Starring: Gillian Burke, Steve Brown, Chris Packham Production Company: BBC Studios Natural History Unit Kent Locations Used: Minster Beach and Herne Bay
BBC’s daytime spin-off Blue Planet UK (2019) is due to air throughout next week. It will uncover the incredible stories behind the UK’s marine wildlife. Presenters of the programme will be exploring the history of British waters and explain how they have been influenced by people today.
Herne Bay is a seaside town which has a pier and shingle beach and is set just outside of the historic City of Canterbury. Previous productions which have filmed in the area include Coast vs Country (2016).
The series can be seen on BBC One from Monday 25th to Friday 29th March 2019 at 4.30pm. Herne Bay will feature in episode 3 and 4, and Minster beach will feature in episode 3.
Writer: Jessica Hynes Director: Jessica Hynes Starring: Jessica Hynes, Shaun Parkes, Christopher Fairbanks, Anita Dobson, and Russel Brand. Production Company: Dignity Film Finance and Unstoppable Entertainment Kent Locations Used: Folkestone
BAFTA-winning actress Jessica Hynes has wrapped her new feature film The Fight. Best known for her talent as both writer (Up the Women) and performer (W1A, The Royle Family), her directorial debut first screened at the London Film Festival on 17th October 2018.
The Fight tells the story of mother of three, care worker and amateur boxer, Tina (Jessica Hynes), whose life in a quiet seaside town is anything but –Tina and husband Mick (Shaun Parkes) are juggling full time jobs and childcare, her daughter Emma is being bullied and Tina’s mother Gene (Anita Dobson) is threatening to leave her father Frank (Christopher Fairbank). Determined to come to terms with her pent-up anger, Tina puts on her fighting gloves by quite literally stepping into the boxing ring.
Starring: Richard Osman Production Company: Wall to Wall Kent Locations Used: Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells.
The competition to find UK’s brightest children continues on Channel 4. The competition is in association with British Mensa and tests twenty 8-12-year old’s in areas like spelling, mathematics or niche history to establish whether these children are deserving of the title Child Genius, as well as a unique view inside the childhood of the prodigies, who are from varying backgrounds.
Richard Osman, co-presenter of Pointless, uses his quick wit to test the nation’s sharpest children.
Maidstone Library was used in an upcoming episode, where one of the children was visiting. Southwood Road Recreation Ground, Tunbridge Wells also features.
Director: Pankaj Batra Producer: Pankaj Batra, Dinesh Auluck, Sandeep Bansal, Manmeet Bindra Production Company:Pankaj Batra Films, Pitaara Movies Starring: Jassie Gill, Ranjit Bawa, Ninja, Navneet Kaur Dhillon, Neet Mahal, Musskan Sethi Kent Locations Used: Cobham Hall, Herne Bay
High End Yaariyaan is the story of three friends Karanvir (Jassie Gill), Manga (Ranjit Bawa) and Sachin (Ninja) who attend college and share a flat in London. The film documents their complex relationships and romantic pursuits.
Production used various locations in Herne Bay during filming. The Pier, Beach, Clocktower and Central Bandstand are featured throughout. Cobham Hall and grounds doubled as a London College which Karanvir, Manga and Sachin attend.
Cobham Hall is a private school set in a historic house located in 150 acres of Grade II listed parkland. Features include a stunning ball room, library, cobbled courtyards, formal gardens, water towers, modern classrooms and sports facilities, including a swimming pool. Previous productions to film here include Wild Child (2008) and Bleak House (2005).
Starring: Davina McCall and Nicky Campbell Production Company: ITV Studios Kent Locations Used: Maidstone
In this special episode of the popular series, we see the real-life stories of three foundlings. There is the man who, as a newborn, was abandoned in a hospital car park, the five-day old baby left in a cardboard box in Manchester and the woman abandoned on a doorstep in Scotland. All three are desperately searching to identify their biological parents and find the answer as to why they were abandoned.
Starring: Matthew Allwright Production Company: TwoFour Kent Location Used: Various properties around Thanet and Folkestone
This five-part series focuses on Britain’s housing crisis as every day 140 new families become homeless, whilst over 2000,000 domestic properties lie empty. Each episode features four to five stories, concentrating on an empty house at some point in its journey to be but back into use as a home. Presenter Matt Allwright wants to expose the empty housing scandal. He also may occasionally have to investigate to track down lost owners or property agents, as he travels around the UK scoping empty houses and pairing them with people who desperately need a home.
The first episode of The Empty Housing Scandal aired on Monday 11th February 2019 at 9.15am on BBC One. It will air each day this week till Friday 15th February 2019.
Writers: James Gardner, Simon Lord Director: James Gardner Starring: Liv Hill, Sinead Matthews, Cyril Nri Production Company: Nik Holttum Productions Kent Locations Used: Margate, Thanet
Jellyfish (2019) is a drama about a teenage carer discovering an unlikely talent for stand-up comedy. Fifteen-year-old Sarah Taylor (Liv Hill) struggles to care for twin siblings and a bed-ridden, manic depressive mother (Sinead Matthews) as well as bullying from her school peers. Jellyfish tells the story of how stand-up comedy becomes an unlikely outlet for Sarah’s frustration and quick-tempered wit.
Jellyfish is a feature film directed by James Gardner, who co-wrote the piece with film producer Simon Lord. Gardner has won six awards for Jellyfish, including three for Best Film, and is known for directing other works such as Barry Glitter and Ferris and the Fancy Pigeon, for which he won the Royal Television Society (RTS) Award for Best Post-Graduate Drama. Simon Lord has worked with Gardner on previous projects including Barry Glitter, and wrote the screenplay for the 2020 film Above The Clouds.
Mostly filmed in Margate, a seaside town in Thanet in Kent, production shot on the seafront, Margate train station, Dreamland and Cedar Close as Sarah’s home and the Theatre Royal. The film also features landmarks such as The Lido, Arlington House and the Main Sands as its backdrop. Margate offers amusement, culture and luxury, and is part of the district of Thanet, a popular film location. Recent productions to film in Margate include Above The Clouds (2020) and Top Boy – Series 3 (2019).
Jellyfish was released on Friday 15th February 2019 in UK cinemas and is available to watch on Amazon Prime.
Writers: Harry Williams and Jack Williams Director: Börkur Sigþörsson and Jan Mattys Starring: Tchéky Karyo, Anastasia Hille, Tom Hollander, Camille Schotte, Trystan Gravelle Production Company: Two Brothers Pictures for BBC One Kent Locations used: Discovery Park, Dover, Kingsdown, Deal, Ramsgate
The highly anticipated new six-part BBC drama Baptiste (2019-2021) will be airing next week! From the creators of The Missing, this spin-off stars Tchéky Karyo as the insightful, yet stubborn investigator Julien Baptiste. Now retired and trying his best to enjoy his retirement with his family, the investigator is contacted by Police Commissioner and former girlfriend Martha Horchner (Barbara Sarafian), who brings him a missing person’s case he can’t refuse.
Production visited numerous Kent locations during filming for the series. These included a scene on Deal seafront, also showing Deal Pier, which features Edward Stratton (Tom Hollander) arriving by boat. A small scene also features a Co-op store in Deal where Edward shops for groceries. Further filming took place in neighbouring Kingsdown, again using the sea road and beachfronts. These include an establishing shot of a seafront house, a drone shot of Undercliffe and Sutton Vale Road of a black taxi and Sutton Vale Country Park where Edward Stratton (Tom Hollander) visits his family and meets with Baptiste (Tchéky Karyo). Kingsdown Beach is also featured for a conversation scene between Edward and Baptiste in the final episode.
Discovery Park in Sandwich was also used in the filming, doubling as a Japanese airport. A tool store on Manston Industrial Estate in Ramsgate is featured as Baptiste (Tchéky Karyo) shops while talking on the phone.
A dangerous smuggler’s haunt in the 1800s, Deal town boasts a wonderful collection of colourful Georgian buildings, complemented by a long shingle beach with huts, fishing boats and pier restores in the 1950’s. It is a popular filming location and has previously featured in productions such as The Tunnel: Sabotage (2016) and Liar (2017). Kingsdown village is situated south of Deal and features in the James Bond trail.
James’ culinary tour also takes him to the county of Kent, where he meets up with local chef and restaurateur Mark Sargeant, owner of the Rocksalt. The series also sees further cooking taking place with James cooking two recipes at Folkestone’s Harbour Arm . Folkestone is a popular filming location, some examples include Come Dine With Me (2012) and The Hotel Inspector (2018).
Starring: Michael Portillo Production Company: Fremantle Media Ltd. Kent Locations Used: Gravesend, Dartford and Folkestone
BBC documentary series Great British Railway Journeys (2010-) which first premiered on BBC Two in 2010, returns for its tenth series. Presenter Michael Portillo (Great Continental Railway Journeys) travels around the railway networks of Great Britain. He does this whilst referring to an 1840’s copy of Bradshaw’s Guide, comparing how various destinations have transformed since Victorian times.
For the new series, production filmed at railways in various Kent locations, such as Gravesend, Dartford and Folkestone.
Dartford is a historic town situated close to London and home to one of Europe’s largest shopping centres. Previous productions which filmed here include Who Do You Think You Are? (2014).
The new series of Great British Railway Journeys began airing on Monday 4th February 2019 at 6.30pm on BBC Two, and the Kent episode then aired on Wednesday 13th February 2019.
