French and Saunders – Pride and Prejudice (1996)

Posted on February 8, 1996 by Kent Film Office

French and Saunders - Pride and Prejudice screenshot at Finchcocks - actors dressed in period costume with the homeowners visible in the mirror

French and Saunders – Pride and Prejudice screenshot at Finchcocks © BBC

Written and starring: Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders

Production Company: BBC

Kent Locations: Finchcocks

French and Saunders is a BBC sketch comedy series written by and starring comic duo Dawn French (The Wrong Mans, Let Them Eat Cake, The Vicar of Dibley) and Jennifer Saunders (Absolutely Fabulous, Coraline, Shrek 2).

The show aired for seven series between 1987 and 2007 and became a fan favourite with its hilarious sketches including many film & TV spoofs with special guest stars and musical video parodies.

Series 5 episode 6, features the sketch “Behind the Scenes: A Classic in the Making” which is a satire about the filming of period TV dramas, in particular Pride and Prejudice and was filmed at Finchcocks in Kent.

French and Saunders – Pride and Prejudice screenshot at Finchcocks © BBC	French and Saunders – Pride and Prejudice screenshot at Finchcocks © BBC
French and Saunders – Pride and Prejudice screenshot at Finchcocks © BBC	French and Saunders – Pride and Prejudice screenshot at Finchcocks © BBC

Finchcocks is an early Georgian Manor in the Tunbridge Wells district of Kent and boasts a beautiful garden with extensive views over hop gardens and farmland, as well as being the home to an impressive collection of early instruments. The area has previously featured in Terry and Mason’s Great Food Trip (2015) and Hunted (2012).

The Kent episode of French and Saunders aired in 1996 and is now available to buy on DVD.

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

Birds of a Feather (1989-1998)

Posted on October 15, 1989 by Kent Film Office

Birds of a Feather cast members stood in front of a door having a conversation at a desk

Birds of a Feather – Dorien Green (Lesley Joseph), Sharon Theodopolopodos (Pauline Quirke) and Tracey Stubbs (Linda Robson) © BBC

Director: Nick Wood

Starring: Pauline Quirke, Linda Robson, Leslie Joseph, Alun Lewis, Peter Polycarpou

Production Company: Alomo Productions, SelecTV

Kent Locations used: Maidstone Prison

Birds of a Feather is a comedy series about two sisters, Sharon and Tracey Stubbs who move in together after both their husbands end up in jail following an armed robbery attempt.

Sharon has been struggling and her husband’s crime isn’t a surprise whereas Tracey has been living her dream life in Chigwell and is shell-shocked to find her beloved husband is a criminal.

The sisters must get used to their enforced new circumstances and deal with their husbands being in jail as well as their sex-mad neighbour Dorien Green.

Birds of a Feather was created by Laurence Marks (Goodnight Sweetheart, The Last Laugh), and stars Pauline Quirke (Broadchurch, Emmerdale), Linda Robson (Casualty, Crossroads), Leslie Joseph (Night & Day, Rumble), Alun Lewis (Emmerdale, Lexx), and Peter Polycarpou (Evita, EastEnders).

The long running BBC franchise finished after nine series in 1998. However, in 2013 it was revived with a tenth series for ITV, and an eleventh series has been commissioned.

HM Maidstone Prison was used to film the exterior prison scenes throughout the original series.

Maidstone lies on the River Medway and is the county town of Kent offering shopping areas and parks. It is close to many tourist attractions, such as Kent Life and Leeds Castle. The Maidstone Studios has hosted filming for TV productions such as Take Me Out (2010-2019).

Birds of A Feather was shown on the BBC between 1989-1998 and is now available to buy on DVD.

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

A Room With A View (1986)

Posted on April 5, 1986 by Kent Film Office

A Room with a View Movie Poster- Two characters on a balcony facing each other with rooftops behind them

A Room with a View Movie Poster © Goldcrest Films International

Directed by: James Ivory

Produced by: Ismail Merchant

Starring: Maggie Smith, Helena Bonham Carter, Judi Dench, Julian Sands, Daniel Day Lewis

Production Company: Goldcrest Films International, National Film Finance Corporation (NFFC), Curzon Film Distributors, Film Four International, Merchant Ivory Productions

Kent Filming Locations Used: Emmett’s Garden in Sevenoaks, Chiddingstone, Brasted.

Set in the early 1900’s, Lucy Honeychurch (Bonham Carter) embarks on her first trip to Florence chaperoned by her elderly spinster cousin Charlotte Bartlett (Maggie Smith). When Lucy meets eccentric George Emerson (Julian Sands), Charlotte fears that the two young people are becoming a little too familiar and beats a hasty return to England.

Once home, Lucy begins a courtship with the stoic Cecil Vyse (Daniel Day Lewis), a far cry from the free spirited George. However Lucy soon finds herself torn between duty to her fiancé and her love for George, who miraculously appears in her life once more.

A beautiful and romantic social comedy, this Merchant Ivory film showed audiences the beauty of the Kent Countryside, as they filmed at a private residence in Brasted to double as the Honeychurch’s family home.

Owned by the National Trust, Emmett’s Garden in Sevenoaks became the venue for Lucy and Cecil’s engagement party in the film. A beautiful location, Emmett’s Garden was created in the late 19^th Century and contains many exotic and rare trees and shrubs from around the world.

Also in Sevenoaks, the village of Chiddingstone featured in the film as the setting for Lucy and Cecil’s post engagement-party walk. Owned entirely by the National Trust, it is the perfect example of a Tudor one-street village where approximately over 70% of the buildings are at least 200 years old. In the scene you can also see St Mary’s Church in Chiddingstone which was built in the 13^th Century.

Sevenoaks is also home to the historic Hever Castle, childhood home to Anne Boleyn. The castle has featured in a number of productions, namely Inkheart (2008), Lady Jane (1986) and Anne of a Thousand Days (1969).

A Room With A View was released in cinemas in April 1986 and is now available to buy on DVD.

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

They Came from Somewhere Else (1984)

Posted on July 14, 1984 by Kent Film Office

Director: Jim Hill
Starring: Robin Driscoll, Tony Haase, Pete McCarthy, Rebecca Stevens
Production Company: Channel 4 Television Corporation, TVS Films
Kent Locations Used: Allington, Maidstone

They Came from Somewhere Else (1984) was a British sitcom which aired on Channel 4 in 1984. The series takes place in the fictional town of Middleford and follows friends Wendy, Colin and Martin as their dull lives are interrupted by the arrival of an American stranger, whose presence in the town seems to coincide with bizarre phenomena including raining liver, zombies and giant prawns in the sewers.

The six-part series was directed by Jim Hill (Boon, Playing for Real) and stars Robin Driscoll (Bean, Mr. Bean’s Holiday) as the Stranger, Tony Haase (Colin’s Sandwich, Mornin’ Sarge) as Martin, Pete McCarthy (Smith & Jones) as Colin and Rebecca Stevens (Postman Pat, Saturday Live) as Wendy.

Allington in Maidstone features throughout the series, doubling as the fictional town of Middleford. Various roads and green spaces were used for filming, as well as the Mid Kent Shopping Centre. The former Granada Cinema in Maidstone, now the Gala Bingo hall, appears in the final episode of the series in its former glory.

As the county town of Kent and seat of local governance, Maidstone plays an important part in Kent’s history. The River Medway runs through the town’s centre, linking it with other towns such as Rochester and Chatham. The town has many shops, restaurants, bars, churches and a museum. Other productions to have filmed there include Missing (2009-2010), Rustom (2016) and Season 2 of This Time with Alan Partridge (2021).

They Came from Somewhere Else (1984) aired on Channel 4 from Saturday 14^th July to Saturday 18^th August 1984. It was never released on DVD or on-demand due to copyright issues.

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

The Amorous Adventures of Moll Flanders (1965)

Posted on July 22, 1965 by Kent Film Office

The Amorous Adventures of Moll Flanders film poster- a man holding the hand of a women and whispering in her ear on a purple background- The Amorous Adventures of Moll Flanders is written in white

Director: Terence Young
Writer: Denis Cannan, Roland Kibbee based on Daniel Defoe’s novel “Moll Flanders”
Starring: Kim Novak, Richard Johnson, Angela Lansbury
Production Company: Winchester Productions
Locations used: Chilham, St Mary’s Church, Chilham Castle

Based on Daniel Defoe’s novel Moll Flanders, the 1965 adaptation titled The Amorous Adventures of Moll Flanders (1965) is set in the 18^th century and follows a young house maid who has many love affairs in the hope to reach the top of society.

The film is a comedy directed by Terence Young (Dr. No, Thunderball) and stars Kim Novak (The Mirror Crack’d (1980), Vertigo) as Moll Flanders alongside Richard Johnson (The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, The Haunting) and Angela Lansbury (Murder, She Wrote, Bedknobs and Broomsticks).

Chilham square doubles as the village where Moll grew up, Chilham Castle features as the Mayor’s House and St Mary’s Church is used for the scenes where Moll marries Younger Brother.

Chilham is a popular filming location renowned for its beautiful charm and stunning square with fifteenth century of black and white timbered buildings. Productions that have previously filmed in Chilham include Emma(2009) and Battle of Britain (1969).

The Amorous Adventures of Moll Flanders (1965) was released in the UK on Thursday 22nd July 1965 and is now available to purchase on DVD.

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

Kent's Premier Film Commission