Whitstable Pearl (2021-2022)

Kerry Godliman as restaurant owner Pearl Nolan is centre of the image wearing a green top and blue apron. She has blonde hair and behind her is a pebble beach with boats and fishing huts

Whitstable Pearl stars Kerry Godliman as restaurant owner Pearl Nolan © Acorn TV

Creator: Julie Wassmer
Starring: Kerry Godliman, Howard Charles, Sophia Del Pizzo, Frances Barber
Production Company: Buccaneer Media
Kent Locations Used: Whitstable, Canterbury, Faversham, Herne Bay, Margate, Ramsgate, Detling, Dover, Sevenoaks, Rochester

Based on the much loved series of novels ‘The Whitstable Pearl Mysteries’ by Kent resident Julie Wassmer (EastEnders, London’s Burning), Whitstable Pearl (2021-2022) is a detective series for Acorn TV. The story follows big-hearted local restaurant owner Pearl Nolan (Kerry Godliman) who sets up a local detective agency after undergoing police training in an earlier career. She is soon embroiled in her first case when she discovers the body of close friend, Vinnie. Pearl forms an unlikely partnership with DCI Mike McGuire (Howard Charles) and finds herself pulled into the dark underbelly of the picturesque town she calls home.

Whitstable Pearl was adapted for screen by Norwegian filmmaker Øystein Karlsen (One Night, Dag). Kerry Godliman (After Life, Call the Midwife (2012-2023)) headlines the show as Pearl Nolan alongside Howard Charles as DCI Mike McGuire (Shadow and Bone, Liar Series 2 (2020))and Frances Barber (Cold Feet, Queens of Mystery (2020-2021)) as Pearl’s mum Dolly.

A woman with red hair and a black hat (Frances Barber as Dolly) walks along the sea shore with a woman wearing a black coat carrying a box (Kerry Godliman as Pearl Nolan). In the distance is the shoreline with houses and a beach

Frances Barber as Pearl’s mother Dolly (left) and Kerry Godliman as Pearl Nolan © Mark Bourdillon / Acorn TV

For both Series 1 and 2, most of the filming took place in and around Whitstable itself, including scenes filmed by the coast at Whitstable Harbour, Whitstable Beach, Whitstable Yacht Club and Tankerton Beach. In Series 1, Whitstable High Street features and local shops were filmed including Iain’s Plaice (fish and chip restaurant) and art gallery Chappell Contemporary as Houlihan’s Hardware store. Other Whitstable businesses filmed for Series 1 include the Cemetery, Football Ground, MFA Bowl and Seaview Holiday Park, which features as the trailer park where Vinnie lives. Several private residences were used for filming, including Beacon House as Pearl’s House for Series 1, the exterior of The Ness as Mike’s Flat in Series 2 Episode 2, The Warehouse Cottages for the same episode, and various private residences on Island Wall for Series 2 Eps 1 and 2. Filming took place at The Old Neptune pub, which doubled as the Pearson’s Arms for both series. Whitstable train station also features briefly in Series 2 Ep 2 as Pearl trails a suspected cheating spouse.

The Kent Events Centre was used as a studio build location in Series 1 for interiors of Pearl’s seafood restaurant.

Meanwhile, Margate in Thanet features in both series with Margate Beach and The Walpole Hotel doubling for Whitstable seaside scenes in Series 1, Dreamland and the Nayland Rock Hotel featuring in Series 2 as a theme park and The Bradford Hotel. For Series 1, production also filmed at St Peter’s Roman Catholic Church on Canterbury Road in nearby Westgate-on-Sea. The Port of Ramsgate and Royal Harbour Marina double for the Port of Dover cruise terminal and Dover Marina in Series 1.

Dover features multiple times in Series 2, with locations such as The White Cliffs, Port of Dover, Lydden Spout Battery and Western Heights making an appearance in Episode 1, along with various nearby roads. The Citadel also appears in both series, doubling as a police station. The Citadel also features in Series 1 as a children’s home, and in Series 2 Episode 1 the location’s tunnels feature as the setting for the dramatic confrontation between Kruz Tomlin (Yaw Nimako-Asamoah) and his stepfather Leo (Oliver Walker).

For Series 2, production also visited various locations in Sevenoaks, including a private house which doubled as Dolly’s House, Stonepitts PYO Farm and the St Clere Estate which doubles as Zelda St John’s (Stephanie Beacham) mansion.

Rochester High Street in Medway appears in Series 2, with local businesses Baggin’s Book Bazaar, Kiss the Bride and a former Estate Agents featuring in Episodes 2 and 3.

Interior scenes for Series 1 were filmed at the former St Martin’s Hospital in Canterbury doubling as a police station and a hospital. Other filming locations for Series 1 include a field near Faversham at Belmont Park and private residence in Herne Bay.

Whitstable is a 16th century thriving seaside resort in Kent. Known for its native oysters, Whitstable boasts a working fishing harbour, shingle beach and busy high street. Recent productions to film in the town include The Great Pottery Throw Down – Series 3 (2020) and The Thames: Britain’s Great River With Tony Robinson (2019).

Beacon House is a colonial clapboard wooden turn of the century Beach House.  Set above beach on a private sea road, the grounds include wild woodland gardens and views out to sea and lines of beach huts. Catastrophe Series 4 (2019) filmed at this location.

The Kent Events Centre based in Detling is the largest, most flexible conference and exhibition venue in Kent, offering 7,000 sqm of indoor space available to film productions as studio space and 200 acres of outdoor space.

Margate is a traditional seaside town complete with sandy beach, harbour, amusement park, period housing and ultra-modern art gallery Turner Contemporary. The Walpole Hotel was built for discerning guests in 1914 and extended in 1927.  Built over 5 floors it has 42 Bedrooms, 2 flats and a newly added small museum space. Dreamland is considered to be the oldest-surviving amusement park in Great Britain, and has played host to a variety of productions, including Killing Eve (2018-2022), Two Weeks to Live (2020) and Jellyfish (2018). Located nearby, The Nayland Rock Hotel also featured in Killing Eve (2018-2022), as well as King of Thieves (2018).

Westgate-on-Sea is a charming Victorian town, steeped in Heritage with quaint shops and two fantastic blue flag beaches. Margate is popular as a film locations with recent productions including Two Weeks to Live (2020), Pandemonium (2020) and Top Boy (2019-2022).

The Port of Ramsgate offers 32 acres of dedicated Port Land including 3 modern Ro-Ro bridges and Water and bunker facilities on all berths. It is often used as ‘stand-in’ for the Port of Dover. Royal Harbour Marina offers 700 finger moorings set in a picturesque and historic harbour setting. Crime dramas to previously film at the Port of Ramsgate include The Tunnel: Vengeance (2017) and Baptiste (2019).

Dover houses the major port, connecting the UK with the European mainland. Dover Castle towers above the town, signalling Dover’s strategic importance in the defence of the country and the White Cliffs are one of the most recognised landmarks in Britain. Recent productions to have filmed in Dover include Pistol (2022), Rogue Agent (2022), and The Tunnel: Sabotage (2016).

The Citadel, located on Dover‘s Western Heights was constructed in the late 1700’s as a port of defence during the Napoleonic war. Most recently it has been used as a borstal, prison, and immigration detention centre up until its closure in 2015. It is now becoming popular as a filming location and has welcomed several productions over the past year – soon to broadcast.

The town of Sevenoaks has a varied landscape, featuring a bustling high street, stately homes and castles as well as beautiful countryside. Located in that countryside is the St Clere Estate, which offers stunning views of the North Downs, formal gardens, paddocks, a kitchen garden, orangery, green houses, and a temple by the lake. Built in 1630, it has some fine architectural examples of the Caroline era. It has recently played host to a variety of productions including The Great (2020-2023), Gangs of London (2020-2022) and The Third Day (2020).

Rochester is a city with the feel of a medieval market town, including a cathedral, castle ruin and unspoilt high street by the River Medway. Other productions to have filmed in Rochester include Unforgotten (2021), Jekyll and Hyde (2015) and The Mystery of Edwin Drood (2012).

Herne Bay is a coastal resort popular for filming along the Kent coast. Kate & Koji (2020-2022) is a recent production to film here. Faversham is a beautiful historic market town set on Faversham Creek. TV productions to film in the area include Hetty Feather Series 1 – 6 (2015 – 2020) and Celebrity Antiques Road Show – Series 8 (2018).

St Martin’s Hospital is a large building on the outskirts of busy Canterbury town centre. It has hosted filming for crime drama The Tunnel: Sabotage (2016) and The Tunnel: Vengeance (2017).

Series 1 of Whitstable Pearl was released on Acorn TV on Monday 24th May 2021.

Whitstable Pearl Series 2 will be released as a box set on Acorn TV on Monday 28th November 2022.

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


Paani Ch Madhaani (2021)

A couple stands in the middle of a city street in front of a blue VW campervan. Both stare lovingly at each other. The woman is wearing long flowy orange trousers, a long white and orange speckled top with the sleeves rolled up, a white knitted vest, a pair of brown slip-on shoes and an orange headscarf. She is holding a bunch of red roses and has a brown and white bag on her arm. The man has mid-length brown hair brushed away from his face and tidy facial hair. He wears a brown tweed vintage style jacket with a dark green checked shirt underneath, baggy light brown trousers and brown shoes. He is holding a wooden rectangular instrument case. The Title Paani Ch Madhaani is written across the bottom third of the movie poster.

Paani Ch Madhaani Film Poster © Dara Films Entertainment

Director: Vijay Kumar Arora
Starring: Neeru Bajwa, Gippy Grewal, Rene Costa
Production Company: Dara Films Entertainment
Kent Locations Used: Canterbury, Herne Bay, Ramsgate Marina

Paani Ch Madhaani (2021) follows the story of Gulli (Gippy Grewal), a rising star in the music world in 1980, who is waiting for his big break. Eventually, Gulli decides that the secret to success is becoming a duo and teams up with another singer, Gazal (Neeru Bajwa). The film follows the ups, downs and hardships of trying to make it in the business, and a burgeoning friendship that may turn into romance.

The rom-com was directed by Vijay Kumar Arora (Prince’s Son, A Flying Jatt) and stars Neeru Bajwa (Munda Hi Chahida, Shaada), Gippy Grewal (Daaka, Ardaas Karaan)  and Rene Costa (Holby City, Jawaani Jaaneman).

During filming, production visited Herne Bay, Canterbury, and Ramsgate Marina.

Scenes at Herne Bay include shots of the Clock Tower, Pier and Central Parade. Herne Bay is a coastal seaside town near Canterbury and is known for its 2-mile-long coastline, colourful beach huts, promenade, pier, and historical bandstand. Many productions have filmed here before including High End Yaariyaan (2019) and Two Weeks to Live (2020).

Production filmed a romantic song at Ramsgate Marina. Ramsgate is a thriving seaside town with beautiful Victorian terraced housing, a Marina, Port and Promenade. It often doubles for period London streets. Productions such as The Flood (2019) and Juliet, Naked (2018) have previously filmed here.

Scenes were also filmed in Canterbury City Centre. Canterbury is a historic cathedral city; the Cathedral is amongst the oldest in England. The city is a popular tourist destination which boasts a modern shopping complex with many restaurants and bars. Canterbury Prison is a popular filming location, with recent productions including Break (2020) and Avengement (2019).

Paani Ch Madhaani was released in select UK cinemas on Friday 5th November 2021.

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


Sex Education Series 3 (2021)

Three actors pose in character outside a school. The background shows a building to the left and some trees. The two actors left and centre are dressed in colourful clothing and the actor on the right wears black and grey.

Sex Education Series 3 (2021) – Aimee Lou Wood, Emma Mackey and Chris Jenks in Episode 1 © Netflix

Writer: Laurie Nunn
Director: Ben Taylor
Starring: Asa Butterfield, Gillian Anderson, Ncuti Gatwa
Production Company: Eleven
Kent Locations Used: Shorncliffe Military Cemetery,  The Hawthorne Trench, Folkestone Harbour Arm

Sex Education (2021) is a TV comedy series about teenage boy Otis Milburn (Asa Butterfield (MerlinAshes to Ashes) with a sex therapist mother (Gillian Anderson (The Crown Series 1 – 6 (2016-2022), The Great (2020-2023)), who teams up with high school classmate Eric Effiong (Ncuti Gatwa (Stonemouth, Bob Servant)) to set up an underground sex therapy clinic at school.

Produced by Eleven for Netflix, the series was written by Laurie Nunn (Pregnant PauseRadiance) and directed by Ben Taylor (Year of the Rabbit (2019), Cockroaches). Series 3 starts with a slightly more grown up, sassier Otis. He is joined by three new characters; Jemima Kirke (Maniac, Girls) playing new headmistress Hope, Jason Isaacs (Harry Potter series, The Patriot) playing Peter Groff and songwriter Dua Saleh, in their acting debut as Cal, a nonbinary student.

During filming, production visited Shorncliffe Military Cemetery in Sandgate which doubles as a WWII cemetery in France in Episode 5, and The Hawthorne Trench near Canterbury which doubles as a WWII trench experience in France in the same episode. Production also visited the Harbour Arm in Folkestone Harbour to film a scene for Episode 7 with Maeve (Emma Mackey) and Aimee (Aimee Lou Wood) reuniting with Maeve’s younger sister. Sandgate is a village in the Folkestone and Hythe district of Kent, it has a pebble beach, two castles and Martello Towers. A recent TV drama filmed in the area which is due to air in 2022.

Hawthorne Trench, located in Elham near Canterbury, is an area of recreated World War One trench systems which totals over 250 metres. Currently the Trench consists of an Officers’ dugout, regimental aid posts, cookhouses, railway systems, latrines as well as front and second line which is connected by communication trenches. The trench is located on a 25-acre field with nearby woodland which can also be used for filming.

Folkestone is a seaside town with an elegant clifftop promenade, a coastal park, fishing harbour and Victorian cliff-top lifts. Folkestone Harbour is a popular filming location, recent TV dramas to film here include Back to Life Series 1-2 (2019-2021) and Pistol (2022).

Series 3 of Sex Education was released on Netflix on Friday 17th September 2021.

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


Jagame Thandhiram (2021)

Actor Dhanush with brown hair and a beard is shown flipping a pancake in a kitchen, wearing a red shirt. The movie title Jagame Thandhiram and ‘coming soon’ Netflix is printed on a black background to the right of the actor.

Dhanush in Jagame Thandhiram (2021) © IMDb

Writer: Nick Bain
Director: Karthik Subbaraj
Starring: James Cosmo, Dhanush, Aishwarya Lekshmi
Production Company: Reliance Entertainment
Kent Locations Used: Faversham, Chillenden Windmill, Herne Bay, Knowlton Court, Ramsgate

Jagame Thandhiram (2021) is a Tamil action thriller about an Indian gangster who is hired by a UK gang to take down their competition. When he betrays their trust, however, the gang seeks revenge.

The film was written by Nick Bain (The Man Who Knew Infinity, The Boabab Boys) and directed by Karthik Subbaraj (Petta, Jigarthanda).

The cast is led by Dhanush (Vada Chennai, Raanjhanaa) as the Indian gangster Suruli, and is supported by Aishwarya Lekshmi (Varathan, Mayaanadhi) as Attila his love interest, and Game of Thrones actor James Cosmo (Highlander, His Dark Materials) as Peter Sprott, the leader of the UK gang.

The production filmed several day and night scenes in the centre of Faversham where they converted various shops, set up a street market and staged a large dance sequence. Production also filmed at Iron Wharf in Faversham, which doubles as a boatyard for a scene where the two rival gangs fight and Suruli kills Rajan (Muthukumar).  The exterior of St Mary of Charity church in Faversham is where Suruli tells Attila that he loves her.

Driving scenes were staged around Chillenden Windmill near Canterbury, including a snowy scene on Goodnestone Road where Suruli’s gang kill the opposing gang members and capture John (Roman Fiori).

Herne Bay Pier, Neptune Arm and the Promenade provided the location for a wedding scene, and The King’s Hall doubles as the bar where the two rival gangs have their first battle and Sivadoss’ (Joju George) gang is slain.

Filming also took place at Knowlton Court country estate near Canterbury in both the house and on estate lands., which doubles in the film for Peter Sprott’s manor house. The Church at Knowlton Court features in a funeral dance scene.

Ramsgate also features in the film. A house on Belle Alliance Square doubles as Attila’s house which Peter’s gang shoot at in order to bribe Suruli to go to Birmingham to carry out a job. The Port of Ramsgate doubles as a Marina where Peter’s gang plan a raid, and the opening scene of the film features a refugee boat being captured in the English Channel, which was filmed just off the coast.

Faversham is a beautiful historic market town in the Swale Borough of Kent. The historic town boasts over 500 listed buildings. Previous productions in the town include Bollywood film Pagalpanti (2019) and Walks With My Dog (2017).

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 The 1900 Island – Series 1 (2019) and Blue Planet UK – Series 1 (2019).

Chillenden Windmill is a Grade ll listed building and distinctive local landmark, standing on an exposed site at Goodnestone, Dover. The windmill is on high open ground with fine views to Knowlton Court to the east and Ramsgate to the north. It is also situated on a circular walk taking in Chillenden, Rowling and Goodnestone.

Knowlton Court is a much-loved family home within a stunning and extensive country estate of over 1,900 acres nestled in the heart of Kent. Described as a ‘timeless work of Tudor history’, Knowlton was built in 1585 and has sweeping tree-lined driveway and seven holiday cottages. The Tunnel: Sabotage (2016) filmed here and the main hall is now available for weddings and events.

Ramsgate, located in the district of Thanet, is a thriving seaside town with beautiful Georgian terraced housing, Marina, Port and Promenade. Previous TV productions which filmed here include Baptiste (2019) and The Tunnel: Vengeance (2017).

Jagame Thandhiram will be released on Netflix on Friday 18th June 2021.

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


Small Axe (2020)

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, 12 Years a Slave) 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 Jamaican 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, Avengers: Infinity War), John Boyega (Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens), Rochenda Sandall ((Line of Duty, Black Mirror: Bandersnatch), Malachi Kirby (Curfew, Devils) and Joshua Viner (The Nutcracker and the Four Realms).

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 Sunday 15th November 2020 on BBC One.

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


Break (2020)

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 (2020) 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 Wednesday 22nd July 2020.

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


Walking Britain’s Roman Roads (2020)

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)

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
Production Company: Boundless West
Kent Locations Used: Canterbury, Maidstone, Chartwell House in Westerham

Great British Railway Journeys (2010-) 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 6:30pm on Monday 20th January 2020.

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


The Capture (2019)

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 GrindelwaldAssassin’s Creed). Ralph Ineson (The Witch, Guardians of the Galaxy), Famke Janssen (GoldenEye, 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)

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 (2018-) 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 Eastbridge 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 18th May 2019 at 8pm and will air on a weekly basis.

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