Small Axe (2020)

Posted on November 9, 2020 by Kent Film Office

Actor Sheyi Cole as Alex Wheatle in a prison scene wearing blue overalls carrying a pile of clothing. Behind him is the prison metal stair case and walkways.

Small Axe (2020) Alex Wheatle – Sheyi Cole as Alex Wheatle in a scene filmed at Canterbury Prison doubling as a London prison © Steve McQueen

Starring: Sheyi Cole, Robbie Gee

Production Company: Amazon Studios for BBC

Kent Locations Used: Canterbury Prison

Oscar-winning writer and director Steve McQueen (Widows (2018), 12 Years a Slave (2013)) brings a new series Small Axe to BBC One with six one hour-long anthologies about London’s West Indian community spanning three decades.

The name of the series is derived from the Jamacian proverb ‘if you are the big tree, we are the small axe’ (Bob Marley) and focuses on the lives of a group of friends and their families living in West London from 1968 to 2014 and has a stellar cast featuring Letitia Wright (Black Panther (2018), Avengers: Infinity War (2018)), John Boyega (Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens (2015)), Rochenda Sandall ((Line of Duty (2012), Black Mirror: Bandersnatch (2018)), Malachi Kirby (Curfew (2019), Devils (2019)) and Joshua Viner (The Nutcracker and the Four Realms (2018)).

Small Axe: Alex Wheatle, partly filmed in Kent, stars Sheyi Cole (Made in Hollywood) as award-winning writer Alex Wheatle and tells his story from a young boy, in a mostly white institutional care home with no love or family, to his home in Brixton where he finds a sense of community and discovers his identity. Small Axe: Alex Wheatle follows Alex’s story leading up to the Brixton Uprising in 1981, his imprisonment and journey to recovery. The prison scenes portray the growing relationship between Alex and his cellmate Simeon (Robbie Gee (Motherland) who encourages him to turn his life around through self-education by reading and writing.

Production visited Canterbury Prison to shoot for two days for the episode. Canterbury Prison was sold to Canterbury Christ Church University in 2014 and is now part of the university campus. Most recently BBC TV Drama The Capture (2019) filmed at the Prison. The surrounding area of Canterbury is also popular for filming with previous productions including The Rizen (2017) and The Tunnel: Sabotage (2016).

The six-part series is due to air on 15th November 2020 on BBC One.

Links:

For more information about filming in Kent please contact: filmoffice@kent.gov.uk

For more information on the series please visit: https://www.radiotimes.com/news/2019-09-17/small-axe-bbc1-steve-mcqueen-drama-air-date-cast-trailer/

For more information about the conversion of Canterbury Prison visit: https://canterbury.ac.uk/about-us/estate-master-plan/prison-conversion.aspx

For more information about Kent’s Filming History please visit our Movie Map: https://kentfilmoffice.co.uk/kent-movie-map/moviemap-live-2/

Break (2020)

Posted on July 22, 2020 by Kent Film Office

Film poster for Break- a grey haired man in a beige hat and black top is in the centre of the image holding a gun up to the ceiling, behind him is a montage of 5 other characters from the film, all with concerned and moody faces. The images are on top of a city skyline at night. The title Break is written in the centre

Break Movie Poser- © Break Films

Writer: Michael Elkin
Director: Michael Elkin
Starring: Sam Gittins, Jamie Foreman, Adam Deacon, Terri Dwyer, David Yip, Rutger Hauer, Sophie Stevens, Luke Mably
Production Company: Break Films, Scanner-Rhodes Productions
Kent Locations Used: Canterbury Prison

A young, talented snooker player caught up in the world of serious crime when a local gangster and veteran pool champion from China offers him the opportunity to break free, realise his potential and become more than he ever thought he could be.

Break is directed and written by Michael Elkin (Banshee, Aux) and stars Sam Gittins (The Smoke, EastEnders), Jamie Foreman (Layer Cake, Inkheart), Adam Deacon (Babylon (2014), The Bromley Boys), Terri Dwyer (Hollyoaks, Age of Kill), David Yip (Indiana Jones, A View to a Kill), Rutger Hauer (True Blood, Batman Begins), Sophie Stevens (The Haunted, The Black Prince), Luke Mably (Combat Hospital, Exam).

Production filmed at Canterbury Prison which has previously featured in The Capture (2019) and Avengement (2019). The prison was active until March 2013 and later purchased by Canterbury Christ Church University to extend the nearby campus

Break was released on the 22nd July 2020.

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

Walking Britain’s Roman Roads (2020)

Posted on June 24, 2020 by Kent Film Office

Presenter Dan Jones looking at the camera with a Roman road behind him.

Presenter Dan Jones in Walking Britain’s Roman Roads- Copyright Rumpus Media

Presenter: Dan Jones
Production Company: Rumpus Media
Kent Locations Used: Canterbury & Pegwell Bay Beach

Walking Britain’s Roman Roads is a six-part series that follows historian and presenter Dan Jones (London: 2000 Years of History, Building Britain’s Canals) as he walks six of Britain’s Roman roads, exploring the different cultures that emerged along these routes. Episode one begins with the country’s oldest and longest road, running from the Kent Coast to Shropshire.

Production visited Pegwell Bay and Watling Street in Canterbury during filming for the Kent episode.

Pegwell Bay is the shallow estuary on the north bank of the River Stour between Ramsgate and Sandwich in Kent. It is home to a large stretch of sea cliffs, a nature reserve, mudflats and salt marshes. Productions such as Britain at Low Tide – Series 3 (2019) and River Walks (2018) have previously made use of the beautiful bay.

Canterbury is a historic cathedral city; many of its original historical structures remain, including the cathedral and section of the city wall. The city is a popular tourist destination and a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site. Canterbury Tales (2003) and Great British Railway Journeys Series 11 (2020) have previously filmed here.

Walking Britain’s Roman Roads starts on 5 Select on Wednesday 1st July at 9pm.

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

Great British Railway Journeys Series 11 (2020)

Posted on January 14, 2020 by Kent Film Office

Michael Portillo standing on a train platform with tracks in the background, wearing a blue top and pink blazer. He's smiling at the camera holding a book.

Michael Portillo in Great British Railway Journeys Series 11 © BBC

Director: Titus Ogilvy
Starring: Michael Portillo
Executive Producer: John Comerford
Production Company: Boundless West
Kent Locations Used: Canterbury, Maidstone, Chartwell House in Westerham

Great British Railway Journeys is a documentary series in which Michael Portillo travels the length and breadth of the country by train referring to his 1930s Bradshaw’s Guide stopping at places of interest.

Produced by Boundless West for the BBC, the episode is directed by Titus Ogilvy with John Comerford as Executive Producer.

In episode 11 Michael Portillo takes a journey from Canterbury to Alexandra Palace exploring the east of England in the inter-war period. Beginning in Canterbury, Michael treads the boards as he uncovers the political message behind a play published in 1936 ABOUT the 12th-century murder of Archbishop Thomas Becket.

In Maidstone, Michael learns of the international origins of the most British symbol of remembrance at the Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal before paying his respects at a war memorial based on London’s Cenotaph.

Michael stopped off in Sevenoaks and travelled to nearby Westerham where he visited the country home of one of his political heroes, Sir Winston Churchill and discovers how the 1930s were wilderness years at Chartwell.

Canterbury is a vibrant City that offers a variety of locations ranging from the modern day city, parks and open spaces, historic streets and the world heritage site of Canterbury Cathedral. Canterbury is a popular filming location and has previously been used as a location for filming for Britain’s Christmas Story (2019) and Britain’s Great Cathedrals with Tony Robinson (2018).

As the county town of Kent Maidstone plays an important part in Kent’s history. The River Medway runs though the town centre linking it with other towns such as Rochester and Chatham. The Borough of Maidstone is a popular town for filming, previous productions include Celebrity Antiques Road Show – Series 8 (2018) and popular Netflix show Black Mirror.

Chartwell House, Churchill’s former home. Set in delightful gardens, Chartwell is a National Trust property in Westerham, just outside Sevenoaks, and the rooms remain much as they were when Churchill lived there. Chartwell has previously been used as a film location by productions such as Flog It! (2014) and feature film Darkest Hour (2018).

Episode 11 Canterbury to Alexandra Palace airs on BBC Two at 630pm on Monday 20th January 2020.

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

The Capture (2019)

Posted on September 2, 2019 by Kent Film Office

A female detective wearing a suit standing at a desk with big screens behind her showing a fugitive and CCTV footage.

The Capture ©IMDb

Writer: Ben Chanan
Director: Ben Chanan
Starring: Holliday Grainger, Callum Turner, Ralph Ineson, Famke Janssen, Ron Perlman.
Production Companies: BBC One, Heyday Television, NBCUniversal International Studios
Kent Locations Used: Canterbury Prison

Sean Emery (Callum Turner) returns to take care of his daughter after being wrongly imprisoned in Afghanistan on murder charges. However, his life is once again turned upside down when new CCTV footage emerges which seems to suggest incriminating evidence. DI Rachel Carey (Holliday Grainger) is determined to get to the bottom of the story and soon discovers the truth may not be all that it seems.

Written and directed by Ben Chanan (Cyberbully, Our World War), this gripping six-part drama with a focus on technology stars Holliday Grainger (Cinderella, The Finest Hours) as DI Rachel Carey and Sean Emery is played by Callum Turner (Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, Writer’s Room, Assassin’s Creed). Ralph Ineson (The Witch, Guardians of the Galaxy), Famke Janssen (GoldenEye, House on Haunted Hill, X-Men) and Ron Perlman (Hellboy, Sons of Anarchy) also star.

Production visited Canterbury Prison to shoot for two days in 2018.

Canterbury Prison was sold to Canterbury Christ Church University in 2014 and is now part of the university campus. The surrounding area of Canterbury has had a few films created in the area, including The Tunnel: Sabotage (2016) and The Rizen (2017).

Episode One of The Capture will air on Tuesday 3rd September 2019 on BBC One at 9pm.

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

Britain’s Most Historic Towns – Series 2 (2019)

Posted on May 15, 2019 by Kent Film Office

Presenter Alice Roberts wearing a pink top and headband seen driving a green tractor in a field in Dover, Kent.

Alice Roberts exploring Dover, Kent ©Channel 4 Television

Starring: Alice Roberts

Production Company: IWC Media and Channel 4 Television

Kent Locations Used: Canterbury and Dover

Documentary series Britain’s Most Historic Towns returns this week, where presenter Alice Roberts (Digging for Britain) explores the UK’s past, by focusing on six key eras as she travels to different towns which best illustrate each of these.

Episode one of the second series kicks off in Kent, where Alice examines Britain in wartime by looking at the coastal town of Dover.

In addition to this, production also visited the historical city of Canterbury, as well as Canterbury Castle, St Augustine’s Abbey, Blean Forest and East Bridge Hospital.

Dover is the site of the famous The White Cliffs of Dover and has been used in previous productions such as The Lost Commando Raid (2018) and Celebrity Antiques Road Show – Series 8 (2018).

Canterbury is a popular filming location and has hosted a variety of filming, such as the productions for River Walks (2018) and Britain’s Great Cathedrals with Tony Robinson (2018).

Presenter Alice Roberts sitting by the river in Canterbury.

Presenter Alice Roberts exploring Canterbury ©IWC Media

Britain’s Most Historic Towns Series 2 is due to air on Channel 4 on Saturday 18^th May 2019 at 8pm and will air on a weekly basis.

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

James Martin’s Great British Adventure (2019)

Posted on February 8, 2019 by Kent Film Office

James Martin pictured in a black jumper standing next to a red mini car as he leans on it. Grass and trees are in the background.

James Martin’s Great British Adventure Series ©ITV

Starring: James Martin
Production Company: ITV Studios
Kent Locations Used: Folkestone, Canterbury

The ITV series James Martin’s Great British Adventure stars James Martin (Saturday Kitchen) and follows his journey around the UK. Guests of the series include Nick Nairn, Tom Kitchin, Lisa Allen and Paul Rankin while talking to the locals and cooking food with them.

James’ culinary tour also takes him to the county of Kent, where he meets up with local chef and restaurateur Mark Sargeant, owner of the Rocksalt. The series also sees further cooking taking place with James cooking two recipes at Folkestone’s Harbour Arm . Folkestone is a popular filming location, some examples include Come Dine With Me (2012) and The Hotel Inspector (2018).

Additionally, production visited the Kentish Pip Cider Farm in Canterbury for some further filming. The City of Canterbury remains one of the largest tourism centres in England, known for its cobbled streets and wealth of historic buildings. Previous productions which filmed here were Terry and Mason’s Great Food Trip (2015) and A Taste of Britain (2014).

The series consists of twenty episodes, with one episode shown per day. The first episode can be seen on ITV on Saturday 9^th February 2019 at 2pm. The Kent episode will be episode 16 airing on Sunday 24th February 2019.

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

River Walks (2018)

Posted on December 7, 2018 by Kent Film Office

Presenter: JB Gill

Production Company:

Kent Locations Used: Godinton, Canterbury, Pegwell Bay

River Walks, a new BBC series, will showcase eleven spectacular walking routes across England, broadcast parallel in the Regions. Each episode will reveal how the waterways have shaped the local landscape, history and culture, with celebrity guests suggesting routes for picturesque walks.

Presenting the Southeast episode will be JB Gill (Down on the Farm, Songs of Praise). Other famous faces to explore England’s scenic riverbanks include Rachel Johnson and her father Stanley Johnson (I’m A Celebrity… 2017), as well as broadcaster Stuart Maconie and actress Shobna Gulati (Coronation Street).

The series includes a walk along the Kentish Stour, starting at its source in Godinton in the district of Ashford and following it through the historic city of Canterbury and ending at Pegwell Bay in Thanet.

Previous filming that has taken place across the Stour Valley includes Country File (2012) which filmed in Ashford, Britain’s Great Cathedrals with Tony Robinson (2018) in Canterbury, and Fantasy Homes By the Sea (2018) in Thanet.

River Walks starts on BBC One South East Channel on Monday 10^th December at 7:30pm.

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

Celebrity Antiques Road Show – Series 8 (2018)

Posted on November 5, 2018 by Kent Film Office

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

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 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 (20018) 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).

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

Britain’s Great Cathedrals with Tony Robinson (2018)

Posted on May 14, 2018 by Kent Film Office

Director: Tom Cunningham and Mark Williams

Starring: Tony Robinson

Production Company: Channel 5

Kent Locations Used: Canterbury Cathedral and Town

The brand new series Britain’s Great Cathedrals is presented by actor and history enthusiast Tony Robinson (Walking Through History, Time Team, Tony Robinson’s Time Travels). The series examines six monumental British cathedrals and explores their history. In episode two the production visits Canterbury and the beautiful Canterbury Cathedral, seat of the Church of England.

Canterbury is a popular filming location and has previously been used as a location for filming for BBC Bargain Hunt and Time Team Special.

The series can be seen on Channel 5 every Friday at 8pm and Episode 2 featuring Canterbury Cathedral is available on My5.

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

Kent's Premier Film Commission