Author: Kent Film Office

Hunted (2012)

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Hunted - Melissa George as Sam Hunter facing away from the camera leant against a white wall. She's holding a gun.

Hunted – Melissa George as Sam Hunter © BBC/Kudos

Director: SJ Clarkson (Dexter, Ugly Betty & Heroes)

Writer: Frank Spotnitz (The X Files)

Production Company: Kudos, Big Light Productions

Kent locations used: Scotney Castle, Tunbridge Wells

Sam Hunter is a spy who works for an elite private intelligence firm and during her latest mission escapes an attempted assassination. Realising someone has set her up and not knowing who to trust, Sam tries to find out who wants her dead.

This original, eight-part BBC spy drama is from the makers of Spooks and features Melissa George (Grey’s Anatomy) as Sam Hunter. She is supported by a cast of familiar faces including Adam Raynor (Mistresses) who plays Sam’s colleague and romantic interest, Stephen Dillane (Game Of Thrones), Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (Lost), Lex Shrapnel (Captain America: The First Avenger), and Morven Christie (Twenty Twelve).

Sam Hunter (Melissa George) with a gun pointed at the camera

Hunted © BBC/Kudos

In March this year, the Hunted crew came to Scotney Castle film various stunt and fight scenes in both the country house and oasts. Scotney Castle is a National Trust property which boasts a spectacular Victorian country mansion surrounded by beautiful gardens and woodland, as well as a fairytale inspired castle ruin complete with a moat set in the beautiful Tunbridge Wells countryside.

Many other well-known productions have also chosen Tunbridge Wells to serve as a backdrop including Queens of Mystery (2019).

Don’t miss the first episode of Hunted on 4th October 2012 at 21:00 on BBC One. 

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

Gangsters, Guns and Zombies (2012)

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Gangsters, Guns & Zombies movie poster- Gangsters, Guns and Zombies written in white with a montage of images from the film around the edge. London skyline is in the distance

Gangsters, Guns & Zombies movie poster © LMV Productions

Director: Matt Mitchell

Writer: Matt and Taliesyn Mitchell

Starring: Vincent Jerome, Huggy Leaver, Fabrizio Santino, Cassandra Orhan, Frank Rizzo, Charlie Rawes

Production Company: LMV Productions

Kent Locations: Swanscome and Whitstable

Gangsters, Guns and Zombies is a horror film about Q (Vincent Jerome), a getaway driver for a group of gangsters who finds himself up against an unexpected enemy when his latest job coincides with the start of a zombie apocalypse.

The film is directed by Matt Mitchell (Quackers, The Rizen) and stars Vincent Jerome (Need to Know, The Few), Huggy Leaver (Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Fast & Furious 6), Fabrizio Santino (Captain America: The First Avenger, Hollyoaks) Cassandra Orhan (It Never Sleeps, Breathe), Frank Rizzo (Doghouse, Run Away with Me) and Charlie Rawes (Skiptrace, Olive Green).

The production visited Kent where they filmed at Manor Way Business Park in Swanscombe which the location for the first safe-house visited by Q and the gang before it is attacked by zombies. The business park was also used as a stand in for an abandoned hospital and car park.

Gangsters, Guns & Zombies screenshot © LMV Productions

Gangsters, Guns & Zombies screenshot © LMV Productions

Whitstable Harbour also features heavily in the film’s climax involving Q and the other survivor’s desperate attempts to seek a boat in order to escape the country.

Swanscombe is a town in the Dartford district of Kent which is a historic market town with a rich industrial heritage and Bluewater, one of the largest shopping centres in Europe.  Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 (2010) and Oscar winning Short Film Wasp (2003) have previously filmed in the Dartford area.

Whitstable is a seaside town near Canterbury, famous for its annual Oyster Festival as well as the delightful harbour, shingle beach, busy high street and strong arts and culture scene. Terry and Mason’s Great Food Trip (2015) and Tipping The Velvet (2002) have previously chosen to film in Whitstable.

This film was originally released in cinemas on 2nd October 2012 and is now available to buy on DVD or through online purchase.

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

 

Thaandavam (2012)

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Two actors dancing on Botany Bay beach

Thaandavam © UK Film Productions

Director: A.L. Vijay
Writer: Mike Parish, A.L. Vijay
Starring: Vikram, Jagapathi Babu, Anushka Shetty, Lakshmi Rai, Amy Jackson
Production Company: UTV Motion Pictures
Kent Locations Used: Botany Bay

Thaandavam (2012) is a Tamil film directed by A.L. Vijay (Thalaivaa, Deiva Thirumagal) and is a mix of action, thriller and sci-fi with traditional Indian song and dance. The film stars some big Bollywood names and is about a blind man who has a special ‘Echolocation’ power on a revenge mission. It is one of the first Indian films to have shot action scenes using Hollywood technology and techniques.

Two actors embraced. The male actor has him arms around the female and is kissing her cheek

Thaandavam © UK Film Productions

There is a star-studded cast including Vikram (Mahaan, Anniyan), winner of India’s National Film Awards, Jagapathi Babu (Radhe Shyam, Annaatthe), Anushka Shetty (Bahubali: The Beginning, Yennai Arindhaal), Lakshmi Rai (Mankatha, Akira) and English model, actress and former Miss Teen World, Amy Jackson (2.0, I) who has become a big name in Tolllywood.

The Thaandavam crew came to Botany Bay back in April 2012, and the stunning beach was used for a dance sequence with a sand artist.

Botany Bay is in Thanet and is a popular film location due to its blue flag beach almost 200m long with stunning chalk cliffs and rock pools. Productions that have previously filmed at the location include Series 1 of the Sky Atlantic comedy Hunderby (2012), BBC drama True Love (2012), and ITV’s The Fixer (2008).

Thaandavam was released in UK cinemas on Thursday 27th September 2012. It is now available to stream on Netflix.

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

The Sweeney (2012)

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Sweeney written in the centre of the poster on top of an image of the two main actors with guns. London skyline can be seen in background,.

The Sweeney Movie Poster © Vertigo Films / Embargo Films Production

Writers: Nick Love, John Hodges

Director: Nick Love

Producer: Allan Niblo

Starring: Ray Winstone, Ben Drew (aka Plan B), Damien Lewis and Hayley Atwell

Production company: Vertigo Films

Kent Locations used: Isle of Sheppey, Queenborough, Sheerness

The popular 70’s British police drama series The Sweeney has been remade into a star-studded must see feature! Expect an action packed thrill ride with car chases, fight scenes and a bit of comedy thrown in for good measure!

Ray Winstone and Ben Drew walking besides a boat yard with guns

Ray Winstone as Detective Inspector Jack Regan and Ben Drew aka Plan B as George Carter © Vertigo Films / Embargo Films Production

The movie follows two hardened Flying Squad detectives in London’s Metropolitan police. Ray Winstone (The Departed, Last Orders) plays Detective Inspector  Jack Regan and singer and actor Ben Drew aka Plan B (Adulthood, Harry Brown) plays his loyal partner George Carter. Armed and dangerous, the pair tackle a bank heist and with the re-appearance of an old enemy will do whatever it takes to get the job done – even if it means defying orders of no nonsense ‘Guv’ Damian Lewis (The Escapist, Homeland).

Directed by Nick Love (Outlaw, Football Factory), the film has many familiar faces including Hayley Atwell (Captain America: The First Avengers, The Duchess), Alan Ford (Snatch), Kara Tointon (Eastenders), and Allen Leech (Downton Abbey).

four actors crouched to the side of a black car with guns,

The Sweeney team in action © Vertigo Films / Embargo Films Production

The production visited the Isle of Sheppey  to film a dramatic high-speed car chase using the Kent Film Office’s legal powers to close roads for filming. The chase also features a caravan park near the Minster Cliffs in Queenborough.  The Top Gear team assisted with filming the car chase scenes, which was featured in an episode earlier this year.

The Isle of Sheppey is in North Kent and boasts beautiful landscapes and coastlines as well as harbour towns and wildlife reserves.  The island is a popular destination for tourists as it has many holiday parks surrounding the beaches. The Isle of Sheppey has been seen on screen before on The Hide (2009) and Strawberry Fields (2012).

 

 

Don’t miss The Sweeney which is set for cinema release on September 12th 2012.

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

The Thompsons (2012)

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A white background. On the right side of the image is an open mouth with sharp fangs and a long tongue sticking out. Blood is dripping off the tongue. On the left side of the image in red text is written the words The Thompsons.

The Thompsons (2012) © Film Harvest

Director: Mitchell Altieri, Phil Flores
Starring: Cory Knauf, Elizabeth Henstridge, Joseph McKelheer, Mackenzie Firgens
Production Company: Film Harvest, Industrial City Films, San Francisco Independent Cinema, Sawhorse Productions, Snowfort Pictures, Straightwire Films
Kent Locations Used: Ringlestone Inn – Harrietsham, Romden Castle, Ashford

The Thompsons (2012) follows the Hamiltons, America’s most wanted vampire family. On the run from the law, the family travel to England to find an ancient vampire clan with the knowledge and skills to save their lives. Unbeknownst to them, what the clan has planned is quite the opposite.

Directed by Mitchell Altieri and Phil Flores (The Hamiltons, The Violent Kind) also known as The Butcher Brothers, the film stars Cory Knauf (Grown, A Beginner’s Guide to Snuff) as Francis, Elizabeth Henstridge (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, Suspicion) as Riley Stuart, Joseph McKelheer (The Hammer, Godspeed) as Wendell and Mackenzie Firgens (Rent, Groove) as Darlene.

Most of the film was shot in Kent. The Ringlestone Inn in Harrietsham features as the pub owned by the Stuart vampire clan and Romden Castle in Smarden doubles as the home of the Stuarts. Tufton Street in Ashford is the setting for a fight scene between David (Samuel Child), Lenny (Ryan Hartwig) and Stuart crony Cyrus (Sean Cronin), doubling for London.

Dating back to 1533, The Ringlestone Inn is a Grade II listed building, originally used as a hospice for monks. Now a country pub, the building has beamed ceilings, large inglenook fireplaces, stone floors and original brick and flint walls. The village of Harrietsham features in Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949).

Romden Castle is a large guest house situated between the villages of Smarden and Bethersden. The site benefits from an outdoor swimming pool, tennis court, barn, woods and fields.

Ashford is a busy market town with a bustling town centre that boasts two shopping malls, vibrant cafés and pubs, alleyways, and a partly pedestrianised high street.

The Thompsons (2012) was released on Sunday 26th August 2012 and is now available to purchase on DVD.

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

Hunderby – Series 1 (2012)

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Actors running towards the camera on botany bay beach, white cliffs behind

Hunderby © Sky Atlantic HD

Writer: Julia Davis, Barunka O’Shaughnessy
Starring: Alexandra Roach, Julia Davis, Alex Macqueen, Rufus Jones, Julian Barratt
Production Company: Baby Cow Productions
Kent Locations Used: Botany Bay

Set in the 19th Century, Hunderby (2012) is a dark comedy series following  shipwreck survivor Helene, who is washed ashore near a small English village where she meets and marries a widowed pastor. However, her new husband’s housekeeper is trying to drive a wedge between them, and it appears that Helene is hiding dark secrets.

Written by Barunka O’Shaughnessy (Motherland, Timewasters) and Julia Davis (Nighty Night, Love Actually) – who also plays Dorothy the housekeeper – the series stars Alexandra Roach (Anna Karenina, The Iron Lady) as Helene, Alex Macqueen (The Hide (2009), Peaky Blinders) as Edmund, Rufus Jones (W1A, Camping) as Dr. Foggerty and Julian Barratt (The Harry Hill Movie (2013), The Mighty Boosh) as the series Narrator.

Helene being rescued in the arms of a man from the shipwreck on a sandy beach

Helene being rescued from the shipwreck © Sky Atlantic HD

In early 2012, the cast and crew of Hunderby came to Botany Bay to make the most of the quiet stretches of sandy beach and picturesque white cliffs which served as the backdrop for the shipwreck scenes and where Edmund proposes marriage to Helene in the first episode.

Botany Bay is one of Kent’s most popular filming locations due to its sandy beach, rock pools, white cliffs and highly photographed white chalk stacks. Other productions to have filmed there include Thaandavam (2012), True Love (2012) and Series 2 of Humans (2016).

Series 1 of Hunderby (2012) premiered on Sky Atlantic on Monday 27th August 2012 and is currently available to stream on Amazon Prime.

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

Parade’s End (2012)

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Parade's End L-R Valentine Wannop (Adelaide Clemens), Christopher Tietjens (Benedict Cumberbatch) Sylvia Tietjens (Rebecca Hall) stood in a row looking into the camera

Parades End L-R Valentine Wannop (Adelaide Clemens), Christopher Tietjens (Benedict Cumberbatch), Sylvia Tietjens (Rebecca Hall) © BBC/Mammoth Screen

Directed By: Susanna White

Written By: Ford Madox Ford (Novel) & Sir Tom Stoppard (Adaptation)

Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, Rebecca Hall, Adelaide Clemens, Roger Allam, Rupert Everett, Miranda Richardson

Production company: Mammoth Screen in association with HBO miniseries

Kent Locations Used: St Thomas A Beckett Church, Fairfield in Romney Marsh, Dungeness, St Mary’s Bay and Dorton House in Sevenoaks.

Parade’s End is based on Ford Madox Ford’s novels written between 1924 and 1928, with the screenplay adapted by renowned English playwright and screenwriter Sir Tom Stoppard. The costume drama features a stellar cast and is set in the midst of the First World War with a love triangle threatening to question everything lead character Christopher Tietjens stands for.

Christopher Tietjens with wife Syliva leaning against his shoulder. A house can be seen in the background.

Christopher Tietjens with wife Syliva © BBC/Mammoth Screen

Shown in five parts, at the centre is English aristocrat Christopher Tietjens played by Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock, Warhorse, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy) who enters a turbulent relationship with socialite Sylvia played by Rebecca Hall (Vicky Cristina Barcelona, The Town, The Awakening). After Sylvia falls pregnant, Christopher decides to follow his morals and marry her, even though he is uncertain if the child is his.

The couple have a rocky relationship but Christopher vows to stay faithful to his wife, however when he meets strong willed suffragette Valentine Wannop (Adelaide Clemens – X-Men Origins: Wolverine) he finds himself falling in love with her. With his morals questioned, will he follow his heart, or stay with his wife?

The Parade’s End crew came to Kent last year to film scenes for the drama at the isolated and historic St Thomas A Becket Church in Fairfield, Romney Marsh, which also featured in the 2011 BBC adaptation Great Expectations (2011) starring Gillian Anderson and David Suchet.

Christopher Tietjens with lover Valentine Wannop on a hill

Christopher Tietjens with lover Valentine Wannop © BBC/Mammoth Screen

Dorton House is a school in Sevenoaks run by The Royal London Institute for the Blind and caters for pupils with visual impairments. The Grade-II listed building saw its dining room transformed into a gentleman’s club, with the library serving as the Cabinet War Office and the Wedgewood Room as the bedroom of Valentine Wannop.

Dungeness and St Mary’s Bay also briefly feature in the programme, in scenes with a girl cycling past. Dungeness is a unique expanse of shingle beach with cottages and lighthouses and is a popular filming location having previously welcomed Doctor Who, Countrywise Kitchen and photo shoots for Vogue and Harrods Magazine. St Mary’s Bay is a delightful coastal village between Dymchurch and south to Littlestone and this is its big screen debut.

Parade’s End was shown from Friday 24th August 2012 at 21:00 on BBC Two and is now available to buy on DVD.

 

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

The Hollow Crown: Henry V (2012)

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Henry V riding on a white horse next to a castle. Three other characters are on horses behind him.

Henry V – Duke of York (Paterson Joseph), Earl of Salisbury (Richard Clothier), Henry V (Tom Hiddleston) and Earl of Westmoreland (James Laurenson) © BBC/Neal Street Productions/Nick Briggs

Director: Thea Sharrock

Starring: Tom Hiddleston, Geraldine Chaplin, Paul Freeman, Richard Griffiths, John Hurt

Production company: Neal Street Productions, NBCUniversal, WNET

Kent locations used: Squerryes Court, Penshurst Place

Oscar-winning director Sam Mendes  (American Beauty, Revolutionary Road) produced The Hollow Crown, four film adaptations of Shakespeare’s best-loved history plays; Richard II, Henry IV (Part I & 2) and Henry V screening on BBC this summer as part of the Shakespeare Unlocked Season.

The Hollow Crown series star many familiar faces including Ben Whishaw (Criminal Justice) as Richard II, James Purefoy (Solomon Kane) as Thomas Mowbray, Rory Kinnear (Quantum of Solace) as Henry Bolingbroke and Tom Hiddleston (Thor, Warhorse) as Henry V.

Henry V is directed by Thea Sharrock (Me Before You, Call the Midwife) and along Tom Hiddleston stars Geraldine Chaplin (The Impossible, Talk to Her), Paul Freeman (Raiders of the Lost Ark, Hot Fuzz), Richard Griffiths (Sleepy Hollow, Harry Potter series) and John Hurt (V for Vendetta, Alien).

Featuring as part of the BBC’s Shakespeare season for the London 2012 Festival and Cultural Olympiad, Henry V is the final film of the series and charts Henry V campaign against France and their leader Herald Montjoy.

Earl of Salisbury (Richard Clothier) fighting in a battle in a field

Earl of Salisbury (Richard Clothier) © BBC/Neal Street Productions/Nick Briggs

Kent features strongly in Henry V: No Surrender, as the Battle of Agincourt was staged in the grounds of Squerryes Court, where Henry V leads his soldiers to battle. The crew also visited Penshurst Place, with the exterior doubling for The Palace of Westminster and the interior of the Baron’s Hall as the French Palace where Herald Montjoy resided.

It is not the first time Squerryes Court has been on the screen, the location was used for Emma Wooshouse’s home in the BBC adaptation of Jane Austen’s famous novel Emma (2009),
The Boat that Rocked (2009) and Foyle’s War – The German Woman (2002). The estate is popular with productions as it boasts a grand 17th Century manor house with 20 acres of grounds.

Penshurst Place is a Medieval and Tudor fortified style manor house set in parkland and featuring Elizabethan formal gardens. It is a popular filming location and previous productions filmed at Penshurst Place include Wolf Hall (2015), The Other Boleyn Girl (2008) and Anne of a Thousand Days (1969).

The Hollow Crown also features in the Kent Film Office Tudor(ish) Trail which celebrates Kent’s Tudor history and film connections.

 

The Hollow Crown series was shown from July 7th 2012 BBC Two and is now available to buy on DVD.

 

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

True Love (2012)

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True Love cast L - R Adrian (DAVID MORRISEY), Nick (DAVID TENNANT), Holly (BILLIE PIPER), Paul (ASHLEY WALTERS), Sandra (JANE HORROCKS) standing in a row with the sky behind them

True Love cast L – R Adrian (DAVID MORRISEY), Nick (DAVID TENNANT), Holly (BILLIE PIPER), Paul (ASHLEY WALTERS), Sandra (JANE HORROCKS) © BBC and Working Title

Two lovers holding hands on the beach with the sea in the background

True Love L – R Stella (JAMIE WINSTONE) and Paul (ASHLEY WALTERS) © BBC and Working Title

Writer/director: Dominic Savage

Starring: David Tenant, Billie Piper, David Morrissey, Joanne Froggatt, Kaya Scodelario, Lacey Turner, Jane Horrocks, Ashley Walters, Jaime Winstone, Vicky McClure

Production company: Working Title Television, BBC

Kent Locations: Thanet – Margate – Beach, promenade, High Street, train station, various hotels and bars, Thanet District Council Offices, Turner Contemporary, Westgate-On-Sea, Cliftonville, Pegwell Bay, Botany Bay, and Broadstairs

True Love has many familiar faces including David Tenant (Doctor Who) Billie Piper (Secret Diary of a Call Girl), Jane Horrocks (Absolutely Fabulous), Vicky McClure (This is England), Lacey Turner (Eastenders), Ashley Walters (Inside Men), Jamie Winstone (Kidulthood), and David Morrissey (The Other Boleyn Girl).

The series explores love in the modern day and the many different dilemmas and situations along the way. Each story has links with the previous, either through connecting story lines or character connections and all have plenty of drama, heartbreak passion and some surprising outcomes.

The five stories that take place during the week-long serial include a married man whose life is turned upside down due to the reappearance of his first love, a school teacher who is drawn to a female pupil, a married woman who takes revenge on her cheating husband by starting an affair, a father unable to connect with his baby and a divorcee on a desperate search for new love.

David Morrissey as Adrian at Margate train station with the sign behind him

David Morrissey as Adrian at Margate train station © BBC and Working Title

In 2011, Kent welcomed the crew and stars of True Love. The production based it self in Margate, the director Savage’s home town, and used many Thanet locations including Margate Beach and promenade, Margate High Street, train station, various hotels and bars and even Thanet District Council Offices.  They also used the Turner Contemporary, as well as nearby Westgate-On-Sea, Cliftonville, Pegwell Bay, Botany Bay and Broadstairs.

Thanet has an astonishing 9 Blue Flag beaches and is a very popular filming location, due to its beautiful bustling seaside towns. It previously welcomed many TV and film productions, including Hancock and Joan (2008), Last Orders (2002) and a McDonald’s Happy Meal Commercial.

It is also home to the Turner Contemporary art gallery, adjacent to Margate harbour, which was built to contribute to the regeneration of the town and is fast becoming a highlight of the British visual arts scene. It also hosted the first public screening of the opening episode of True Love on 29th March 2012.

True Love will air every night on BBC One at 22.25pm from Sunday 17th – Thursday 21st June 2012.

 

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

Piggy (2012)

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Paul Anderson as Piggy stands in front of a torn, dirty white sheet. He is wearing a black hoody with the hood up and a pig nose mask. He is staring straight at the camera.

Piggy (2012) © DP Films

Writer / Director: Kieron Hawkes
Starring: Martin Compston, Paul Anderson, Neil Maskell
Production Company: DP Films, Fulwell 73
Kent Locations Used: Invicta House, The Hive, Manor Way Business Park, Darenth Valley Hospital

Piggy (2012) follows Joe, a mild-mannered anxious man whose life is thrown into turmoil after the violent murder of his brother. He finds an unusual friendship in the brash, hot-tempered Piggy who soon drags Joe into a world of danger, violence and revenge.

Written and directed by Kieron Hawkes (Intergalactic, Fortitude) in his debut, Piggy stars Martin Compston (Our House (2022), Line of Duty) as Joe, Paul Anderson (Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011), Legend) as Piggy and Neil Maskell (Bull (2021), Klokkenluider (2023)) as Joe’s brother John.

The film was shot in various locations across Kent. Joe’s office was filmed in the Post Room of Invicta House in Maidstone. Joe and Piggy attack a mugger at The Hive in Gravesend, and later drive through Manor Way Business Park in Swanscombe. After his brother is attacked, Joe visits him in Darenth Valley Hospital in Dartford.

As the county town of Kent and seat of local governance, Maidstone plays an important part in Kent’s history. The River Medway runs through Maidstone’s town centre, linking it with nearby towns Rochester and Chatham. The town has many shops, restaurants, bars, churches and a museum. Maidstone has also featured in They Came from Somewhere Else (1984), Missing (2009-2010) and Rustom (2016).

Gravesend is a town in northwest Kent on the south bank of the Thames. The towns pier is the oldest remaining cast-iron pier in the world, and the town also features an unspoilt promenade, high street and two shopping centres. Island (2011), The Interceptor (2015) and The Escape (2018) also filmed in Gravesend.

Piggy (2012) was released on Friday 4th May 2012 and is available to purchase on Amazon.

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