BBC

Who Do You Think You Are? (2018)

Posted on by Kent Film Office

 

Actress Michelle Keegan smiling at the camera in a pink jumper. Who do you think your are? written in white

Michelle Keegan ©BBC One

 

Writer: Stuart Elliot

Starring: Michelle Keegan, Olivia Coleman, Boy George, Shirley Ballas, Lee Mack, Marvin Humes, Judge Rinder and Jonnie Peacock.

Production Company: BBC One

Kent Locations Used: General Views in and around Margate.

Returning to our screens for its 15th series, the hit TV series Who Do You Think You are? focuses on tracing back our much-loved celebrities’ ancestry, giving them the opportunity to discover family secrets.

DJ, presenter and former member of band JLS, Marvin Humes, travelled to Margate to investigate the history of his great grandfather, Frederick Buckingham. Frederick, who suffered from Tuberculosis, was admitted to the Margate Metropolitan Infirmary from a workhouse. Marvin also visits the beach as the seawater in Margate was important, being part of the treatment for the illness.

Frederick served in the merchant navy, so Marvin Humes meets expert Harry Bennett at Chatham Historic Dockyard where they talk about the importance of the merchant navy to the economy.

Written by Stuart Elliot, the series will feature eight well known celebrities: Michelle Keegan (Our Girl and former Corrie Star), Olivia Coleman (The Crown), Boy George (Musician, DJ, fashion designer and British icon), Shirley Ballas (Strictly Come Dancing’s Head Judge), Lee Mack (Comedian/Not Going Out), Marvin Humes (Former JLS member/Presenter), Robert Rinder (Barrister/Judge Rinder) and Jonnie Peacock (Gold medal winning Paralympian).

Margate is a seaside town in the district of Thanet in Kent, England. It is well known for its amusement park, Dreamland, which first opened in 1880. Having been closed for over seven years, Dreamland re-opened in June 2015 to the public, featuring retro seaside rides and amusements.

Dreamland and Margate haven used previously as a location in TV series The Tunnel: Sabotage (2016) as well as Only Fools and Horses: The Jolly Boys’ Outing (1989).

Who Do You Think You Are? aired on 6 June 2018 at 9pm on BBC One. More episodes coming soon!

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

Suffragettes – How Women Won the Vote (2018)

Posted on by Kent Film Office
Portrait of three suffragettes characters in formal clothing at Commissioner's House with stairs in the background. The centre characters is looking at the camera whilst the two on the outside are looking in the distance.

Image of Suffragettes ©BBC

 

Director: Emma Frank

Starring: Lucy Worsley

Production Company: Brook Lapping Productions

Kent Locations Used: Chatham Dockyard, Commissioner’s House, Tarred Yarn Store, Captains House and the ropey foot tunnel, as well as the Assistant Queens Harbourmaster’s House.

Suffragettes with Lucy Worsley is part of a group of BBC programmes marking the 100s anniversary of women gaining the vote in the UK.

In this drama documentary, Lucy Worsley explores, a group of less well known, but equally astonishing, young working-class suffragettes who decided to go against the rules and expectations of Edwardian society.

Worsley reveals what life was like for young women, what drove them to break the law and how they used their own PR to counteract the negative portrayals they received from the press of the day.

Lucy Worsley has been a writer and presenter for Our Food (2012), A Very British Romance (2015) and If Walls Could Talk: The History of the Home (2011).

Scenes from Suffragettes with Lucy Worsley was filmed in various locations at The Historic Dockyard Chatham, such as the Commissioner’s House, the Tarred Yarn Store, the Captains House and Ropery foot tunnel, as well as the Assistant Queens Harbourmaster’s House.

Suffragettes by Lucy Worsley airs on BBC1, Monday 4th June at 20.30.

To see the official trailer visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_Y2e79lBTw

 

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

King Lear (2018)

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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. 

The Big Painting Challenge Series 3

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Image of presenters Mariella Frostrup and Rev. Richard Coles in front of a multicoloured painted background.

Image of the series presenters Mariella Frostrup and Rev. Richard Coles© BBC One

 

Production Company: BBC

Starring: Mariella Frostrup and Rev. Richard Coles

Kent Locations Used: The Historic Dockyard, Chatham

The Big Painting Challenge is back on the BBC! Presented by Mariella Frostrup and Rev. Richard Coles, along with artistic mentors Pascal Anson and Diana Ali, the programme search nationwide for the best up-and-coming amateur artists.

Mariella Frostrup previously appeared on BBC Two series World’s Most Dangerous Roads, and both her and he co-presenter  Have I Got News for You. Rev. Richard Coles have been guests on Have I Got News for You.

For the finale the production chose The Historic Dockyard, Chatham, where the first challenge was to paint a self-portrait followed by the masterclasses, all in the Tarred Yarn Store. The Final challenge meant the contestants were able to choose any motif and, unsurprisingly, there were a few paintings of ships that made it to the final exhibition in Slip 3.

The series kicks off on Easter Sunday 1st April 2018 at 6pm on BBC One, and continues weekly on Sundays with the finale airing on Sunday 6th May 2018.

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

 

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

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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)

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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)

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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. 

Victoria and Abdul (2017)

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Queen Victoria sitting at table writing with Abdul standing next to hear looking down

Victoria and Abdul © Focus Features

Writer:  Lee Hall, based on the book Victoria & Abdul by Shrabani Basu

Director: Stephen Frears

Starring: Dame Judi Dench, Ali Fazal, Olivia Williams, Michael Gambon and Eddie Izzard

Production Company: BBC Films, Working Title Films

Kent Locations Used: The Historic Dockyard Chatham

Queen Victoria and Abdul walking on tree lined pathway

Victoria and Abdul © Focus Features

 

The BBC’s newest biopic feature, Victoria and Abdul, tells the story of the unlikely friendship between Queen Victoria (Dame Judi Dench) and her servant Abdul Karim (Ali Fazal). The film is based on the book Victoria &Abdul: The True Story of the Queen’s Closest Confidant, by Shrabani Basu.

Dame Judi Dench stars as Queen Victoria and Ali Fazal as Abdul Karim (Fast and Furious 7 and 3 Idiots). The supporting cast include Olivia Williams

(The Sixth Sense and An Education), Michael Gambon (The Harry Potter Series and Sleepy Hollow), Eddie Izzard (Valkyrie and Ocean’s Thirteen) and Adeel Akhtar (The Dictator and Pan).

The production filmed at The Historic Dockyard Chatham on The HMS Gannet and the quayside adjacent to the ship.

With over 100 Georgian and Victorian buildings, spread over 80 acres, The Historic Dockyard Chatham is one of Kent’s most popular filming locations. Some of the productions that have filmed at The Historic Dockyard Chatham include, Call the Midwife (2012-present), Downton Abbey (2013) and Les Misérables (2013)

Victoria and Abdul will be released in cinemas on Friday 15th September 2017.

 

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

Strike – The Cuckoo’s Calling/The Silkworm (2017)

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Cormoran Strike (TOM BURKE) walking down street with hands in pockets

Strike – Cormoran Strike (TOM BURKE) – (C) Bronte Films – Photographer: Steffan Hill

Writer: Ben Richards (The Cuckoo’s Calling)

Director: Michael Keillor, Kieron Hawkes, Charles Sturridge

Starring: Tom Burke, Holliday Grainger, Kerr Logan

Cormoran Strike (TOM BURKE), Robin Ellacott (HOLLIDAY GRAINGER) standing on bridge looking at camera

Strike – The Cuckoo’s Calling – Cormoran Strike (TOM BURKE), Robin Ellacott (HOLLIDAY GRAINGER) – (C) Bronte Film & TV Ltd – Photographer: Steffan Hill

Production Company: BBC, Bronte Film and TV in association with HBO

Kent Locations Used: Penshurst Place, Sevenoaks

Strike – The Cuckoo’s Calling is a brand new seven part BBC drama based on the best-selling detective series written by J.K. Rowling under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith. There are the first of three adaptations of the respective novels The Cuckoo’s Calling, The Silkworm and Career of Evil.

Cormoran Strike (Tom Burke), a war veteran turned private detective works and lives in his tiny office in London’s Denmark Street. In The Cuckoo’s calling, business is not great for Cormoran when Robin Ellacott (Holliday Grainger) is mistakenly sent to assist him with his paperwork just as super model Lula Landry (Elarica Johnson ) supposedly takes her own life by jumping from a Mayfair balcony.

Following his investigation of the Lula Landry case, The Silkworm takes up the story when Strike is tasked by Leonora Quine (Monica Dolan) to locate her husband, the notorious writer Owen Quine, who has disappeared without a trace.

The Cuckoo’s calling was adapted by Ben Richards (Outcasts, Spooks) and Tom Edge (Lovesick, The Crown) and directed by Michael Keillor. The cast is led by Tom Burke (Only God Forgives, Third Star) and Holliday Grainger (Cinderella, The Finest Hours) with support from Kerr Logan (Game of Thrones, London Irish) as Matthew Cunliffe.

The production filmed at Penshurst Place as well as in a private residence in Sevenoaks.

Lady Bristow (SIAN PHILLIPS) lying on sofa talking to John Bristow (LEO BILL),

Strike – The Cuckoo’s Calling – John Bristow (LEO BILL), Lady Bristow (SIAN PHILLIPS) – (C) Bronte Film & TV Ltd

Penshurst Place is a 14th Century Manor House with preserved interiors, including the unique medieval Baron’s Hall as well as 11 acres of Elizabethan walled gardens. The Hollow Crown: The Wars of the Roses (2016), Wolf Hall (2015) and Merlin have previously filmed at Penshurst Place.

Sevenoaks is a historic town in West Kent just outside the gates to Knole Park. It is the home of Sevenoaks School which supported the production and has one of the oldest lying foundations in England, laid down by William Sevenokes in 1432. The town has previously featured in Future Tense: The Story of H.G. Wells (2016).

 

Strike – The Cuckoo’s Calling will screen on BBC One on Sunday August 27th & Monday 28th August at 9pm, concluding the following Sunday 3rd September.

The Silkworm will follow with two episodes on 10th and 17th September.

Career of Evil, the final, two-part instalment is due to be release in the New Year.

 

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

 

Quacks (2017)

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Group of Quack characters in Victorian attire standing around operating table looking forward

Quacks (C) Lucky Giant – Photographer: Todd Antony

Writer: James Wood

Director: Andy De Emmony

Starring: Rory Kinnear, Mathew Baynton, Tom Basden, Lydia Leonard, Rupert Everett

Production Company: Lucky Giant

Kent locations used: The Historic Dockyard Chatham

Quacks is a new six-part BBC Two comedy series and follows William,  a young psychiatrist, (Mathew Baynton), Robert, an egotistical surgeon (Rory Kinnear), and John,  a hedonistic anaesthetist (Tom Basden) and their comedic misadventures during the early days of modern medical science in the 1840s.

The impressive ensemble cast includes Rory Kinnear (Skyfall, Quantum of Solace, The Imitation Game), Mathew Baynton (Peep Show, The Wrong Mans, You, Me and the Apocalypse) Tom Basden (Plebs, Star Stories) and Lydia Leonard (Da Vinci’s Demons, Whitechapel), with a guest performance by Rupert Everett (Stardust, St. Trinian’s, The Musketeers) as Dr. Hendrick.

Three Quack characters sitting at bar table looking at camera

Quacks (C) Lucky Giant – Photographer: Mark Johnson

The highly popular Historic Chatham Dockyard, Kent doubled as streets of Victorian London. It was also used as the location of the market place, the apothecary and bareknuckle boxing fight featured in the series.

The Historic Dockyard Chatham has previously been used as a filming location for a vast range of productions such as Close to the Enemy (2016), Mr. Holmes (2015), and Arthur & George (2015) with the over a hundred Georgian and Victorian buildings and cobbled streets making it a popular choice.

The new series of Quacks starts on Tuesday 15th August on BBC Two at 10pm.

 

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