The First Team (2020)

Actors Theo Barklem-Biggs, Shaquille Ali-Yebuah, Jake Short, Jack McMullen, Will Arnett sitting on a bench in front of a set of lockers wearing red football shirts

Theo Barklem-Biggs, Shaquille Ali-Yebuah, Jake Short, Jack McMullen and Will Arnett in The First Team (2020) © Fudgepark

Writers: Damon Beesley and Iain Morris
Director: Iain Morris, Damon Beesley
Starring: Jack McMullen, Jake Short, and Shaquille Ali-Yebuah
Production Company: BBC Studios, Fudge Park Productions
Kent Locations Used: Sevenoaks

The First Team (2020) is a six-part British sitcom following the friendship of three young footballers at a fictional Premier League Club. The series follows the mostly off-pitch antics of the boys played by Shaquille Ali-Yebuah (The Feed, Save Me), Jack McMullen (Little Boy Blue, Brotherhood) and Jake Short (All Night, Man of the House) who are far less talented where money and women are concerned than scoring goals. The series also stars Paolo Sassanelli as the mercurial Italian manager Cesare, Will Arnett (The Lego Movie, Arrested Development) as the team’s eccentric American Chairman, Theo Barklem-Biggs (Sliced, White Gold) as resident hard-man Petey Brooks and Chris Geere (Single Parents, Modern Family) as their ineffectual coach Chris Booth.

This sitcom was written and directed by The Inbetweeners creators Iain Morris (Ill Behaviour, Drifters) and Damon Beesley (The Festival, Siblings). Both writers received the British Comedy Award for Best Sitcom in 2008 for The Inbetweeners, and have also won awards for their comedy series White Gold.

Production visited a private residence in Sevenoaks to double as Petey’s (Theo Barklem-Biggs) house and gardens. Sevenoaks is a Kentish town which is home to landmarks such as Knole Park and Riverhill Gardens, both of which have stunning natural and historic significance. Previous productions to film at Knole Park include The Favourite (2019) and Judwaa 2 (2017).

The First Team will air on BBC Two on Thursday 28th May 2020 at 9:30pm.

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


Summer of Rockets (2019)

Close up of actress from Summer of Rockets pictured inside a building, looking deep in thought off camera, wearing a blue coat and green scarf.

Summer of Rockets ©BBC Pictures

Writer: Stephen Poliakoff
Director: Stephen Poliakoff
Starring: Toby Woolf, Suanne Braun, Keeley Hawes, Linus Roache, Timothy Spall, Toby Stephens
Production Company: Little Island Productions
Kent Locations Used: The Historic Dockyards, Chatham

Set in London during the height of the Cold War, Summer of Rockets (2019) is a drama based on true events amid with growing tensions across Europe. At the time, the UK tested its first hydrogen bomb, the Soviets launched their first ballistic missile, and the space race between America and the Soviet Union had begun.

Written and directed by multi-award winning writer Stephen Poliakoff (Dancing on the Edge, Close to the Enemy), the series stars Toby Woolf (The Last Post), Suanne Braun (No Signal, Starhyke), Keeley Hawes (Line of Duty, Bodyguard) Linus Roache (Non-Stop, Vikings), Timothy Spall (Finding Your Feet, Hatton Gardens), Toby Stephens (And Then There Were None, Lost in Space).

The streets outside the Ropery in The Historic Dockyard Chatham were used to film the 1950s civil defence exercise in the series and the upper floors of the Ropery itself featured as civil defence training rooms.

The Historic Dockyard Chatham, with its Victorian and Georgian architecture continues to be a popular filming location. Previous productions which featured this location have been The Man From U.N.C.L.E. (2015), Our World War (2014) and Foyle’s War – A War of Nerves (2004).

Summer of Rockets can be seen on BBC Two on Wednesday 22nd May 2019 at 9pm. After this, episodes will then be shown every Wednesday for the next six weeks.

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


Great British Railway Journeys – Series 10 (2019)

Image of presenter Michael Portillo at one of Britain's railway stations wearing a blue jumper and pink blazor. Tracks and the station can be seen in the background.

Great British Railway Journeys ©BBC

Starring: Michael Portillo
Production Company: Fremantle Media Ltd.
Kent Locations Used: Gravesend, Dartford and Folkestone

BBC documentary series Great British Railway Journeys (2010-) which first premiered on BBC Two in 2010, returns for its tenth series. Presenter Michael Portillo (Great Continental Railway Journeys) travels around the railway networks of Great Britain. He does this whilst referring to an 1840’s copy of Bradshaw’s Guide, comparing how various destinations have transformed since Victorian times.

For the new series, production filmed at railways in various Kent locations, such as Gravesend, Dartford and Folkestone.

Situated in North West Kent is the town of Gravesend  which has exceptional transport links up to London, a cast iron pier, promenade and high street. Gravesend has previously hosted productions including Great British Railway Journeys (2014), The Hospice (2018) and Children in Need – The Rickshaw Challenge (2015).

Dartford is a historic town situated close to London and home to one of Europe’s largest shopping centres. Previous productions which filmed here include Who Do You Think You Are? (2014).

Folkestone is a port town on the English Channel in Kent, with an elegant Victorian clifftop promenade, a creative quarter, gardens, a coastal park, and fishing Harbour. It has also been used as a popular filming location for productions such as Danny Boyle: Pages of the Sea (2018), The Channel: The World’s Busiest Waterway (2017), and Coast v Country (2017).

The new series of Great British Railway Journeys began airing on Monday 4th February 2019 at 6.30pm on BBC Two, and the Kent episode then aired on Wednesday 13th February 2019.

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


Celebrity Antiques Road Show – Series 8 (2018)

Cast of Celebrity Antiques Road Show - Series 8- Four celebritites standing in a row holding up various antiques.

Cast of Celebrity Antiques Road Show – Series 8 ©BBC Two

Starring: Kelly Brook, Denise Van Outen and Peter Andre
Production Company: STV productions
Kent Locations Used: Ramsgate, Margate, Whitstable, Faversham, Sittingbourne, Maidstone, and Ashford

A brand-new series of Celebrity Antiques Road Show (2011-) returns to BBC two.  In the programme each antique expert is paired up with a celebrity and they travel across the UK in vintage cars, in a quest to find worthy antiques to sell at auction.

The series producer for the upcoming show is John Redshaw, and the chosen stars for Series 8 include reality-star Peter Andre, actress Denise Van Outen and model Kelly Brook.

One of the episodes visited Kent where the celebrities played mini-golf in Margate, went antiques hunting in  the sea-side town of Ramsgate and paid a visit to Leeds Castle and Pleasant View Garden Centre in Maidstone, and Whitstable Harbour in Canterbury.

Filming also took place in Faversham and Sittingbourne, which are towns in the district of Swale, as well as further filming in villages Appledore and Chilham in Ashford.

Ramsgate, Margate and Whitstable are seaside towns in East-Kent.  Ramsgate has been a significant filming location for popular television shows such as Juliet, Naked(2018), EastEnders (2015) and The Apprentice (2015).

Faversham and Sittingbourne are both towns within the Swale borough of Kent. Previous productions which filmed there include Celebs on the Farm (2018) and Walks With My Dog (2017).

Ashford is a market town with many shops, eateries, and a designer outlet shopping centre with London and Europe are just a train ride away through Ashford International train station. Previous productions which filmed include The Apprentice (2015).

Maidstone has been a popular site for TV programmes, productions include Long Lost Family: Born Without Trace (2020). Tunbridge Wells has also been an attractive location for TV programmes like Question Time (2016) and Series Two of Hunted (2016).

The series will start on Monday 5th November on BBC Two at 7pm with the Kent episode.

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


Black Earth Rising (2018)

Black Earth Rising Series Poster Image- main character in a dress staring up at the sky on a dirt track with foliage either side.

Black Earth Rising Series ©BBC Two

Writer: Hugo Blick

Director: Hugo Blick

Starring: Aure Atika, Abena Ayivor, Martin Bassindale

Production Company: Drama Republic BBC, British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and Drama Republic

Kent Locations Used: Sevenoaks

Black Earth Rising is an upcoming television drama series written and directed by Hugo Blick , who has written and directed this poignant new drama, tackling issues such as the relationship between contemporary Africa and the West and the prosecution of international war crimes.

Starring Aure Atika (In and Night, The night manager) as Sophie Barre, Abena Ayivor (Machine Gun Preacher, The dinosaur Project) as Bibi Mundanzi, Martin Bassindale (Holmes and Watson, Endeavour) as Peter.

The production visited  a private residence in Sevenoaks whose swimming pool doubled for a Spa hotel in Paris. Sevenoaks has been a popular filming location and previously featured in BBC’s popular ‘Who Do You Think You Are’ in 2014, the latest series of Vanity Fair in 2018, and Sky Arts Landscape Artist of the Year in 2017.

The six part series will air on Monday 10th September 2018 at 9pm on BBC Two.

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


King Lear (2018)

 

Portrait shot of character King Lear sitting on a chair with his three daughters by his side in the palace. Background is black and white chequered floor with black wall panels.

King Lear and his three daughters ©BBC

 

Director: Richard Eyre

Starring: Anthony Hopkins, Emma Thompson, Emily Watson, Florence Pugh, Jim Broadbent, Andrew Scott, John Macmillan, Jim Carter, Christopher Eccleston, Tobias Menzies, Anthony Calf and Karl Johnson

Production Company: Playground Entertainment, Amazon Studios and BBC

Kent Locations Used: Dover

King Lear is a modern-day adaptation of William Shakespeare’s play of the same name. The film tells the tragic story of King Lear (Anthony Hopkins) who abdicates his throne in favour of his two corrupt daughters Regan (Emily Watson) and Goneril (Emma Thompson), rejecting his loving and honest third daughter Cordelia (Florence Pugh) when she fails his test of flattery.

Director, Richard Eyre, has previously worked on films Notes on a Scandal, Iris, and Stage Beauty. Anthony Hopkins who plays King Lear, is best known for his role in The Silence of the Lambs, Hannibal, and Hitchcock. Emma Thompson as eldest daughter Goneril, was previously in Love Actually and The Remains of the Day.

Scenes were filmed in various locations in Dover, such as at Dover Castle, Samphire Hoe, and Abbot’s Cliff.

King Lear will air on Monday 28 May 2018 at 9:30pm on BBC Two.

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


Horizon: My Amazing Brain – Richard’s War (2018)

Richard Gray lies in a hospital bed at Darent Valley Hospital. The front right side of his head is dented from removal of part of the brain

Richard Gray at Darent Valley Hospital, September 2013 © BBC F. Lloyd-Davies


Director
:  Fiona Lloyd-Davies

Production Company:  Studio 9 Films / BBC

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.

Richard Gray in his New Zealand Army uniform going to Anzac Day commemorations with his wife Fiona, April 2017

Richard Gray in his New Zealand Army uniform going to Anzac Day commemorations with his wife Fiona, April 2017 © BBC F. Lloyd-Davies

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 Lakes and 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.  

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

 

 


Harry Potter: A History of Magic (2017)

J.K. Rowling sitting at a table, looking at the camera, with a pile of books in front of her,

Harry Potter: A History of Magic – Picture Shows: JK Rowling – (C) BBC – Photographer: Tom Hayward

Starring: J.K. Rowling

Kent Locations Used: Holly Hill Woodlands, Tonbridge & Malling

BBC documentary Harry Potter: A History of Magic, explores and celebrates the magical history of the Harry Potter universe. An exhibition on the subject opens in October at the British Library, and the documentary attempts to capture the experience for television by featuring artifacts, texts, memorabilia and artwork from the displays.

Warwick Davis sitting on chair reading book with a fireplace and bookcase behind him.

Programme Name: Harry Potter: A History of Magic – Picture Shows: Warwick Davis – (C) BBC – Photographer: Johann Perry

Harry Potter author, J.K. Rowling, will feature in the documentary and talk about items that she has donated to the exhibition and their importance in the Harry Potter universe

The production visited Holly Hill Woodlands in Tonbridge & Malling, featuring two local wand makers. Other productions filmed in the area include: Cape Wrath (2007) and Doctor Who: The Dominators (1968).

Harry Potter: A History of Magic airs on Saturday 28th October at 9pm on BBC Two.

 

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


The Big Family Cooking Showdown (2017)

Presenters standing behind cooking bench with cooking utensils, kitchen behind them

The Big Family Cooking Showdown – (C) Voltage TV Productions

Starring: Zoe Ball, Nadiya Hussain, Giorgio Locatelli and Rosemary Shrager

Production Company: Voltage TV

Kent Locations Used: The Quadrangle Trust

The Big Family Cooking Showdown is a brand new BBC cooking competition series where families compete to be the best home cooks. In

Group shot of presenters standing looking towards camera with kitchen bhind them

The Big Family Cooking Showdown – (C) Voltage TV Productions

each episode, two teams consisting of three family members, who compete in three cooking challenges. At the end of the three rounds, the judges select a winner for the quarter finals where they will face winners from other episodes.

The presenters of the series are Zoe Ball (Strictly Come Dancing) and Nadiya Hussain (winner of The Great British Bake Off in 2015). The judges of the series are Giorgio Locatelli (Italy Unpacked) and Rosemary Shrager (The Real Marigold Hotel).

The Quadrangle Trust in Shoreham, Sevenoaks, the building was transformed into a competition kitchen for the show and featured prominently in the series.

Jamie and Jimmy’s Friday Night Feast (2016) was also filmed at The Quadrangle Trust in Shoreham. Other productions filmed in the Sevenoaks area include Good Enough to Eat and Rip Off Britain (2009).

The Big Family Cooking Showdown premiered on 15 August 2017, and the next episode will be released on Thursday 21 September 2017 on BBC Two.

 

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


BBC Gardeners’ World (2017)

Rachel De Thame, Monty Don, Carol Klein, Joe Swift standing looking at camera

BBC Gardeners World © BBC

Production Company: BBC Bristol

Kent Locations Used: Dungeness

In Episode 16 of the hugely popular BBC Gardeners’ World 2017, presenter and horticultural expert Joe Swift, visits a garden in Dungeness, a large shingle desert on the Kent coast to explore how these challenging conditions can be overcome when designing a garden.

Dungeness is a unique location which includes ramshackle huts as well as two light houses, a historic railway station, two pubs and artist galleries along with a nuclear power station. Previous projects that have filmed there include Walks With My Dog (2017) and Great British Railway Journeys – Series 7 (2016),

BBC Gardeners’ World airs on BBC Two on Wednesday 12th July 2017 at 9pm

 

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