and has a stellar cast featuring Letitia Wright (Black Panther (2018), Avengers: Infinity War (2018)), John Boyega (Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens (2015)), Rochenda Sandall ((Line of Duty (2012), Black Mirror: Bandersnatch (2018)), Malachi Kirby (Curfew (2019), Devils (2019)) and Joshua Viner (The Nutcracker and the Four Realms (2018)).

Production visited Canterbury Prison to shoot for two days. Canterbury Prison was sold to Canterbury Christ Church University in 2014 and is now part of the university campus. Most recently BBC TV Drama The Capture (2019) filmed at the Prison. The surrounding area of Canterbury is also popular for filming with previous productions including The Rizen (2017) and The Tunnel: Sabotage (2016).

The six-part series is due to air on 15th November 2020 on BBC One.

Links:

For more information about filming in Kent please contact: filmoffice@kent.gov.uk

For more information on the series please visit: https://www.radiotimes.com/news/2019-09-17/small-axe-bbc1-steve-mcqueen-drama-air-date-cast-trailer/

For more information about the conversion of Canterbury Prison visit: https://canterbury.ac.uk/about-us/estate-master-plan/prison-conversion.aspx

For more information about Kent’s Filming History please visit our Movie Map: https://kentfilmoffice.co.uk/kent-movie-map/moviemap-live-2/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Brave New World (2020)

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Actor Alden Ehrenreicht touching actress Lara Peake’s pregnant stomach. She is dressed in a wedding dress

Brave New World – Alden Ehrenreich and Lara Peake © NBC


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.

The screenplay was co-written by David Wiener (Flesh and Bone (2015), Fear the Walking Dead), Grant Morrison (Happy!, Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay ) and Brian Taylor (Mom and Dad , Crank ).

Brave New World was directed by a collaboration of directors Owen Harris (Black Mirror, Troy: Fall of a City ), Aoife McArdle (Kissing Candice), U2: Every Breaking Wave , Andrij Parekh (Watchmen, The Zookeeper’s Wife ), Craig Zisk (The Looming Tower ), Brooklyn Nine-Nine) and produced by Chloe Moss (Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones , The Letter for the King ).

The series stars Alden Ehrenreich (Solo: A Star Wars Story , Hail, Caesar! ), Harry Lloyd (The Theory of Everything , Jane Eyre ) and Kylie Bunbury (When They See Us , Tut ). Demi Moore (Corporate Animals,  G.I. Jane ) also stars in the series.

Production visited Kent which features as part of the Savage Lands, including Lydd Camp and Dungeness Estate. The Old Lifeboat Station there doubles as John and Linda’s house.

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.

Lydd camp is located near to Dungeness and is an MOD firing range. Previous projects that have filmed at Dungeness include Ginger and Rosa (2012) and Back to Life – Series 1 (2019).

All eight episodes of Brave New World will be released on Sky on Friday 2nd October 2020.

For more information about Kent’s Filming History please visit our Movie Map.