Dartford Marshes

Gangs of London (2020-2022)

Posted on by Kent Film Office
Production poster showing the London skyline and four actors in suits above it in the rainy clouds. Sky Original Gangs of London written in white

Gangs of London (2019-2022) © Sky UK Limited

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.

This Sky original series by Pulse Films is about the inner workings of the largest criminal organisation in London and was created by visionary, award-winning filmmaker Gareth Evans (The Raid, Apostle) and his creative partner Matt Flannery. The lead cast includes Narges Rashidi (Under the Shadow, The Allegation) as Lale, Joe Cole (Peaky Blinders, The Ipcress File) as Sean Wallace, Lucian Msamati (His Dark Materials, The Good Liar) as Ed Dumani, Paapa Essiedu (I May Destroy You, Men) as Alexander Dumani and Sope Dirisu (Humans (2016), The Halcyon (2017)) as Elliot Finch.

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.

St Clere Estate is set in 2,800 acres of rolling Kent countryside and offers stunning views of the North Downs. The estate features formal gardens, a meadow, ploughed fields, an orangery and a temple by the lake. Previous productions to film at St Clere Estate include The Great (2020-2023), The Third Day (2020) and Road Games (2016).

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 London will be available to stream on Sky Atlantic and NOW TV from Thursday 20th October 2022.

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

Trigger Point – Series 1 (2022)

Posted on by Kent Film Office
Vicky McClure and Adrian Lester stand on a London street in front of a block of flats. They are both wearing bomb disposal uniforms, including a black bulletproof vest, black helmet with goggles on top and black fingerless gloves. They both look nervously off to the right-hand side of the screen.

Vicky McClure as Lana Washington and Adrian Lester as Joel Nutkins © ITV

Writer: Daniel Brierley
Starring: Vicky McClure, Adrian Lester, Warren Brown, Kerry Godliman, Mark Stanley
Production Company: HTM Productions
Kent Locations: Dartford Marshes, Joyce Green Lane

Set in contemporary London, Trigger Point (2022) depicts the dangerous lives of the members of a Bomb Disposal Squad known as Expo, led by veteran operative Lana Washington. When a series of improvised explosive devices begin to detonate across London, Lana suspects that Expo is the bomber’s true target.

The six-part series was written by Daniel Brierly and stars Vicky McClure (Line of Duty, This Is England) as leading lady Lana Washington, Adrian Lester (Hustle, Life) as her colleague Joel Nutkins, Warren Brown (Liar (2017-2020), Luther) as Karl Maguire, Kerry Godliman (Whitstable Pearl (2021-2022), Derek (2013)) as Sonya Reeves and Mark Stanley (Sulphur and White (2020), The Bay) as DI Thom Youngblood.

A section of the Dartford Marshes owned by the Dartford Clay Shooting Club is featured in Series 1 Episodes 3 and 4, when the unnamed bomber blows up a car and the police conduct a forensic examination. The nearby Joyce Green Lane features later in Episode 6 as the police drive on their blues and twos to MOD Steepholme.

Located on the border of Kent, Dartford is a historic market town and perhaps best known for the Dartford Crossing and Bluewater Shopping Centre. Its combination of industrial and historical landscapes makes for a popular filming location. The Dartford Marshes border the River Thames and mark the boundary between Kent and the London borough of Bexley. Previous productions to have shot on the marshes include the Sky crime-drama Gangs of London (2020-2022) and The Corrupted (2019).

Trigger Point began airing on ITV on Sunday 23rd January 2022 at 9pm.

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

The Corrupted (2019)

Posted on by Kent Film Office
Liam (Sam Claflin) pictured wearing a black vest in a boxing ring, talking to someone who's face we don't see as their back is to us.

Sam Claflin in The Corrupted ©IMDb

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 Corrupted was written by Nick Moorcroft (Fishermen’s Friends, Finding Your Feet), directed by Ron Scalpello (My Name is Lenny, Bobby). The film stars Sam Claflin (Hunger Games, Peaky Blinders), Charlie Murphy (Peaky Blinders, The Foreigner), Naomi Ackie (Yardie, Cleaning Up), Timothy Spall (Sweeney Todd, Mr. Turner).

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.

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

Piggy (2012)

Posted on by Kent Film Office
Paul Anderson as Piggy stands in front of a torn, dirty white sheet. He is wearing a black hoody with the hood up and a pig nose mask. He is staring straight at the camera.

Piggy (2012) © DP Films

Writer / Director: Kieron Hawkes
Starring: Martin Compston, Paul Anderson, Neil Maskell
Production Company: DP Films, Fulwell 73
Kent Locations Used: Invicta House, The Hive, Manor Way Business Park, Darenth Valley Hospital

Piggy (2012) follows Joe, a mild-mannered anxious man whose life is thrown into turmoil after the violent murder of his brother. He finds an unusual friendship in the brash, hot-tempered Piggy who soon drags Joe into a world of danger, violence and revenge.

Written and directed by Kieron Hawkes (Intergalactic, Fortitude) in his debut, Piggy stars Martin Compston (Our House (2022), Line of Duty) as Joe, Paul Anderson (Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011), Legend) as Piggy and Neil Maskell (Bull (2021), Klokkenluider (2023)) as Joe’s brother John.

The film was shot in various locations across Kent. Joe’s office was filmed in the Post Room of Invicta House in Maidstone. Joe and Piggy attack a mugger at The Hive in Gravesend, and later drive through Manor Way Business Park in Swanscombe. After his brother is attacked, Joe visits him in Darenth Valley Hospital in Dartford.

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 Maidstone’s town centre, linking it with nearby towns Rochester and Chatham. The town has many shops, restaurants, bars, churches and a museum. Maidstone has also featured in They Came from Somewhere Else (1984), Missing (2009-2010) and Rustom (2016).

Gravesend is a town in northwest Kent on the south bank of the Thames. The towns pier is the oldest remaining cast-iron pier in the world, and the town also features an unspoilt promenade, high street and two shopping centres. Island (2011), The Interceptor (2015) and The Escape (2018) also filmed in Gravesend.

Piggy (2012) was released on Friday 4th May 2012 and is available to purchase on Amazon.

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