Starring: Mariella Frostrup and Rev. Richard Coles
Kent Locations Used: The Historic Dockyard, Chatham
The Big Painting Challenge is back on the BBC! Presented by Mariella Frostrup and Rev. Richard Coles, along with artistic mentors Pascal Anson and Diana Ali, the programme search nationwide for the best up-and-coming amateur artists.
For the finale the production chose The Historic Dockyard, Chatham, where the first challenge was to paint a self-portrait followed by the masterclasses, all in the Tarred Yarn Store. The Final challenge meant the contestants were able to choose any motif and, unsurprisingly, there were a few paintings of ships that made it to the final exhibition in Slip 3.
Starring: Simona Brown, Tallulah Rose Haddon, Misha Butler, Matthew Aubrey, Haruka Abe
Production Company: Balloon Entertainment and Balloon
Kent Locations Used: Shellness, Leysdown
Based upon Lottie Moggach’s young adult novel of the same name, Kiss Me First is about Leila, a lonely girl who finds solace in the online game Agora. She befriends fellow player Tess, a cool and confident party girl. When Tess suddenly disappears, Leila assumes her friend’s identity.
Starring Simona Brown (The Night Manager) as Tess and Tallulah Rose Haddon (Taboo) as Leila, the series was adapted by and produced by Bryan Elsley (Skins) through his production company Balloon.
The Shellness Road Car Park was used in a sequence in which one character uses a pipe bomb to blow up his abusive carers. A further scene was filmed on Leysdown Promenade showing the arrival by one of the leads on a bus. Isle of Sheppey is a coastal town on the Isle of Sheppey, where previously, Channel 4 show The End of the F***ing World (2017-) and the film adaptation of the Sweeny (2012) we also shot.
Kiss Me First is expected to air on Channel 4 on Monday 02 April 2018 at 9pm.
Starring: Diljit Dosanjh, Yograj Singh, Darren Tassell
Production Company: Colour 9 Productions
Kent Locations Used: Faversham Market
Based on a true story, the upcoming movie follows British Indian Army officer Sajjan Singh (Diljit Dosanjh), who served on the Western Front during World War I. It centres on the Sikh regiments who were sent to fight for Britain during the war, and pays tribute to the sacrifice that the Indian Army made for Britain, fuelled by Sikh pride and appreciation.
The film was directed by Pankaj Batra (Virsa, Channa Mereya), and features actors Diljit Dosanjh (Udta Punjab, Welcome to New York, Super Singh), Yograi Singh (Tiger, Baaz) and Darren Tassell (The Mummy, Autopsy: The Last Hours Of).
Faversham Market was used in multiple scenes, in which WWI soldiers are marching through town.
Located in the heart of Faversham’s historic town centre, Faversham Market has the esteemed status of Kent’s oldest town market. Southcliffe (2013) was a Channel 4 mini-series that was filmed primarily in Faversham town centre. The surrounding areas of Faversham are often used as locations for productions such as Great Expectations (2012) and Waterland (1992).
Rangroot will be released in UK cinemas on 23 March 2018.
Creator: Mark Schwahn
Starring: Elizabeth Hurley, William Mosely, Alexandra Park, Jake Maskall, Tom Austen
Production Company: Mastermind Laboratories, Varsity Pictures, Lionsgate Television, Universal Cable Productions
Kent Locations Used: Allington Castle, Boughton Monchelsea Place, The Historic Dockyard Chatham, Tunbridge Wells
Set in modern-day London, The Royals (2015-2018) follows the lives and scandals of a fictional British Royal family.
For Series 2, the production made use of two locations in Kent: Boughton Monchelsea Place and Allington Castle. Boughton Monchelsea Place can be seen in Episode 3 as the manor house that Princess Eleanor and Jasper visit. Allington Castle features in Episode 7, as the Henstridge residence that Princess Eleanor and Queen Helena visit.
The Historic Dockyard Chatham features in various episodes of Series 4. The Tarred Yarn Store was used to represent the interior of a house in India which Princess Eleanor and Sebastian (Toby Sandeman) are restoring. King Robert (Max Brown) leaves on HMS Cavalier. The gardens of the Commissioner’s House feature as the meeting place for Prince Liam and his ex Kathryn (Christina Wolfe). External street scenes, including a protest, were filmed around the Ropery.
Filming for Series 4 also took place in Tunbridge Wells, on Chapel Place, as part of a Royal Wedding. Unfortunately, this scene did not appear to make the final cut.
A historic 17th-Century dockyard spanning over 80 acres, Chatham Dockyard contains over 100 buildings dating from the Georgian and Victorian Periods. It is the most popular filming location in Kent, having played host to many high-profile films and TV shows, including The Crown (2016-2022), Victoria & Abdul (2017) and Holmes & Watson (2018).
Set in the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, Tunbridge Wells is a historic spa town that offers a mix of independent shops and restaurants set alongside the colonnaded Pantiles and the picturesque High Street. The area is renowned for its historic houses and gardens and has been a place of interest for over 400 years. Other productions to have filmed there include Rupert, Rupert & Rupert (2019), Series 3 of Britannia (2021), and The Cleaner (2021).
The second series of The Royals began airing on Wednesday 10th February 2016 on E!
Series 4 of The Royals began airing on Sunday 11th March 2018 on E!
Writer: Stephen Lowenstein and Greer Ellison Director: Stephen Lowenstein Starring: Miles Richardson, Jordan Long, Karen Lewis Production Company: Blue Shadows Films, I Spy Films Kent Locations Used: Hartlip Place in Sittingbourne, Barrows Antiques in Faversham, Queendown Warren in Sittingbourne
Queen of Spain is a coming of age story set in the world of butterfly collectors on the eve of the First World War. A thirteen-year-old boy spots one of the rarest butterfly species ever to be seen on the British Isles.
Various scenes for Queen of Spain were filmed around Kent; Georgian house Hartlip Place in Sittingbourne was used to shoot its mature garden as well as a private residence in the area for some interior scenes. Barrows Antiques in Faversham features in a small yet poignant scene where a confrontation takes place between the protagonist and the local butcher boy, who has “abducted” his butterfly. Queen Down Warren in Sittingbourne was chosen for its beautiful woods and wild flower meadow paths, which feature with the protagonist hunting butterflies.
Faversham is a beautiful historic market town in the Swale Borough of Kent. The historic town boasts over 500 listed buildings and there are many beautiful walks the picturesque countryside has to offer. Previous productions in the town include Hetty Feather Series 3 (2017) and Walks With My Dog (2017).
The film tells the true story of Donald Crowhurst (Colin Firth), a yachtsman who went missing during his attempt to win the 1968 Golden Globe Race when he decided to turn his attempt into a disastrous attempt of travelling the world alone by sea.
Directed by James Marsh (The Theory of Everything, Shadow Dancer) and written by Scott Z. Burns (Contagion, The Bourne Ultimatum). The film stars Colin Firth (Kingsman: The Secret Service, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy), Rachel Weisz (The Mummy, Oz the Great and Powerful), David Thewlis (Wonder Woman, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban,) and Mark Gatiss (The League of Gentlemen, Sherlock).
Some scenes were filmed at The Historic Dockyard Chatham, where the HMS Gannet was used as the port where the wives of the competition sailors posed for the press. As well as filming at Bewl Water reservoir in Kent, which features as the Teignmouth inlet where Donald Crowhurst (Colin Firth) sails locally alone and with his family. The Historic Dockyard with its Victorian and Georgian architecture has featured in films such as Victoria and Abdul (2017) and Guy Ritchies’ Mr Holmes (2015). Bewl Water is the largest body of inland water in the South East and situated within the High Weald, an area of outstanding natural beauty.
The Mercy will be in theatres in the UK from the9th February 2018.
Kent Locations Used: Trosley Country Park, Darent Valley Hospital.
Horizon follows the story of Richard Gray and his remarkable recovery from a catastrophic stroke. Recorded over four years by his documentary film-maker wife, Fiona, this film chronicles the hard work of recovery.
Bed bound and unable to do anything, including speak, the initial outlook was bleak until the occasional, small glimmers of hope emerged. Always armed with her camera, Fiona captures the moment Richard moves his fingers for the first time, and then documents his months long struggle to relearn how to walk again.
The story also features poignant footage delivered in a series of flashbacks, in which we see and hear Richard at his professional best. He was a peacekeeper with the United Nations, immersed in the brutal war in Sarajevo, Bosnia. We also hear from the surgeons and clinicians who were integral to Richard’s remarkable recovery, from describing life-saving, high-risk reconstructive surgery to intensive rehabilitation programmes that pushed the former soldier to his limits. As the film starts, Fiona asks ‘will Richard, my Richard still be there?’ By the end the answer is clear.
Kent-based film maker Fiona Lloyd-Davies filmed the trees from Trosley Country Park throughout the seasons. In winter without leaves they resemble the brain’s neural pathways, and later in the year as they come into leaf they serve as a useful metaphor for regrowth and recovery. Part of the documentary also shows Richard’s stay in Darent Valley Hospital.
Trosley Country Park is situated on the top of the North Downs, and covers 170 acres. There are fine views of the Weald of Kent. The steep grassland slopes are home to a whole variety of wildlife especially butterflies and flowers.
The Tonbridge and Malling District is a popular area of Kent for filming. Cape Wrath (2007) a 7-part thriller was filmed at Leybourne Lakesand Kings Hill. The areas have great transport links, local amenities, a network of cycle paths and a number of sports facilities.
My Amazing Brain: Richard’s War will be broadcast on BBC Two at 9pm on Monday 5th February 2018.
This new two-and-a-half-hour special for ITV pulls on its hiking boots for a countdown of Britain’s favourite walks. Britain’s Favourite Walks: Top 100, presented by Julia Bradbury (Countryfile) and Ore Oduba (The One Show), showcases the finest rambles, scrambles and ambles across the countryside and through cities to bring viewers the ultimate guide to the British outdoors.
Based on the results of the largest survey ever conducted, the top 100 have been voted for by more than 8,000 walking enthusiasts. Famous faces, including Ade Edmondson, Janet Street Porter and Robert Bathurst hit the trails to reveal their own favourites, joined by walking experts, nature aficionados and members of the public with extraordinary stories to provide a vivid insight into the the history of the trails.
The programme visits various locations in Kent on two walks, firstly the Ramsgate to Margate Walk featuring beautiful spots such as Kingsgate Bay and Botany Bay. The second walk, the Dover to Deal Walk features the stunning National Trust sites of the stunning White Cliffs of Dover and the charming South Foreland Lighthouse, as well as picturesque St Margarets at Cliffe and Deal.
The Kent Coastline is a popular location with TV productions for its dramatic scenery and convenient connections by road to London. Most recently it played a starring role in Sky Atlantic’s The Tunnel: Vengeance 2017 filmed entirely in Kent and Calais.
Starring: Jessica Arterton, Jack Brett Anderson, Liam Kelly, Robert Lowe, Leslie Mills
Production Company: Last British Dragon
Kent Locations Used: Evegate Manor, Dryhill Local Nature Reserve, Sole Street House
The House Of Salem is a horror film in which a child, Josh (Liam Kelly) finds unlikely protectors in the form of a group of kidnappers who discover they have been tricked and are now trapped in a house. Realising that they are to become the next sacrifice in a line of murders spanning centuries, they get ready to battle demonic forces for their freedom.
Several Kent locations were used for filming, including private houses Evegate Manor as Josh’s home and Sole Street House as The House of Salem, alongside KCC Dryhill Nature Reserve.
Evegate Manor is a grade II star listed Manor House in Ashford and until recently was used as a farmhouse. Mostly dating from 14th to 16th century the house is constructed of Kentish ragstone rubble with red brick dressing; and is part timber framed with numerous exposed beams. Previous productions to film in the Ashford district include Dead and Awake (2016).
Sole Street House in Ashford is a 10-bedroom Georgian manor house with a Victorian wing, less than 50 miles from central London and standing in 30 acres of grounds including gardens, woodland, stables accommodating some 16 horses and paddocks.
Dryhill Local Nature Reserve in Sevenoaks is on a former quarry site of Special Scientific Interest. The exceptional structure of its rocks and fossils led to it becoming the first geological Local Nature Reserve in Kent. It also has a small stretch of private road for small set-ups. Sevenoaks has previously been used by productions such as Judwaa 2 (2017) and The First Team (2020).
House of Salem was released on 23rd January 2018.
For more information about Kent’s Filming History please visit our Movie Map:
Darkest Hour is a war drama that follows Winston Churchill (Gary Oldman) as he becomes Prime Minister at the start of the Second World War. Churchill is faced with a tough decision: negotiate with Adolf Hitler, who rages war across Europe, or fight and risk many British lives.
Darkest Hour is written by Anthony McCarten (The Theory of Everything) and directed by Joe Wright (Pride and Prejudice). The film stars Gary Oldman (The Dark Knight Rises), Lily James (Cinderella), Ben Mendelsohn (Rogue One), Kristin Scott Thomas (Only God Forgives), Stephen Dillane (Game of Thrones), Ronald Pickup (The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel), Samuel West (Suffragette) and many others.
Several scenes from the production were filmed at Fort Amherst which itself was used during World War II as an Air Raid Warning command post. Fort Amherst has tunnels that have featured in many films, such as Jekyll and Hyde (2015).
Other scenes were filmed in the grounds of Chartwell House, Churchill’s former home. Set in delightful gardens,Chartwellis a National Trust property in Westerham and the rooms remain much as they were when Churchill lived there. Chartwell has previously been used as a film location by productions such as Flog It! (2014) and The Gathering Storm (2002).
Darkest Hour will be released in the UK on 12th January 2018.
