Creators: Nathaniel Stevens, Alex Tenenbaum
Starring: Nkechi Simms, Michael Boahen, Jaye Eservas, Pia Somersby, Tom Moutchi
Production Company: Fully Focused Productions
Kent Locations Used: Blue Bell Hill, Carroty Wood Nature Reserve, The George and Dragon Pub – Tonbridge
PRU (2022) is a BBC Three four-part comedy series about a group of 15-year-old teenagers stuck in the Pupil Referral Unit, a school for excluded kids. Each episode is told through the eyes of the four teenagers as they struggle to navigate the world of adolescence.
Blue Bell Hill is a stunning nature reserve located in Aylesford, with panoramic views across the Weald. Aylesford is a picturesque village located on the banks of the River Medway and complete with a Norman Church and Victorian houses. Previous productions to shoot in Aylesford include Half a Sixpence (1967) and Rustom (2016).
Writer / Director: Leroy Kincaide Starring: Bethan Waller, Johnny Fleming, Kit Smith Production Company: Nocturnal Pictures Kent Locations Used: Ballin’ – Maidstone, Barming, Eastwell Manor Hotel, Hemsted Forest – Cranbrook, Kangaroo Court Coffee House – Chatham, Lenham, Sevenoaks, St Peter & St Paul Church – Aylesford, Teston Bridge Country Park, Wildwoods Restaurant – Maidstone
The Last Rite (2021) is an indie horror film about medical student Lucy who begins suffering from sleep paralysis and falls prey to a demonic force set on tearing her life apart.
The film was shot entirely on location in Kent. The main location, Ben and Lucy’s house, was filmed in a private house in Barming, Maidstone. Other Maidstone locations featured include Dr. Bennett’s (Simon Rhys-Jones) office, Ballin’ (formerly Gallery Superclub) and Wildwood Restaurant which double as The Cuban Bar and bathroom.
Another Maidstone location featured in the film is Teston Bridge Country Park, which appears in a short sequence where Lucy meets Father Roberts for the first time and asks for his help.
In the nearby town of Lenham, a private house features as the exterior and interior of Dr Andrews’ (David Kerr) house, where Lucy goes to seek answers about The Man in the Hat.
The Chancellor’s office, where Father Roberts goes to plead the Church for an exorcism, was filmed at Eastwell Manor Hotel in Ashford.
Hemsted Forest in Cranbrook appears in a short dream sequence, where Lucy imagines herself waking up in the woods and being haunted by The Man in the Hat.
A private house in Sevenoaks doubles as the living room and bedroom of Father Roberts’ house
Kangaroo Court Coffee House (formerly in Chatham, now in Rochester) features in a small scene where Lucy and her friend Ellie (Tara Hoyos-Martinez) meet to discuss the otherworldly figure in Lucy’s house.
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, which is bustling with many shops, restaurants, bars, churches and a museum. Previous productions to have filmed in Maidstone include Series 2 of This Time with Alan Partridge (2021), Rustom (2016) and Series 1 of Missing (2009-2010).
Lenham is a market village situated on the southern edge of the North Downs, halfway between Maidstone and Ashford. In its centre is the busy but picturesque square, which has two public houses, a couple of restaurants, and a tea-room, as well as various shops. The village is at the main source of the Great Stour as well as the River Len, which flows in a westerly direction to join the River Medway at Maidstone.
Built in a Neo-Elizabethan style in 1920 on the site of the former stately home Eastwell Park, Eastwell Manor Hotel offers uninterrupted views over the North Downs, as well as a luxurious dining room, manicured lawns, a gym, leisure club, spa, outdoor pool and 9-hole golf course. The hotel appears in a 1992 episode of The Darling Buds of May (1991-1993).
Aylesford is a picturesque village located on the banks of the River Medway, complete with a Norman Church and Victorian houses. Other productions to have filmed in Aylesford include the Bollywood film Rustom (2016) and Half a Sixpence (1967).
Hemsted Forest boasts approximately 398 hectares of woodland, a mixture of conifer and broadleaf, and is rich in different bird species. The forest is situated in Cranbrook, a busy village with a large smock mill on the North Downs. Both Series 1 and 2 of the detective show Queens of Mystery (2019-2021) feature the village.
Chatham is a historic town situated in Medway, North Kent and is known for its historic dockyard, army barracks and high street. Series 4 of The Crown (2016-2020) features the barracks, and Operation Mincemeat (2022), along with many other high-profile productions, features scenes filmed at the dockyard.
The Last Rite was released on Amazon Prime on Monday 4th April 2022.
Rustom is a Hindi murder mystery romance inspired by the true 1959 legal KM Nanavati v. State of Maharashtra, which changed the face of the India judicial system. Kawas Manekshaw Nanavati (Akshay Kumar) was a naval officer who was tried for killing his English-born wife’s lover, Prem Ahuja. The murder case is still famous on the subcontinent and the film’s tagline is “3 shots that shocked the nation”.
The film is directed by Dharmendra Suresh Desai (Special 26, Players), written by Vipul K. Rawal and stars Akshay Kumar (Singh Is Kinng, Housefull 2), Ileana (Barfi!, Devadasu), and Arjan Bajwa (Son of Sardaar, Bobby Jasoos).
The Historic Dockyard Chatham features as the Bombay naval port and HMS Cavalier as the destroyer on which he serves. A snowy Commissioners House also features in a montage and Slip 5 in a dinner scene between Rear Admiral Prashant Kamath (Parmeet Sethi)and Cynthia (Ilene D’Cruz).
Aylesford is a picturesque village located on the banks of the River Medway complete with a Norman Church and Victorian houses. It has previously featured in Half A Sixpence (1967).
Leeds Castle is a romantic castle with medieval themed rooms, 1920’s style interiors and original marble bathrooms. The large 500 acres estate boasts beautiful gardens, a moat, woodlands, maze with shell grotto and an aviary. The castle has been used to film The Hollow Crown: The Wars of the Roses(2016), Henry VIII (2003) and Lady Jane (1987).
The Historic Dockyard Chatham is a 17th century dockyard set over 80 acres, containing over 100 buildings dating from the Georgian and Victorian Periods. It has been used extensively for filming, appearing in productions such as Call the Midwife(2016), Les Miserables (2013) and Downton Abbey(2013).
Rustom was released worldwide on 12th August 2016 and is now available for DVD purchase.
Director: George Sidney Starring: Tommy Steele, Julia Foster, Cyril Ritchard Production Company: Ameran Films Kent Locations Used: The Pantiles – Royal Tunbridge Wells, Aylesford
Based on the novel, Kipps: The Story of a Simple Soul by H.G. Wells, Half a Sixpence (1967) is a musical based on the themes of wealth and class. The film follows a draper’s assistant, Arthur Kipps (Tommy Steele), who falls in love with a chambermaid named Ann (Julia Foster). When Kipps inherits a fortune, he is torn between two worlds.
The Pantiles in Royal Tunbridge Wells is the set for Shalfords Emporium in the film, where Kipps apprenticed and the town of Aylesford was the setting of Kipps’ childhood home.
Situated in West Kent, Tunbridge Wells is a large town with a busy town centre and a period shopping area, The Pantiles, offering a fascinating variety of small specialist shops, antique shops, open-air cafés, restaurants and bars. Previous productions that have been filmed in Tunbridge Wells include Terry and Mason’s Great Food Trip (2015).
