Andrew Buchan

The Great Fire (2014)

Posted on by Kent Film Office
CHARLES DANCE as Denton, ROSE LESLIE as Sarah, ANDREW BUCHAN as Thomas, JACK HUSTON as The King, DANIEL MAYS as Pepys and PERDITA WEEKS as Elizabeth all standing in a row with a burning village behind them

The Great Fire L-R Sarah (ROSE LESLIE), Charles II (JACK HUSTON), Sam Pepys (DANIEL MAYS), Thomas Farriner (ANDREW BUCHAN), Lord Denton (CHARLES DANCE) © Ecosse Films/ITV

Writer: Tom Bradby

Starring: Andrew Buchan, Rose Leslie, Charles Dance, Jack Huston, Daniel Mays

Production company: Ecosse Films

Kent Locations: Penshurst Place and Cobham Hall

The Great Fire is a new four part ITV drama inspired by the historical events of 1666, where the capital was devastated by fire.

Set against the decadent backdrop of King Charles II’s Court, the drama focuses on the circumstances which led to the catastrophic fire. It looks at Thomas Farriner’s family life at the bakery in Pudding Lane where the fire started the King’s extravagant lifestyle, and diarist Samuel Pepys, whose recordings chronicled the turbulent Regency period.

The series was written by British journalist and novelist Tom Bradby and stars a host of acting talent including Andrew Buchan (Broadchurch, Cranford), Rose Leslie (Game of Thrones, Downton Abbey), Charles Dance (Game of Thrones, Alien 3), Jack Huston (American Hustle, Boardwalk Empire) and Daniel Mays (Mr Biggs, Public Enemies).

Jack Huston as Pepys in a garden with guards in a row against the hedges behind him

Jack Huston as Pepys at Penshurst Place Gardens © Ecosse Films/ITV

The Great Fire team visited Kent and filmed at Penshurst Place, doubling as King Charles II’s Court and Cobham Hall , which was used to represent Arundel House as well as various London streets.

Penshurst Place is a Medieval and Tudor fortified style manor house set in gorgeous parkland and boasts formal Elizabethan gardens. A popular film location, Penshurst Place has previously hosted productions such as The Hollow Crown – Henry V (2012), The Other Boleyn Girl (2008) and Anne of the Thousand Days (1969).

Cobham Hall is a private school near to Gravesend located in 150 acres of Grade II listed parkland and has a stunning ball room, library, cobbled courtyards, formal gardens, classrooms as well as sports facilities, including a swimming pool. Cobham Hall has been used as a film location by Wild Child (2008) and Bleak House (2005).

Don’t miss The Great Fire which starts on Thursday 16th October 2014 at 21:00 on ITV1.

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

 

The Honourable Woman (2014)

Posted on by Kent Film Office
The Honourable Woman - Nessa Stein (Maggie Gyllenhaal) wearing a headscarf standing in a desert

The Honourable Woman © BBC/Drama Republic

Director and writer: Hugo Blick 

Starring: Maggie Gyllenhaal, Lubna Azabal, Eve Best, Andrew Buchan, Janet McTeer, Tobias Menzies, Genevieve O’Reilly, Katherine Parkinson, Stephen Rea

Production company: BBC Worldwide, Drama Republic, Eight Rooks, SundanceTV

Kent Locations: Cottage in New Romney, Little Cheyne Court Wind Farm, Dengemarsh Road, Romney Marsh

This BBC Two political thriller focuses on Nessa Stein (Gyllenhaal), a young woman who inherits her Zionist father’s weaponry business and gradually changes its purpose to laying data cables between Israel and the West Bank. As she continues to promote reconciliation between the Israelis and the Palestinians, she inevitably finds herself in the middle of a political maelstrom.

The eight part drama was written and directed by BAFTA recipient Hugo Blick (Up in Town, Sensitive Skin, The Shadow Line) and stars an award winning cast, including Maggie Gyllenhaal (Donnie Darko, Secretary, The Dark Knight), Lubna Azabal (Incendies, Body of Lies), Eve Best (The King’s Speech, Much Ado About Nothing), Andrew Buchan (Broadchurch, Nowhere Boy), Janet McTeer (Parade’s End, Tumbleweeds), Tobias Menzies (Casino Royale, Game of Thrones), Genevieve O’Reilly (Episodes, Spooks), Katherine Parkinson (The IT Crowd, The Boat That Rocked) and Stephen Rea (V for Vendetta, The Shadow Line).

In the summer of 2013, The Honourable Woman crew spent 2 days filming at several locations in the Romney Marsh area, including a cottage in New Romney, Little Cheyne Court Wind Farm, and Dengemarsh Road.

Romney Marsh in East Kent is a unique landscape of over 100 square miles of woodland, wetlands as well as sand and shingle shores. Many productions have taken advantage of this stunning area including Ginger and Rosa (2012), Great Expectations (2011) and The Inspector Lynley Mysteries – Natural Causes (2006).

The Honourable Woman starts on BBC Two on Thursday July 3rd 2014 at 21:00. 

 

 

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

The Fixer (2008)

Posted on by Kent Film Office

Jody Lee Latham, Peter Mullan, Andrew Buchan and Tamsin Outhwaite all in a row staring at the camera with a block of flats behind them

Jody Lee Latham, Peter Mullan, Andrew Buchan and

Tamsin Outhwaite cast of The Fixer © ITV1

Written by: Neil Cross

Directed by: Alrick Riley

Starring: Peter Mullen, Andrew Buchan, Jody Lee Latham ,Tamsin Outhwaite

Production Company: Kudos Film and Television

Kent Filming Locations: Botany Bay

From the award winning production company Kudos, who also brought you Hustle, Life on Mars and Spooks , comes a six part drama starring Tamsin Outhwaithe (Eastenders, Hotel Babylon), Peter Mullan (Children of Men, The Magdalene Sisters), Andrew Buchan (Cranford, Party Animals) and Jody Lee Latham (Ruby Blue, Shameless).

Retired police officer, Lenny Douglas (Peter Mullan), heads up a renegade group acting outside  the law to bring order to the spiralling criminal activity in the country. He hires John Mercer (Andrew Buchan), a former Special Forces member who has just been released from prison, to fix problems by carrying out assassinations. Rose (Tamsin Outhwaite), a disgraced ex police officer, and petty thief Calum  (Jody Lee Latham) help Mercer carry out his hits effectively, making them a deadly force to reckon with.

The production team visited Kent briefly in 2007 to shoot scenes at Botany Bay in Thanet.

Botany Bay is a beautiful sandy bay popular with tourists but it was once the home of notorious smugglers! In fact, Botany Bay is said to have been the location of the infamous Battle of Botany Bay, where Joss Snelling’s gang were caught red handed smuggling goods into the county. Botany Bay has previously welcomed projects such as the BBC drama True Love (2012).

The seclusion of the bay provided the perfect backdrop for a dark and sinister hit by The Fixer!

The first series aired on the 10th March on ITV and is now available to buy on DVD

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