Sulphur and White (2020)

Posted on February 27, 2020 by Kent Film Office

Mark Stanley (David Tait) wearing a brown jacket and Emily Beecham (Vanessa Tait) wearing a blue floral dress, looking at each other with greenery and sky behind them.

Mark Stanley (David Tait) and Emily Beecham (Vanessa Tait) in Sulphur and White (2020) Copyright: IMDb Photo: Nick Wall

Screenwriter: Susie Farrell
Director: Julian Jarrold
Starring: Mark Stanley, Emily Beecham, Anna Friel, Dougray Scott, Aftab Shivdasani
Production Companies: AMG International, EMU Films
Kent Locations Used: Thanet (Joss Bay, Kingsgate Bay, Botany Bay)

Feature film Sulphur and White is inspired by the true story of David Tait (played by Mark Stanley), a city trader and mountaineer, who tries to forget his traumatic childhood as he climbs the corporate ladder in the City Of London. When he meets Vanessa (Emily Beecham), David’s life begins to change.

Sulphur and White is directed by the award winning Julian Jarrold (Kinky Boots, Becoming Jane) and the screenplay was written by Susie Farrell (Dirty God). It stars Mark Stanley (Game of Thrones, Run) as David Tait and Emily Beechman (Daphne, Hail, Caesar!) as Vanessa. Co-stars also include Anna Friel (Marcella, Deep Water), Dougray Scott (EverAfter, Hitman) and Aftab Shivdasani (Mast, Kasoor).

Filming took place in Thanet, a district of Kent containing resort towns Margate, Ramsgate and Broadstairs with beautiful beaches.

The production visited Joss bay in Broadstairs, a proclaimed surfer’s paradise, boasting a 200 metre-long stretch of sandy beach. Kingsgate Bay and Botany Bay afford incredible views of white cliffs and highly photographed white chalk stacks.

These coastal locations have attracted various film and TV productions over the years from French coming-of-age film À nous les petites Anglaises (1976), Mr Selfridge Series 4 (2016), Bhikari (2017) to most recently Dracula (2020).

Sulphur and White will be released in UK cinemas on Friday 6^th March 2020.

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

Dracula (2020)

Posted on December 20, 2019 by Kent Film Office

CLAES BANG as Dracula wearing a cape and looking into the camera in candle light . An old stone staircase can be seen behind him.

Dracula (CLAES BANG) © BBC/Hartswood Photographer: Robert Viglasky

Writer: Mark Gatis, Steven Moffat, Bram Stoker

Director: Paul McGuigan, Damon Thomas, Jonny Campbell

Starring: Claes Bang, Jonathan Aris, Mark Gatiss, Dolly Wells…

Production Company: Hartswood Films, BBC, Netflix

Kent Locations Used: Joss Bay, Broadstairs

From the makers of Sherlock, Dracula is a brand new drama based on Bram Stoker’s novel, Set in Transylvania in 1897, this time the blood-sucking count will be plotting against Victorian London.

The cast of the 3 feature length episodes is led by Claes Bang starring as Dracula (The Square, The Girl in the Spiders Web), and is supported by Jonathan Aris (Sherlock, The end of the f*cking world), Mark Gatiss (The Favourite, Sherlock) and Dolly Wells (Bridget Jones’s Diary, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies).

Production filmed a sunrise sequence at Joss Bay, Broadstairs which was not used in the final edit.

Joss Bay is a popular sandy beach sheltered by steep chalk cliffs and backing onto the North Foreland Golf Course. Several film productions have visited the location including Coast and Country (2016).

The beach is reputedly named after an eighteenth-century smuggler Joss Snelling. Joss Bay is Kent’s best-known surfing beach and is home to the longest established surf school on this coast. The site offers an ideal set for many film productions.

The Dracula mini-series will air on BBC One on three consecutive days starting at 9pm on 1st January 2020.

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

Coast Vs Country (2016)

Posted on November 12, 2016 by Kent Film Office

Presenters Kerr Drummond and Sara Damergi standing in the countryside with the sea in the background

Presenters Kerr Drummond and Sara Damergi © Channel 4

Production Company: Freeform Productions

Kent Locations Used: Broadstairs & Viking Bay, Joss Bay, Kingsgate Bay, Margate, Ramsgate, Canterbury, Herne Bay

Coast Vs Country is Channel 4’s brand new property series from the creators of A Place in the Sun, helping house hunters find their dream property either by the sea or in the countryside.

The series is presented by interior designer, Kerr Drummond and buying expert and current face of A Place in the Sun, Sara Damergi.

Kent features throughout the series including Thanet locations Broadstairs & Viking Bay, Joss Bay, Kingsgate Bay, Margate, Ramsgate, as well as Canterbury and Herne Bay.

The Thanet area boasts the beautiful coastal towns of Broadstairs, Ramsgate and Margate which has sandy bays, parks and open spaces, galleries and amusements. Thanet has been used for filming by productions such as The Lady in the Van (2015) and Eastenders (2015).

Herne Bay is a seaside town which has a pier and shingle beach and is set just outside of the historic City of Canterbury. Previous productions which have filmed in the area include Rustom (2016), Terry and Mason’s Great Food Trip (2015) and Got To Dance (2012).

The Kent episodes will air on Channel 4 on:

Tuesday 22^nd November 2016 – 16:00
Monday 28^th November 2016 – 15:00
Tuesday 13^th December 2016 – 15:00

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

The Lady in the Van (2015)

Posted on October 22, 2015 by Kent Film Office

The Lady In The Van - Dame Maggie Smith as Miss Shepherd being pushed in a wheelchair by Alex Jennings as Alan Bennett in

The Lady In The Van – Dame Maggie Smith as Miss Shepherd and Alex Jennings as Alan Bennett © Sony

Writer: Alan Bennett

Director: Nicholas Hytner

Starring: Maggie Smith, Alex Jennings, Dominic Cooper, James Corden, Jim Broadbent, Frances de la Tour

Production company: BBC Films, TriStar Productions

Kent Locations: Broadstairs – High Street, Esplanade, Harbour Street, Viking Bay Beach, Morellis Gelato, Buckmaster House

The Lady in the Van is British film based on the true story about a homeless woman, Miss Shepherd (Maggie Smith), who temporarily parked her old yellow van on the driveway of writer Alan Bennett (Alex Jennings) in the 1970’s. As fifteen years went by, the pair developed an endearing but sometimes turbulent relationship, which translates into a funny, poignant and life-affirming story.

Adapted by Alan Bennett (The History Boys, A Private Function, Prick Up Your Ears) from his memoir of the same name, the film is directed by Nicholas Hytner (The Crucible, The Object of My Affection, Center Stage).

Maggie Smith (Downton Abbey, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, Gosford Park) stars as Miss Shepherd with Alex Jennings (The Queen, Babel, Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason) playing Alan Bennett.

: Behind the scenes © Thanet District Council

: Behind the scenes © Thanet District Council

: Behind the scenes © Thanet District Council

: Behind the scenes © Thanet District Council

: Behind the scenes © Thanet District Council

Also starring is Dominic Cooper (Mamma Mia!, Need for Speed, Captain America: The First Avenger), James Corden (Begin Again, Into the Woods, The History Boys), Jim Broadbent (Moulin Rouge!, Cloud Atlas, Gangs of New York) and Frances de la Tour (Hugo, The Book of Eli, Alice in Wonderland).

In November 2014, The Lady in the Van production team came to Kent to film in Broadstairs including the High Street, Esplanade, Harbour Street, Viking Bay Beach and http://www.morellisgelato.com/ for the scenes where Miss Shepherd (Maggie Smith) visits the coast. Buckmaster House in Broadstairs also doubled as Weston-Super-Mare for the scenes where Alan Bennett visits his mother.

Broadstairs is a traditional British seaside town offering sandy beaches with rides, beach huts, surfing, a harbour and cliff-top promenade. The High Street has historic red-brick buildings occupied by cafes, restaurants, bars and shops. Broadstairs has also been used as a film location in Eastenders (2015), Edge of Heaven (2014) and Hancock and Joan (2008).

Don’t miss The Lady in the Van which is released in cinemas on Friday 13^th November 2015.

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

Eastenders (2015)

Posted on August 26, 2015 by Kent Film Office

Tina Carter (LUISA BRADSHAW WHITE), Mick Carter (DANNY DYER) and Shirley Carter (LINDA HENRY) stood holding hands on a sandy beach with beach huts behind

Tina Carter (LUISA BRADSHAW WHITE), Mick Carter (DANNY DYER) and Shirley Carter (LINDA HENRY) © BBC/Kieron McCarron

Starring: Danny Dyer, Linda Henry, Luisa Bradshaw-White, Annette Badland

Production Company: BBC

Kent Locations Used: Broadstairs – Morellis Gelato, Victoria Gardens and Stone Bay, Ramsgate Harbour

Popular BBC One soap Eastenders is set in East London and chronicles the lives of the residents of Albert Square. In the upcoming episodes, the Carter family takes a trip to the Kent coast to scatter Stan Carter’s ashes.

In April this year, helm of the Carter family, Stan, died after a battle with terminal prostate cancer. When the family realise Stan’s ashes have gone missing, Tina (Luisa Bradshaw-White), Shirley (Linda Henry) and Mick (Danny Dyer) head to Ramsgate, where they suspect Aunt Babe (Annette Badland) has taken them.

The show has been running since 1985 and now airs four times a week with an average of more than 8 million viewers per episode.

In June 2015, the Eastenders production filmed for 3 days in Broadstairs –Morellis Gelato, Victoria Gardens, and Stone Bay as well as Ramsgate Harbour.

Shirley Carter (LINDA HENRY), Mick Carter DANNY DYER, Tina Carter (LUISA BRADSHAW WHITE) © BBC/Kieron McCarron	Behind the scenes in Ramsgate Mick Carter (DANNY DYER) © BBC/Kieron McCarron
Shirley Carter (LINDA HENRY), Tina Carter (LUISA BRADSHAW WHITE), Mick Carter (DANNY DYER), Aunt Babe (ANNETTE BADLAND) in Morelli’s © BBC/Kieron McCarron	Shirley Carter (LINDA HENRY), Mick Carter DANNY DYER, Tina Carter (LUISA BRADSHAW WHITE) at Ramsgate Harbour © BBC/Kieron McCarron

The Thanet area has some great locations including its beautiful and varied coastline, historic towns of Margate, Broadstairs and Ramgate with its Royal Marina. It and has welcomed a variety of productions including Edge of Heaven (2013), True Love (2012) and The Calling (2009).

The Kent episodes of Eastenders will be shown on BBC One at 19:30 on Thursday 3rd and 20:00 on Friday 4th September 2015.

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

Mary Berry’s Absolute Favourites (2015)

Posted on May 7, 2015 by Kent Film Office

Mary Berry standing in front of a kitchen with her elbow leant against the counter top

Mary Berry – ©Shine TV

Starring: Mary Berry

Production Company: Shine

Kent Locations: Kingsgate Bay, Broadstairs

Mary Berry hits the road and revisits her favourite places in the UK, using them as inspiration for her food. As part of a six part series, the first episode will feature Kent.

Using simple and easy to follow recipes, Mary Berry’s dishes are extremely user friendly. The series shows Mary Berry travelling from the seaside to the countryside, to farmers’ markets and allotments; all the while suggesting that not a lot of money is needed to make a wholesome meal for the family.

Growing up in WWII Britain, Mary Berry explains that her mother made all their family meals from scratch. Mary demonstrates her joy of getting stuck in as she forages for wild mushrooms and learns to fly fish.

The first episode shows Mary Berry exploring the Kent Coast for seafood inspired meals and desserts. In the episode, Mary even visits Morellis Gelato in Broadstairs, which she admits has hardly changed at all since she first visited.

Broadstairs provides sandy beaches and relaxing cliff tops walks and has been a setting for many films, such as Edge of Heaven (2014 – some parts of Broadstairs were used to double as places in Margate), Only Fools and Horses: The Jolly Boys’ Outing (1989 – Broadstairs Police Station, which is now a pub on Gladstone Road) and many more.

Viewers can also see Broadstairs in last year’s The Great British Bake Off, as the team visited Viking Bay beach.

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

The Great British Bake Off (2014)

Posted on August 1, 2014 by Kent Film Office

Paul Hollywood and Mary Berry in the Great British Bake Off tent perched on a table

Paul Hollywood, Mary Berry © BBC, Love Productions, Mark Bourdillon

Production Company: Love Productions

Kent Locations Used: Viking Bay, Broadstairs

The fifth series of the hit cookery show The Great British Bake Off returns with experts Paul Hollywood and Mary Berry judging 12 contestants who battle it out in the kitchen to be crowned the Great British Bake Off Best Amateur Baker.

Presented by comic duo Sue Perkins and Mel Giedroyc, the new series marks a move from BBC Two to a prime-time BBC One slot and features both the oldest and youngest competitors ever featured on the show.

Chetna baking behind a kitchen counter in the Bake Off tent

Chetna © BBC, Love Productions, Mark Bourdillon

Mum of two and Broadstairs resident Chetna Makan is also competing to win the accolade. Chetna is a fashion designer from Mumbai who moved to the UK 10 years ago. She runs a curry club for her friends and enjoys combining her mum’s traditional recipes with British baking as well as using her creative flair in the kitchen.

The Great British Bake Off filmed in Kent with Chetna and her family in their local area where they visited Viking Bay beach in Broadstairs.

Broadstairs is a coastal town in East Kent and sandy beach, Viking Bay beach is lined with traditional beach huts, a band stand and large Victorian terraces as well as a busy high street and many food and drink establishments. The area has previously been used for filming by productions such as True Love (2012), and The Fixer (2008).

See how Chetna gets on and tune into the new series of The Great British Bake Off which starts on Wednesday 6^th August 2014 on BBC One at 20:00.

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

Edge of Heaven (2014)

Posted on February 12, 2014 by Kent Film Office

Edge of Heaven cast standing in front of a hotel

Edge of Heaven © Hartswood Films/ITV

Starring: Blake Harrison, Justine Michelle Cain, Camille Coduri, Nitin Kundra, Laura Checkley, Louisa Lytton, Marcia Warren, Adrian Scarborough, Robert Evans

Production company: Hartswood Films

Kent Locations: Margate, Broadstairs, Morelli’s and Morgan’s

BLAKE HARRISON (Alfie) standing by the seaside with the beach and town behind him

Edge of Heaven is a new six part ITV comedy drama series which displays life at Margate’s finest , and only, ‘80s themed B&B, run by the chaotic Taylor-Chatterjee family, Wham!-loving Judy and her black pudding enthusiast Husband Tandeep, and her grown up children, demobbed soldier Ann-Marie and Alfie, whose life is going badly ever since his fiancée Carly left him at the altar.

Edge of Heaven is a Hartswood Films production for ITV, and is produced by Elaine Cameron (Sherlock, Jekyll) and Paul McKenzie (Sadie J, Dani’s House). The series was written by Robert Evans (Stella), who also stars in the sitcom.

The comedy will feature Blake Harrison (The Inbetweeners), Justine Michelle Cain (Some Girls), Camille Coduri (Doctor Who), Nitin Kundra (Steel River Blues), Laura Checkley (Rosemary and Thyme), Louisa Lytton (EastEnders), Marcia Warren (Vicious) and Adrian Scarborough (Gavin and Stacey).

BLAKE HARRISON (Alfie) carrying JUSTINE CAIN (Carly) across the sandy beach

The production visited Margate and Broadstairs between September and October 2013 to film on location and shoot exterior scenes including the B&B which is in Albert Terrace. The interiors of the B&B were filmed at Longcross Studios.

Margate is the quintessential British seaside town, with a sandy beach, harbour, arcades, and historic architecture. The town has lots to offer, including Turner Contemporary, quirky shops, independent galleries and trendy cafes. Margate is a popular filming location, having previously welcomed productions like True Love (2012) and The Apprentice (2009).

Broadstairs is in East Kent offers a sandy beach, Viking Bay lined with traditional beach huts, a band stand and large Victorian terraces as well as a busy high street and many food and drink establishments. The area has previously been used as a film locations by Eastenders (2015) and The Fixer (2008).

Don’t miss the series, which starts on 21 February 2014 at 21:00 on ITV1.

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

Derek (2013)

Posted on February 6, 2013 by Kent Film Office

L-R Dougie (Karl Pilkington) and Kev (David Earl) on a pebbled beach with white cliffs behind

Production company: Derek Productions Ltd

Kent Locations Used: Broadstairs, Dumpton Gap, Viking Bay

‘Derek’, written and directed by Ricky Gervais, is a comedy about ‘Derek Noakes’, a 49-year-old retirement home worker with the unique hobby of autograph hunting. A pilot episode was shown in April 2011 on Channel 4 and January 2013 sees the return of Derek in a full series.

Derek (Ricky Gervais) staring at the camera

Derek (Ricky Gervais) is a kind, simple and selfless man with good intentions who loves listening to the funny stories told to him by the people at the retirement home about the good old days. He also has close relationships with his co-workers Dougie (Karl Pilkington) and Hannah (Kerry Godliman) – expect lots of laughs!

The Derek production team visited many locations in Thanet back in September 2012, including Broadstairs, Victoria Gardens and Viking Bay, where they shot Derek taking his residents on a day trip to the beach.

Broadstairs is a coastal town in Thanet and has a sandy beach lined with traditional beach huts as well as a band stand and large Victorian terraces. There is also a thriving high street and plenty of food and drink establishments. Previous visiting productions to the area included True Love (2012), and The Fixer (2008).

The episode featuring Broadstairs, Victoria Gardens and Viking Bay is the fourth in the series and will be shown on Wednesday 20^th February at 22:00 on Channel 4.

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

True Love (2012)

Posted on June 11, 2012 by Kent Film Office

True Love cast L - R Adrian (DAVID MORRISEY), Nick (DAVID TENNANT), Holly (BILLIE PIPER), Paul (ASHLEY WALTERS), Sandra (JANE HORROCKS) standing in a row with the sky behind them

True Love cast L – R Adrian (DAVID MORRISEY), Nick (DAVID TENNANT), Holly (BILLIE PIPER), Paul (ASHLEY WALTERS), Sandra (JANE HORROCKS) © BBC and Working Title

Two lovers holding hands on the beach with the sea in the background

Writer/director: Dominic Savage

Starring: David Tenant, Billie Piper, David Morrissey, Joanne Froggatt, Kaya Scodelario, Lacey Turner, Jane Horrocks, Ashley Walters, Jaime Winstone, Vicky McClure

Production company: Working Title Television, BBC

Kent Locations: Thanet – Margate – Beach, promenade, High Street, train station, various hotels and bars, Thanet District Council Offices, Turner Contemporary, Westgate-On-Sea, Cliftonville, Pegwell Bay, Botany Bay, and Broadstairs

True Love has many familiar faces including David Tenant (Doctor Who) Billie Piper (Secret Diary of a Call Girl), Jane Horrocks (Absolutely Fabulous), Vicky McClure (This is England), Lacey Turner (Eastenders), Ashley Walters (Inside Men), Jamie Winstone (Kidulthood), and David Morrissey (The Other Boleyn Girl).

The series explores love in the modern day and the many different dilemmas and situations along the way. Each story has links with the previous, either through connecting story lines or character connections and all have plenty of drama, heartbreak passion and some surprising outcomes.

The five stories that take place during the week-long serial include a married man whose life is turned upside down due to the reappearance of his first love, a school teacher who is drawn to a female pupil, a married woman who takes revenge on her cheating husband by starting an affair, a father unable to connect with his baby and a divorcee on a desperate search for new love.

David Morrissey as Adrian at Margate train station with the sign behind him

In 2011, Kent welcomed the crew and stars of True Love. The production based it self in Margate, the director Savage’s home town, and used many Thanet locations including Margate Beach and promenade, Margate High Street, train station, various hotels and bars and even Thanet District Council Offices. They also used the Turner Contemporary, as well as nearby Westgate-On-Sea, Cliftonville, Pegwell Bay, Botany Bay and Broadstairs.

Thanet has an astonishing 9 Blue Flag beaches and is a very popular filming location, due to its beautiful bustling seaside towns. It previously welcomed many TV and film productions, including Hancock and Joan (2008), Last Orders (2002) and a McDonald’s Happy Meal Commercial.

It is also home to the Turner Contemporary art gallery, adjacent to Margate harbour, which was built to contribute to the regeneration of the town and is fast becoming a highlight of the British visual arts scene. It also hosted the first public screening of the opening episode of True Love on 29^th March 2012.

True Love will air every night on BBC One at 22.25pm from Sunday 17th – Thursday 21st June 2012.

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

Kent's Premier Film Commission