Burke and Hare (2010)

Posted on February 4, 2010 by Kent Film Office

Chair on set during the filming of Burke and Hare at Knole Park. Chair reads Burke & Hare

Chair on set during the filming of Burke and Hare at Knole, Kent © NTPL Megan Taylor

Director: John Landis
Writers: Piers Ashworth, Nick Moorcroft
Starring: Simon Pegg, Andy Serkis, Isla Fisher
Production Company: Ealing Studios, Fragile Films
Kent Locations: Knole House

Based on true-life characters of William Burke and William Hare, this black comedy has an all-star cast including Simon Pegg (The Good Night (2008), Hot Fuzz), Andy Serkis (War for the Planet of the Apes, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers) and Isla Fisher (Wedding Crashers, Confessions of a Shopaholic) and is directed by the legendary John Landis (The Blues Brothers, Schlock). It tells the story of the two infamous but hapless nineteenth Century serial murderers, who discovered the lucrative trade of supplying cadavers to the medical community in Edinburgh. Burke and Hare find themselves unable to meet demand and start murdering people to keep up the supply.

Burke and Hare (2010) includes scenes filmed at Knole House, near Sevenoaks, which on a cold February day was transformed into a lively Edinburgh market.

Knole House is a popular filming location, having also provided locations for Pirates of the Caribbean – On Stranger Tides (2011), Sherlock Holmes – A Game of Shadows (2011) and The Other Boleyn Girl (2008).

Burke and Hare (2010) was released in UK cinemas on Friday 29th October 2010, and is now available to purchase on DVD.

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

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 2010

Posted on February 4, 2010 by Kent Film Office

Rupert Grint, Emma Watson and Daniel Radcliffe running through a dark forest. Film title Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 is in silver underneath

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 movie poster © WarnerBros

Director: David Yates

Writers: Steve Kloves (screenplay), J.K. Rowling (novel)

Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Helena Bonham Carter, Robbie Coltrane, Warwick Davis, Ralph Fiennes, Michael Gambon, Rhys Ifans, Bill Nighy, Alan Rickman, Timothy Spall and Julie Walters

Production Companies: Warner Bros., Heyday Films

Kent Filming Locations: Dartford Crossing

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 is the seventh instalment of the popular Harry Potter series based on the novels by JK Rowling. The story follows Harry racing against time to destroy the Horcruxes, Lord Voldemort’s secret to immortality. During his pursuit he uncovers the existence of the three most powerful objects in the wizarding world: the Deathly Hallows.

With an A-list British cast, including those who grew up on the film set, Daniel Radcliffe(The Woman in Black), Rupert Grint (Wild Target), Emma Watson (The Perks of Being a Wallflower), Tom Felton (Rise of the Planet of the Apes); and veteran actors such as Michael Gambon (The King’s Speech), Maggie Smith (Best Exotic Marigold Hotel), Ralph Fiennes (Schindler’s List) and Helena Bonham-Carter (Les Misérables).

The Dartford Crossing became part of movie history in 2010 when it was used for the scene where Hagrid (Robbie Coltrane) and Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) race through the toll road and tunnel on a flying motorbike, being chased by Death-Eaters. At the end of the scene, as they take to the air, make sure you spot the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge in the background!

The Dartford area has been used for filming by productions including London Spy (2015), Hummingbird (2013) and The Inbetweeners (2010).

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 was released in cinemas in November 2010 and is now available to buy on DVD.

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

Above Suspicion: The Red Dahlia (2010)

Posted on January 4, 2010 by Kent Film Office

Kelly Reilly as DC Anna Travis and Ciarán Hinds as DCI James Langton stand looking at a board which has photos and newspaper clippings of The Black Dahlia pasted all over it. Both Reilly and Hinds are wearing suits, and Hinds is holding a torch.

Ciaran Hinds and Kelly Reilly in Above Suspicion (2010) © ITV

Director: Gillies MacKinnon
Writer: Lynda La Plante
Starring: Kelly Reilly, Ciarán Hinds, Shaun Dingwall, Celyn Jones, Amanda Lawrence
Production Companies: La Plante Productions, RLJ Entertainment, RLJ Productions
Kent Locations Used: Westgate-on-Sea, West Bay House

Based on the series of books by Lynda La Plante, Above Suspicion (2009-2012) was an ITV crime-drama series about a female detective trying to survive in a male-dominated industry. Each series focuses on a different homicide case, as the team desperately try to track down the killers.

Series 2, titled ‘The Red Dahlia’, sees the return of ambitious female detective Anna Travis (Kelly Reilly) and her boss, Detective Constable James Langton (Ciarán Hinds). Together they must tackle their most terrifying case to date: the discovery of a woman’s mutilated body in the Thames. They soon realise they face a copy-cat killer who re-enacts the murders of the infamous 1940’s Black Dahlia case.

All three episodes are directed by Gillies MacKinnon (Small Faces, Trojan Eddie) and star Kelly Reilly (Sherlock Holmes (2009), Pride and Prejudice (2005)) as DC Anna Travis, Ciarán Hinds (Belfast, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) as DCI James Langton, Shaun Dingwall (Top Boy (2019-2022), Doctor Who) as DI Mike Lewis, Celyn Jones (Set Fire to the Stars, Submergence) as DS Paul Barolli, and Amanda Lawrence (The Amazing Mr Blunden (2021), Summerland (2020)) as DC Joan Faulkland.

The production came to Westgate-on-Sea in Thanet to film various scenes for Episodes 1 & 2. The promenade features in various flashback sequences which see Louise Pennel (Ty Glaser) looking out to sea. The exterior of St Cecelia’s House on Sea Road doubled as the exterior of Mrs Pennel’s (Hildegard Neil) home, and the interior was filmed at West Bay House.

Westgate-on-Sea is a civil parish on the north-east coast of Kent. It is a charming Victorian town with two fantastic blue flag beaches – West Bay and St Mildred’s Bay. Previous productions to have filmed in Westgate-on-Sea include True Love (2012) and Series 2 of Humans (2016).

Above Suspicion: Red Dahlia – Part 1 aired on ITV on Monday 4^th January 2010, with the subsequent episodes airing on the following days.

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

Sherlock Holmes (2009)

Posted on December 24, 2009 by Kent Film Office

Sherlock Holmes Poster

The Victorian Sleuth returns to our screens in an all action film

Director: Guy Richie

Writer: Simon Kinberg, Anthony Peckham

Starring: Robert Downey Jr, Jude Law, Rachel McAdams, Mark Strong, Eddie Marsan and Kelly Reilly

Production Company: Silver Pictures, Village Roadshow Pictures, Wigram Productions

Kent Filming Locations: The Historic Dockyard Chatham

Boxing day 2009 saw the release of the new Sherlock Holmes movie directed by British filmmaker Guy Ritchie. Fans expecting a classic ‘Sherlock’ adaptation complete with smoking pipe and deerstalker hat will be disappointed. This interpretation of Holmes is fast paced and action filled, taking its cue from modern graphic novels.

Based on an unpublished comic book by Lionel Wigram, the film features

Arthur Conan Doyle’s legendary characters Sherlock Holmes (Robert Downey Jr) and Dr Watson (Jude Law). Set in 1891, the film sees Holmes and Watson trying to stop Lord Blackwood’s (Mark Strong) conspiracy to destroy Britain. To thwart this deadly plot, Sherlock’s brilliance and intellect are called upon alongside some newly acquired skills:bare knuckle and sword fighting.

Directed by Guy Ritchie (Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Snatch) written by Simon Kinberg (Mr. & Mrs. Smith, Jumper) and Anthony Peckham (Don’t Say A Word, Invictus) and starring Robert Downey Jr (Zodiac, Iron Man) and Jude Law (Cold Mountain, Alfie). Rachel McAdams (Mean Girls, The Notebook), Mark Strong (Body of Lies, The Young Victoria), Eddie Marsan (V for Vendetta, Happy-Go-Lucky) and Kelly Reilly (Pride & Prejudice, Me and Orson Welles.

Ritchie and the all star cast came to The Historic Dockyard Chatham to film parts of the movie. The Historic Dockyard Chatham proved to be an ideal location with its cobbled streets, industrial buildings and authentic Victorian architecture. If you watch carefully you will notice the following locations.

Punchbowl Pub interior: fight scene
Punch Bowl pub exterior: various characters entering the pub
Main Gate (the seal): entering the prison to see Blackwood
Hemp House 3: Hanging of Lord Blackwood
Ropery courtyard: Prison exterior scene with Holmes and Watson locked up in the prison yard
Chain and Cable shed: chase scene with hansom cabs before the slip 7 scene where the ship enters the Thames
Slip 7: The fight with Dredger around the ship in slip 7

Behind the scenes image of the shipyard at Ship 7 at The Historic Dockyard Chatham © The Historic Dockyard Chatham

Behind the scenes image of the exterior of the Punch Bowl Pub at The Historic Dockyard Chatham at the bottom of a cobbled street

Behind the scenes image of the exterior of the Punch Bowl Pub at The Historic Dockyard Chatham © The Historic Dockyard Chatham

The Historic Dockyard Chatham remains a top Kent filming location due to its unblemished historical surroundings, authentic backdrops, cobbled streets and Georgian and Victorian architecture. It has previously been used in productions such as BBC’s Oliver Twist (2007), The Golden Compass (2007) and Vanity Fair (2005).

Sherlock Holmes was released in cinemas on December 2009 and is now available to buy on DVD.

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

The Hide (2009)

Posted on February 4, 2009 by Kent Film Office

Alex MacQueen and Phillip Campbell in the wooden Bird hide out with binoculars

Alex MacQueen and Phillip Campbell in the Bird hide out © Poisson Rouge

Director: Marek Losey

Writer: Tim Whitnall

Starring: Alex Macqueen and Phil Campbell

Production Company: Poisson Rouge Pictures, Solution Films Limited

Kent Filming Locations: Elmley Marshes, Swale and Harty Ferry Inn

Based on the play by Tim Whitnall and starring Alex MacQueen and Philip Campbell, The Hide tells the story of a reclusive bird watcher who spends his time on desolate marshes. His peace is disrupted by the arrival of a stranger whose dishevelled appearance initially causes him some alarm. Surprisingly, the pair strike up a friendship, discovering that they have more in common than they first thought. However a shocking police announcement on the radio throws the two friends into a deadly fight for survival in this tense thriller.

The Hide - a wooden shed surrounded by filming equipment

Behind the scenes image of The Hide © Kent Film Office

Behind the scenes image - lighting equipment on the marshes

Behind the scenes image © Kent Film Office

The Hide was erected on the marshy shores just below the Harty Ferry Inn. Other footage was shot a little further along at the Elmley Marshes on the Isle of Sheppey. Exposed to the elements, the bleak and atmospheric coastal marshland was the perfect backdrop for this tense thriller.

Elmley Marshes is a little bit of wilderness located on the shores of the River Swale and is home to many unusual species such as the Avocet and the Marsh Harrier making it an ideal spot for twitching and indeed a film about a bird twitcher! The marshes have previously been used by productions such as Jekyll and Hyde (2015), Great British Railway Journeys (2014) and A Taste of Britain (2014).

The film was well received on the film festival circuit, making the official selection at the Dinard Film Festival and has recently been acquired by Film4.

The Hide was released in cinemas in 2008 and is now available on DVD.

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

Missing (2009)

Posted on February 4, 2009 by Kent Film Office

Pauline Quirke and Mark Wingett looking through a white wooden window, the sea can be seen behind them

Pauline Quirke and Mark Wingett in Missing © BBC

Director: Laurence Wilson

Writers: Roy Boulter, Matt Leys, Ann-Marie Di Mambro, Karen McLachlan

Starring: Pauline Quirke, Felix Scott, Pooja Shah, Mark Wingett, Adjoa Andoh

Production Companies: Leopard Films

Kent Filming Locations: Maidstone and Dover – Port and White Cliffs.

Mark Wingett, Pauline Quirke, Pooja Shah and Felix Scott near the Port of Dover with signs and a bridge behind them

Mark Wingett, Pauline Quirke, Pooja Shah and Felix Scott near the Port of Dover © BBC

Missing is a new daytime crime about a small and under-sourced Missing Persons Unit (MPU) based in Dover which is headed up by DS Mary Jane Croft.

The 5 part drama was made to accompany the second series of

Missing: Live

which examines real life cases and attempts to reunite people with their love ones.

Starring Pauline Quirke (Broadchurch, Birds of a Feather), Felix Scott (Inception, Blitz Blitz), Pooja Shah (EastEnders, Bend It Like Beckham), Mark Wingett (The Bill, Snow White and the Huntsman) and Adjoa Andoh (Invictus, Casualty).

The production visited Kent where they transformed the old Maidstone Borough Council offices on the London Road into their Police Headquarters. The programme also filmed at various locations in and around Maidstone as well as visiting Dover including the Port and White Cliffs.

The county town of Kent, Maidstone boasts shopping areas, bars and restaurants and is home to The Maidstone Studios which is the UK’s largest independent High Definition TV studio facility. Productions which have filmed in the area include Children in Need – The Rickshaw Challenge (2015)Later… with Jools Holland (2015) and Couples Come Dine With Me (2014).

Dover is best known for the world famous White Cliffs of Dover along with the Port of Dover and Dover Castle. The Dover area has previously featured on screen in The Tunnel: Sabotage (2016), Wolf Hall (2015) and Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows (2011).

The first episode aired on BBC One on the 16^th March 2009 at 14:15.

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

The Boat that Rocked (2009)

Posted on February 4, 2009 by Kent Film Office

Philip Seymour Hoffman and Nick Frost at a table with other people clapping and raising their glasses off screen. Posters and paper on the wooden walls behind

Philip Seymour Hoffman and Nick Frost in The Boat that Rocked © Universal Pictures

Writer/Director: Richard Curtis

Production Company: Working Title Films

Starring: Bill Nighy, Nick Frost, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Tom Sturridge

Kent Filming Locations: Squerryes Court

Brought to our screens by Richard Curtis, famed for Four Weddings and a funeral Notting Hill, The Boat that Rocked is a comedy focusing on the Rock and Roll antics of Pirate Radio DJ’s.

Carl (Tom Sturridge), recently expelled from school is sent to spend time with his Godfather Quentin, played by Bill Nighy, in the hope that he will find some much-needed guidance. As it turns out, Quentin is the manager of ‘Radio Rock’, a sea bound Pirate Radio Station. On the boat is a motley crew of eccentrics, including The Count (Phillip Seymour Hoffman), Dave (Nick Frost) and Midnight Mark (Tom Wisdom) who are all more than willing to impart their advice on life to the impressionable young man.

Life on the water is anything but smooth with the return of the ‘Greatest DJ in Britain’ (Rhys Ifans) he Count is forced to compete for the title he feels he rightly owns. In addition, Radio Rock has fallen foul of the Government who are determined to put a stop to the station and the rock and roll lifestyle it promotes.

The DJ’s on the boat © Universal Studios Rhys Ifans as Gavin in the studio © Universal Pictures

The Boat that Rocked captures the essence of the swinging sixties and a generation for whom music was not just a passion, but a way of life that must be protected at all costs. The tale has echoes of the legendary Radio Caroline which first broadcasted its radio channel in 1964 in foreign waters not far from Felixstowe in Suffolk. Today the Radio Caroline is synonymous with Pirate Radio and continues to broadcast, now legally, out at sea.

The film is directed by Richard Curtis (Four Weddings and a Funeral, Notting Hill) and featuring an all-star cast: Bill Nighy (Love Actually, I Capture the Castle), Nick Frost (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz), Phillip Seymour Hoffman (The Big Lebowski, A Most Wanted Man) and Tom Sturridge (Being Julia, Far from the Madding Crowd)

The production visited Kent in 2007 to film scenes at Squerryes Court, a 17^th Century manor home in Westerham. The house is set in 20 acres of land which include beautiful gardens and a lake. The rooms that were used during the filming are open to the public.

The Boat that Rocked was released in cinemas on the 1st April 2009 and is now out on DVD.

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

Is Anybody There? (2009)

Posted on February 4, 2009 by Kent Film Office

Is Anybody There? Film Poster- a man and a child stood in front of a white wooden bus shelter with a blue bench. Is Anybody There? written in yellow underneath

Director: John Crowley

Writer: Peter Harness

Starring: Michael Caine, Bill Milner, David Morrissey, Anne-Marie Duff, Ralph Riach

Production Company: Heyday Films, BBC Films, Big Beach

Kent Filming Locations: Hythe, Folkestone Central Train Station and St Peter’s CEP School in Folkestone

Set in the 1980’s, Is Anybody There? is about a young boy called Edward (Bill Milner) growing up in an old people’s home. Whilst his parents struggle with their personal problems, Edward becomes obsessed with ghosts and the afterlife. Arming himself with his trusted tape recorder and camera, he tapes the residents in his quest to find out more about what happens to people when they die.

Living a fairly solitary existence, Edward strikes up a friendship with resident magician and rebel Clarence (Michael Caine). The pair become good friends, teaching each other to live each day in the present and how to come to terms with the past.

In 2007, the production visited several Kent locations including Folkestone Central Train Station which doubled as a Yorkshire train station Princes Parade in Hythe was turned into Yorkshire for two days where they used the sea-shelter as a bus shelter (see the movie poster!) and the road was used for the scenes where Clarence (Michael Caine) and Edward (Bill Milner) are pushing the vehicle along the sea road after the crash.

Produced by the same company who bring Harry Potter to the big screen, the film also visited St Peter’s CEP School, Folkestone where the children themselves were extras for a day! To thank them for their time and help they were rewarded with signed posters from the main cast of Harry Potter and Michael Caine signed their school mural.

The seaside town of Folkestone has an elegant clifftop promenade, a lower coastal park, a fishing harbour and Victorian cliff-top lifts. Hythe is a small coastal town situated between Folkestone and the Romney Marsh. The area has featured in a wide range of productions including Future Tense: The Story of H.G. Wells (2016), The Tunnel: Sabotage (2016) and Everyone’s Going To Die (2013).

The film was released on 1st May 2009 and is now available to buy on DVD.

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

Summertime Blues (2009)

Posted on February 4, 2009 by Kent Film Office

Francois Goeske and Sarah Beck sat on a kitchen counter top having a conversation holding tea cups.

Director: Marie Reich

Writer: Frederike Kopf

Production Company: Boxfish Films

Kent Filming Locations: Faversham, Stodmarsh, Dover

Alex is a teenager whose life is thrown into turmoil following the announcement that his father’s new girlfriend is pregnant and his mother intends to move to England with her new partner and himself in tow.

Karoline Eichhorn and Alexander Bayer in Summertime Blues smiling at the camera through an orchestra pit,. Audience can be seen smiling behind

Summertime Blues chronicles Alex’s exile to a sleepy English village and his determination to return to his home-town of Bremen at the earliest opportunity. It’s not long, however, before he begins to make friends, notably Louie and Faye, who show him that life in the middle of nowhere isn’t all that bad. At a crossroads, Alex is torn between his life in Bremen and his new life in England.

In the height of summer 2008, Kent played host to the German production Summertime Blues. Looking for some of Kent’s most idyllic and romantic countryside locations, the crew came to the Film Office to aid them in their search. After weeks of deliberation the production company chose the beautiful market town of Faversham and the picturesque village of Stodmarsh for Alex’s quintessentially English home. Released in Germany this summer, there are unfortunately no current plans to bring the film to the UK.

The coastal town of Dover is home the port, connecting the UK with the European mainland, Dover Castle which towers above the town, signalling Dover’s strategic importance in the defence of the country and the White Cliffs of Dover, one of the most recognised landmarks in Britain. Dover has been used for filming productions such as The Tunnel: Sabotage (2016), Great British Railway Journeys – Series 7 (2016) and On A Clear Day (2005).

Stodmarsh is a small village on the outskirts of the historic City of Canterbury. The Canterbury area has previously featured on screen in projects such as Rustom (2016), Terry and Mason’s Great Food Trip (2015) The Apprentice (2014).

Faversham is a beautiful, historic market town which boasts nearly 500 listed buildings and is set on the picturesque Faversham Creek. It has many restaurants, shops, attractions and beautiful walks. The Faversham area has been used as a film location for productions such as Great British Railway Journeys (2014) and Channel 4 drama Southcliffe (2013)

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

Emma (2009)

Posted on February 4, 2009 by Kent Film Office

Romola Garai in a pink dress and bonnet staring towards the ground with a smile in front of bushes with flowers on

Director: Jim O’ Hanlon

Writer: Sandy Welch

Starring:Romola Garai, Jonny Lee Miller, Michael Gambon, Tamsin Greig, Rupert Evans, Robert Bathurst

Production Company: BBC

Kent Filming Locations: Chilham, Squerryes Court, Westerham.

This Autumn Jane Austen’s ‘Emma’ will once again grace our screens with a four part adaptation from the BBC. The new series sees Romola Garai (Atonement) starring as the incomparable Emma Woodhouse, with Michael Gambon (Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince) as her father.

Jane Austen describes Emma as ‘handsome, clever and rich’ and confessed that Emma is a heroine which no-one but her will like. Emma is determined not to marry. However, she cannot help but play matchmaker to all her friends, often with disastrous consequences. Will she ever learn to let love run its true course?

Behind the Scenes at Squerryes © Squerryes	Behind the Scenes at Squerryes © Squerryes
Market in front of Chilham Castle © Kent Film Office	Meat Market Stall © Kent Film Office

Squerryes Court in Westerham with its grand Georgian rooms was the perfect location to double as the Woodhouse family home. The country house is located in 20 acres of beautiful grounds which include a spectacular garden and an 18^th Century Dovecote. Squerryes Court has been used for productions such as The Hollow Crown: Henry V (2012) and The Boat That Rocked (2009).

The production also chose the beautiful village of Chilham near Ashford to feature as Highbury. Chilham village retains much of its original features, which makes it perfect for period dramas. During filming the square was closed off and all signs of modern life, from the double yellow lines to the burglar alarms, were gently erased. In its place a vibrant market was installed to capture the essence of village life in Jane Austen’s time.

Chilham village has been used for a variety of filming projects including BBC’s Emma (2009), Channel 4 comedy Chickens (2011) and Miss Marple – The Moving Finger (2005).

The series was shown on BBC One on October 2009 and is now available to buy on DVD.

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

Kent's Premier Film Commission

Author: Kent Film Office

Burke and Hare (2010)

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 2010

Above Suspicion: The Red Dahlia (2010)

Sherlock Holmes (2009)

The Hide (2009)

Missing (2009)

The Boat that Rocked (2009)

Is Anybody There? (2009)

Summertime Blues (2009)

Emma (2009)