Creator: Guy Ritchie Starring: Theo James, Kaya Scodelario, Daniel Ings, Joely Richardson
Production Company: Miramax Television, Moonage Pictures, Toff Guy Films
Kent Locations Used: Detling Diner, Maidstone, Ashford Cattle Market
Based on the 2019 film of the same name, The Gentlemen (2024) is an eight-part crime-drama series for Netflix. After the death of his father, Eddie Halstead inherits a large estate, unaware it is the front for a drug empire. With no experience in the criminal underworld, Eddie must take over the operation or lose everything.
With high-speed connections to London, Ashford is a busy market town with a bustling town centre that boasts two shopping malls, vibrant cafés and pubs and a partly pedestrianised high street. The Thompsons (2012) also filmed in Ashford.
The Gentlemen (2024) will be released on Netflix on Thursday 7th March 2024.
Writer: Suzanne Cowie, Alice Hunter (novel)
Starring: Annabel Scholey, Jack Farthing, Luke Treadaway,
Production Company: BlackBox Multimedia, Clapperboard Studios
Kent Locations Used: Folkestone, Folkestone Harbour, The Warren Country Park, Saltwood, Sandgate, The Breaker’s Beach House, Knowlton Court, Abbot’s Cliff, South Foreland Lighthouse, The White Cliffs of Dover
Set in an idyllic English town, The Serial Killer’s Wife (2023) follows Beth Fairchild as her life is turned upside-down when her husband is arrested for murder. Initially believing him to be innocent, Beth soon discovers that her husband may not be who she thought he was.
Filming also took place in the nearby village of Saltwood. A private house features as Adam’s house and the Hide and Fox Restaurant doubles as Beth’s café.
Knowlton Court in Canterbury features as the home of Beth and Tom throughout the series. Additionally, roads on the estate were used for scenes of police cars speeding along, the woodland was used for the opening scene of a woman jogging, and the Church features in Episode 4 in a wedding scene.
Folkestone is a seaside town with elegant clifftop promenade, lower coastal park, fishing harbour and Victorian cliff-top lifts. It is a popular filming location, with recent productions to film there including Who Is Erin Carter? (2023), Pistol (2022) and The Fight (2019).
Saltwood is located immediately to the north of Hythe on the high land looking over the Romney Marsh and surrounded by farm land. The parish includes Sandling which has a railway station on the mainline to London. It is the location of Saltwood Castle, once the home of MP Alan Clark and Sandling Park, a large estate which stretches around the village up to its second hamlet, Pedlinge. Previous productions that filmed in Saltwood Castle were The Alan Clark Diaries (2004) and My Week with Marilyn (2011).
The Breakers is a beach house in Sandgate. Set over three floors, the house has a terrace and two balconies offering uninterrupted sea views and direct access to the beach. Nestled between Folkestone and Hythe, the village of Sandgate has a shingle beach offering views over the Channel and a high street with antique shops, inns and restaurants.
A Victorian lighthouse on the White Cliffs of Dover, South Foreland Lighthouse was the first lighthouse powered by electricity and the site of the first international radio transmission. Managed by the National Trust, the site has previously played host to Rogue Agent (2022), Rustom (2016) and Mr Selfridge (2013-2016).
Creators: Gareth Evans, Matt Flannery Starring: Narges Rashidi, Joe Cole, Lucian Msamati, Paapa Essiedu, Sope Dirisu Production Company: Pulse Films Kent Locations Used: St Clere Estate near Sevenoaks, Dartford
Gangs of London (2020-2022) tells the story of a city torn apart by power struggles, and the sudden vacuum that arises when Finn Wallace, the head of London’s most notorious crime family, played by Colm Meaney (Tolkien), is assassinated. Season 2 picks up one year after the death of Sean Wallace (Joe Cole), head of the Wallace Organisation, an event which forces rival gangs and sworn enemies to join together to fight against a new order.
During filming of Season 1, production visited St Clere Estate in Sevenoaks to stage a Traveller site, and the Dartford Marshes featured as the landing spot for a drug delivery by a group of Turkish gang members. A short driving scene was also filmed on Pilgrim’s Way in Dartford.
Production revisited the Dartford Marshes for Series 2, where they filmed a weapons shipment arriving on the shore of the River Thames in Episode 7, and a dramatic fight scene in Episode 8 between Elliot (Sope Dirisu) and Sean (Joe Cole) that decides who will take over London.
Dartford has a rich industrial heritage and boasts one of the largest shopping centres in Europe: Bluewater. The Dartford Marshes border the River Thames, and the area is a popular film location with recent productions to film here including The Corrupted (2019) and Trigger Point (2022).
Season 1 of Gangs of London was released on Sky Atlantic and NOW TV on Thursday 23rd April 2020.
Season 2 of Gangs of Londonwill be available to stream on Sky Atlantic and NOW TV from Thursday 20th October 2022.
Writer: Kal Bonner, Steve Crowhurst Director: Steve Crowhurst Starring: Michael Socha, Zoë Tapper, Rocci Williams, Paul Connolly Production Company: Screenbound International Pictures Kent Locations Used: Cliffe Woods, Deal, Higham and Gravesend
Paul Connolly (Michael Socha (Papillon (I)) recalls his harrowing childhood growing up in a children’s home following a police investigation into his boyhood friend’s suicide. As Paul struggles to build a relationship with Anthea (Zoë Tapper (Mr Selfridge (2013-2016)), he is forced to confront those responsible for his shattered childhood and the death of his friend.
Part of the production was filmed in Cliffe Woods, on some private farmland and in an alleyway off Battlesmere Road. Deal seafront and Mario’s Fish Bar features when Paul (Michael Socha) and Anthea (Zoë Tapper) go on a day out by the sea. Hive Lane in Gravesend features in a brief night scene, doubling for London, and Gravesend Road in Higham briefly features in a scene where Paul calls Malkie (David Spinx) from a phone box.
Cliffe is a small village located on the Hoo Peninsula and has close links to the larger Medway area.
Deal is a popular seaside town with a perfect mix of historical and modern spots, from the Tudor artillery castle and fascinating smuggling history to the modern, stylish cafes, bars, restaurants and shops and the beautiful pier stretching out onto the east coast. This coastal hotspot has been seen in TV dramas such as Liar (2017-2020) and Baptiste (2019).
Gravesend continues to prove popular with its maritime links and its diverse communities which offer visitors a blend of culture and history all in one place. It has the beautiful Guru Nanak Darbar Gurdwara Sikh temple, Borough Market, the Woodville Theatre and the oldest remaining cast-iron pier in the world. The town has featured in Black Mirror (Season 5 – Smithereens (2019)and Top Boy (2019-2022)
Big Boys Don’t Cry will be debuting at a special charity screening at Everyman cinema Chelmsford on Monday 5th September 2022, and will be available to stream on Netflix soon afterwards.
Directors: Ian Emes, Theresa Varga, Jamie Magnus Stone Starring: Julie Graham, Siobhan Redmond, Sarah Woodward and Olivia Vinall (Series 1), Florence Hall (Series 2) Production Company: Sly Fox Productions Limited Kent Locations Used: Farningham, Cranbrook, Smarden, Lympne Castle, Woodchurch Windmill
Production visited several locations in Farningham for the hero village of Wildemarsh. Beth’s cottage, which features throughout Series 1 and 2, was filmed on the Mill Estate. In Series 2, the exterior of the doctor’s surgery as well as of Victoria Durrell’s (Selina Griffiths) and Henry Wade’s (Aki Omoshaybi) houses and Rachel’s Papers shop were also filmed on the Mill Estate. Wadard Books on the High Street doubles as the Murder Ink bookshop and Jane’s house. Farningham Village Store also features as Wildemarsh Village store and the entrance to The Corn Exchange Theatre in Series 1. Farningham has previously been used as a filming location for Flesh and Blood (2020).
In the Death By Vinyl episode in Series 1, Stoneydale craft shop in Cranbrook was converted into the The Sound and Fury record shop in Wildemarsh. Cranbrook also features as the High Street throughout both series. In the Series 2 episode Sparring with Death, Part 1, St Dunstan’s Church and graveyard in Cranbrook feature when Matilda and Beth visit the grave of Beth’s husband.
St Michael’s Churchyard in Smarden was used as the Wildemarsh churchyard, and a private residence in Water Lane featured as the village’s Embittered Hack Pub in Series 1. Productions that previously filmed in Smarden include The Mirror Crack’d (1980).
Woodchurch Windmill in Ashford features as the exterior of Wildemarsh Windmill throughout both series. The view from the mill to the village below also features throughout.
Series 1 launched on 29th April 2020 on Acorn TV and can be found here.
Series 2 of Queens of Mystery was released on AcornTV on Monday 29th November 2021.
Writer: Emilio di Giralmo Director: Niall MacCormick Starring: Niamh Algar; Karl Farrer, Paul O’Kelly Production Company: Story Films Kent Locations Used: Canterbury Prison, Shellness Beach and Huts
Deceit (2021) is a powerful new TV drama based on the real-life events surrounding the investigation into the murder of Rachel Nickell on Wimbledon Common in 1992, in which Lizzie James, an undercover police officer, is tasked with baiting a suspected serial killer.
The production visited Canterbury Prison and Shellness Beach during filming of the four-part miniseries for Channel 4. Shellness Beach has an area of mixed sand and shingle beach adjoining Shellness on the Isle of Sheppey. The beach is bordered by private chalets, some of which are available for filming. Both Dark Heart Series 1 (2018) and The Third Day (2020) have previously filmed here.
Writers: Jesse V. Johnson, Stu Small Director: Jesse V. Johnson Starring: Scott Adkins, Craig Fairbrass, Thomas Turgoose Production Company: Samuel Goldwyn Films Kent Locations Used: Canterbury Prison
This British crime thriller tells the story of gang member Cain Burgess (Scott Adkins) who evades his prison sentences to take revenge on those who have wronged him. Believing other people are the reason for his misfortunes, he fights his way back to confront his enemies.
A large portion of this film was set in Canterbury Prison, where several of the fight scenes were filmed.
Canterbury Prison has been closed since 2013 and was bought by Canterbury Christ Church University and is due to be extended as part of their campus. The authenticity of the Victorian prison is maintained, making it an ideal location for the crime and thriller genre. Other productions that have previously visited Canterbury Prison for filming include Wayfaring Stranger (2008) and Windmill Boy (2006).
The film was released on DVD on Monday 17th June 2019 and is now available to watch on Amazon Prime Video, Netflix and Google Movies.
Writer: Nick Moorcroft Director: Ron Scalpello Starring: Sam Claflin, Charlie Murphy, Naomi Ackie Production Company: Eclipse Films, Riverstone Pictures Kent Locations Used: Dartford Marshes
The Corrupted (2019) is a crime thriller set in East London ahead of the 2012 Olympics. Ex-con Liam (Sam Claflin) has lost everything at the hands of a local crime syndicate run by Clifford Cullen (Timothy Spall) who have forcibly acquired land to sell at a high profit to the developers. In an attempt to reconnect with his family, he is caught up in a web of conspiracy, crime, and corruption.
The atmospheric Dartford Marshes by the QEII Crossing featured as the setting of a crime scene.
Dartford became a market town in medieval times and has a long history of industrial and cultural importance, and to its north, across the Thames estuary, lies Thurrock in Essex, which can be reached via the Dartford Crossing. The town centre lies in a valley, through which the River Darent flows. Previous productions which filmed here were The Escape (2017) and London Spy (2015).
The Corrupted will be released in UK cinemas on Friday 10th May 2019.
Writer: Chris Lang Director: Colin Teague Starring: Miranda Raison, Anjli Mohindra, Tom Riley Production Company: ITV Studios Kent Locations Used: Shellness beach, Swale
ITV crime drama Dark Heart (2016-2018) will soon be hitting our screens, starring Tom Riley as DI Will Wagstaffe, who is haunted by his past after both his parents were murdered when he was just sixteen years old. Will and his team try to solve brutal crimes, whilst he also attempts to hold his own fractured life together.
Kent locations used: The Production was based in the County and locations are across East Kent and France
The Tunnel: Vengeance returns for its final and third series this December. The six-part crime-thriller is set against the backdrop of a refugee crisis in Europe, which leads British detective Karl (Stephen Dillane) to partner with Elise (Clémence Poésy) from the French National Gendarmerie. Together they investigate crimes such as the setting alight of a fishing vessel transporting refugees across the Channel. The series examines themes of terrorism, refugees and the rise of far-right political groups.
East Kent is home to spectacular coastal landscapes and historic towns, and boasts excellent transport links to London and western Europe. East Kent has been used for filming by productions such as Liar (2017) and Humans: Series 2 (2016).
Don’t miss the return of The Tunnel: Vengeance, with all the episodes available on Thursday 14 December on Sky Atlantic at 9pm.