Dartford

The Escape (2018)

Posted on by Kent Film Office
Gemma Arterton staring at the camera with a plain brown background behind her,

Gemma Arterton in the escape (2017) © Improvised Films LTD

 

Writer: Dominic Savage

Director: Dominic Savage

Starring: Gemma Arterton, Dominic Cooper

Production Company: Shoebox Films, Lorton Entertainment

Kent Locations Used: Dartford, Gravesham

The film The Escape follows the story of a young woman (Gemma Arterton) at a crossroads in her life, as she struggles to chase her dreams alongside her responsibilities as a mother and a wife. She decides on a change and heads off to Paris to find herself.

Director, writer, Dominic Savage, has previously worked on BBC films Born Equal and Freefall. Gemma Arterton has starred in high-profile films such as Hansel & Gretel: Witch-Hunters and Clash of the Titans. Dominic Cooper has been credited in Captain America: The First Avenger and Mamma Mia! .

Scenes were filmed in and around the Gravesend area, including Northfleet Nursery which was used as Tara’s son’s day centre. Imperial Business Park also features, as Tara’s local place for shopping.

Production also filmed in and around Dartford, at a property in Caspian Way which features as the family’s home. Crayland Primary School features as Tara’s daughter’s school and the park off of Broomfield Road is visited by the whole family at the weekend.  As well as filming at a nearby kids’ playground in Swanscombe, and Ebbsfleet International Station, where Tara (Gemma Arterton) watches the trains on one occasion and later leaves for Paris.

The Escape was released in the UK on Friday 3rd August 2018.

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

The Rizen (2017) and The Rizen: Possession (2020)

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Hand holding open book of arcane symbols

The Rizen © Lost Eye Films Ltd

Written and directed by: Matt Mitchell

Starring: Sally Phillips, Julian Rhind-Tutt, Tom Goodman-Hill, Adrian Edmondson

Production Company: Lost Eye Films

Kent Locations Used: Manor Way Business Park in Swanscombe, Old Town Hall Gravesend, Powerhub in Maidstone, Northfleet Industrial Estate

The Rizen (2017) and The Rizen: Possession (2020) is a horror story set in 1955, an era when both NATO and the Allied Forces were supposedly conducting secret, occult experiments in a bid to win the Arms Race.

What if they had succeeded and what the Army unleashed threatens to tear the world apart?

Man standing side-on looking at the Suited Women (Sally Phillips) who is looking forward.

The Rizen © Lost Eye Films Ltd

The Rizen was written and directed by Matt Mitchell (Gangsters, Guns & Zombies, It Never Sleeps). The film stars Sally Phillips (Bridget Jones’s Diary, The Decoy Bride), Julian Rhind-Tutt (Lucy, Rush), Tom Goodman-Hill (Mr Selfridge, Everest) and Adrian Edmondson (War and Peace, Bottom).

The production was largely based in Kent and the Manor Way Business Park in Swanscombe was used as their studio. Production filmed the endless, dark corridors in the Powerhub in Maidstone and ‘laboratory’ and ‘radio room’ scenes at Northfleet Industrial Estate with both locations doubling as an ex-military base. Filming also took place at Gravesend Old Town Hall which featured as a Grand Hall for an ‘academy’.

Manor Way Business Park is an industrial area with offices and warehouses located in Swanscombe, famous for its spectacular finds of Early Man. The site has excellent transport links and previously featured in Gangsters, Guns & Zombies (2012) and Doctor Strange  (2016).

The Gravesend Old Town Hall was once the seat of the local Magistrates Courts and has now been restored to serve as cultural and community venue. Other productions that have filmed in the Gravesend area include Canterbury Tales – The Seacaptain’s Tale (2003), The Interceptor (2015) and Great British Railway Journeys (2014).

Lieutenant Conner Taylor (Lee Latchford-Evans) pointing rifle towards figure in the foreground.

The Rizen © Lost Eye Films Ltd

The Powerhub in Maidstone is a five storey, listed, industrial building with a 1900’s art deco exterior. Inside the building there are a selection of studios, offices, showrooms and amazing studios. Past productions that have filmed in Maidstone include Missing (2009), Children in Need – The Rickshaw Challenge (2015) and Couples Come Dine With Me (2014).

Northfleet Industrial Estate is an estate in two halves, having been cut in half by the high speed railway and each half has its own tone. The location was used for filming a car crash scene in Doctor Strange  (2016).

The Rizen (2017) was chosen to headline and close the London Sci-fi Film Festival 2017 on Saturday 6th May 2017 with its World Premiere and The Rizen: Possession (2020) closed the London Sci-Fi film festival on 22nd May 2019.

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

 

Children in Need – The Rickshaw Challenge (2015)

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Pudsey the bear in the studio with Team Rickshaw sat on the sofa behind him

The One Show’s Rickshaw challenge 2015 – Team Rickshaw. (l-r) Alex Jones, Lucy, George G, Pudsey, Erin, Amira, Matt Baker, George D, Elliot © BBC

Kent Locations: Tunbridge Wells, Maidstone, Chatham, The Historic Dockyard Chatham, Rochester, Gravesend, Dartford

Returning in 2015 for its fifth year is The One Show Rickshaw Challenge, in aid of BBC Children in Need. With help from The One Show presenters Matt Baker and Alex Jones, six young riders embark upon an epic 470-mile journey pedalling a rickshaw.

Across eight days the team will cycle from Land’s End to the East End, beginning their pursuit on Friday 6th November 2015. The end of Day Six will see the team touch down in Brighton, before beginning the sixty miles plus journey to The Historic Dockyard Chatham the following day. The expedition will take the team through a number of towns in Kent, including parts of Tunbridge Wells, Maidstone, Chatham, Rochester, Gravesend and Dartford .

The cumulative total of money raised so far by The Rickshaw Challenge is over £7.9 million, all of which goes towards supporting disadvantaged young people in the UK.

Tunbridge Wells is a town in West Kent, home to a host of historic buildings, specialist shops, churches and a busy town centre. Productions which have previously filmed in the area include Britain’s Best Bakery (2012), Terry and Mason’s Great Food Trip (2015) and Hunted (2012).

Maidstone is the county town of Kent, home to a number of parks and shopping facilities, as well as The Maidstone Studios which is the UK’s largest independent High Definition TV studio facility. Productions which have filmed in the area include Take Me Out (2015), Later… with Jools Holland (2015) and Couples Come Dine With Me (2014).

Rochester offers beautiful cobbled streets, parks and the Cathedral and castle while Chatham is home to The Historic Dockyard Chatham, Day Seven’s final destination before Team Rickshaw makes their way up to Elstree to finally complete the challenge.  The Historic Dockyard Chatham is a popular filming location on account of its Georgian and Victorian architecture and authentic cobbled streets (which the rickshaw riders might be hoping to avoid!). The Medway area has previously been seen on screen in Jekyll and Hyde (2015), The Mystery of Edwin Drood (2012) and Sherlock Holmes (2009).

The town of Gravesend is situated in North West Kent, with exceptional transport links up to London. Gravesend has previously hosted productions including Babylon (2014), The Interceptor (2015) and Great British Railway Journeys (2014).

Dartford is situated close to Bromley and Bexley and boasts great travel links in and out of Kent. Full of quaint architecture and great guesthouses and hotels, Dartford has hosted other productions in the past such as Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 (2010) and The Inbetweeners (2010).

Tune into The One Show on BBC One at 19:00, BBC One to follow Team Rickshaw’s progress from Friday 6th November until Friday 13th November, when the Children in Need Appeal Show will be airing.

 

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

Who Do You Think You Are? (2014)

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Twiggy standing with her arms crossed in a run down empty room

Twiggy – Who Do You Think You Are? © BBC/Wall to Wall/Stephen Perry

Production company: Wall to Wall

Kent Locations: Farningham in Sevenoaks and Darenth in Dartford

Who Do You Think You Are? is the hit BBC series where celebrities trace their ancestry and discover secrets and surprises from their past.

The eleventh series has featured actresses Julie Walters and Sheridan Smith, comedian Billy Connolly and Bake Off star Mary Berry, with the final episode of the series focusing on model and actress, Twiggy.

Twiggy, whose real name is Lesley Lawson, takes a journey into discovering her family’s descent and visits Farningham and Darenth in Kent along the way.

Farningham is a quaint village located on the River Darent in the Sevenoaks district of Kent. The village is said to have been visited by Charles Dickens where he fished trout.

In neighbouring Dartford is Darenth which has a church, public halls as well as acres of woodland such as Darenth Woods and Darenth Country Park.

The Sevenoaks area has welcomed filming from productions such as Rush (2013) and Strawberry Fields (2012).

Dartford has hosted Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 (2010).

Don’t miss Twiggy’s Who Do You Think You Are? episode which will be shown on Thursday 9th October 2014 at 21:00 on BBC One.

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

Redemption (2013)

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Hummingbrid Film Poster - actor in a tux in front of city lights at night, Hummingbird is written in neon blue lights

Redemption (Hummingbird) Film Poster © Lionsgate/IM Global

 

Director and writer: Steven Knight

Starring: Jason Statham, Agata Buzek, Benedict Wong, Vicky McClure

Production Company: IM Global, Shoebox Films

Kent Locations: Dartford Crossing – QEII Bridge

Redemption is an action thriller film about ex-Special Forces officer Joey (Jason Statham) who returns to London from the Afghan war and finds himself homeless. After assuming another man’s identity and becoming lost in alcohol, drugs and criminality, Joey tries to turn his life around with the help of a nun, Sister Cristina (Agata Buzek).

The film is directed and written by Steven Knight (Locke, Peaky Blinders) and stars Jason Statham (Snatch, Crank), Agata Buzek (Valerie, Lena), Benedict Wong (Prometheus, The Martian) and Vicky McClure (Broadchurch, This Is England).

The Dartford Crossing – QEII Bridge features in Redemption twice – when Joey drives a van across the bridge and when a lorry approaches the toll.

Dartford is a historic town situated close to London and home to one of Europe’s largest shopping centres. The area has previously been used as a film location by Children in Need – The Rickshaw Challenge (2015), Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 (2010) and Wasp (2003).

Redemption was released in cinemas in June 2013 and is now available for DVD purchase.

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.

The Inbetweeners (2010)

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L-R Simon (Joe Thomas), Will (Simon Bird) Neil (Blake Harrison) Jay (James Buckley) stood together in school uniform looking at the camera. Plain grey background behind them

L-R Simon (Joe Thomas), Will (Simon Bird) Neil (Blake Harrison) Jay (James Buckley) © Channel 4

Production Companies: Bwark Productions, Young Films
Kent Filming Locations:   Central Park, Dartford

Returning for its third series, this hit comedy finds out what’s on the mind of the average sixth-form boy and discovers it’s less about college and jobs and more about getting to know girls.

Marooned in suburbia, The Inbetweeners follows four friends as they navigate the minefield of the Comprehensive Education with their hormones at full blast. There’s vomit, offensive language, and a trip to Thorpe Park.

None of the heroes are exceptional, all are distinctly average. And trying to convince the world they are sophisticated, sexy human beings usually ends in wretched disaster.

The new series includes scenes that were partly filmed in Central Park, Dartford.

Dartford is situated close to London with great travel links. The town is full of quaint architecture and great guesthouses and hotels and has been used for filming by productions including Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 (2010) and Wasp (2003).

The Inbetweeners will be shown on E4 Monday 13th September 2010 at 10pm.

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

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 2010

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Rupert Grint, Emma Watson and Daniel Radcliffe running through a dark forest. Film title Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 is in silver underneath

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 movie poster © WarnerBros

Director: David Yates

Writers: Steve Kloves (screenplay), J.K. Rowling (novel)

Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Helena Bonham Carter, Robbie Coltrane, Warwick Davis, Ralph Fiennes, Michael Gambon, Rhys Ifans, Bill Nighy, Alan Rickman, Timothy Spall and Julie Walters

Production Companies: Warner Bros., Heyday Films

Kent Filming Locations:  Dartford Crossing

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 is the seventh instalment of the popular Harry Potter series based on the novels by JK Rowling. The story follows Harry racing against time to destroy the Horcruxes, Lord Voldemort’s secret to immortality. During his pursuit he uncovers the existence of the three most powerful objects in the wizarding world: the Deathly Hallows.

With an A-list British cast, including those who grew up on the film set, Daniel Radcliffe(The Woman in Black), Rupert Grint (Wild Target), Emma Watson (The Perks of Being a Wallflower), Tom Felton (Rise of the Planet of the Apes); and veteran actors such as Michael Gambon (The King’s Speech), Maggie Smith (Best Exotic Marigold Hotel), Ralph Fiennes (Schindler’s List) and Helena Bonham-Carter (Les Misérables).

The Dartford Crossing became part of movie history in 2010 when it was used for the scene where Hagrid (Robbie Coltrane)  and Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) race through the toll road and tunnel on a flying motorbike, being chased by Death-Eaters. At the end of the scene, as they take to the air, make sure you spot the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge in the background!

The Dartford area  has been used for filming by productions including London Spy (2015), Hummingbird (2013) and The Inbetweeners (2010).

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 was released in cinemas in November 2010 and is now available to buy on DVD.

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

Wasp (2003)

Posted on by Kent Film Office
Wasp - Zoe walking with her 4 children around an estate on a path

Wasp screenshot © Cowboy Films

Director/Writer: Andrea Arnold

Stars: Natalie Press, Danny Dyer

Production Company: FilmFour, UK Film Council, Cowboy Films

Kent Location Used: Dartford

Wasp is an inspiring short film, written and directed by Dartford born Andrea Arnold. Zoe, a single mother, is struggling to provide for her children in 21st century Britain. When her ex-boyfriend David asks her out, she pretends she is just babysitting her children and has to balance caring for them whilst trying to rekindle her relationship with David.

The 26 minute long film won an Oscar for best short film in 2005 and has won 22 other awards since 2003.

Andrea Arnold (Fish Tank, Red Road Red Road, Wuthering Heights) directed and wrote Wasp, which stars Natalie Press (My Summer of Love, Ill Manors, Fifty Dead Men Walking) and Danny Dyer (EastEnders, The Football Factory, The Business).

Zoe looking out of her window onto the estate- a block of flats and pylons can be seen

Wasp screenshot © Cowboy Films

The film is set on a housing estate in Dartford, overlooking the QEII Bridge and industrial areas along the Thames.

Dartford is a historic market town in North Kent with a rich industrial heritage and is near to one of the largest shopping centres in Europe and the high speed rail link at Ebbsfleet. The Dartford area has hosted filming from Who Do You Think You Are? (2014) and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part One (2010).

 

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

Essex Boys (2000)

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Main poster of the Essex Boys production- black car with essex boys written in yellow

Essex Boys movie poster © Granada Film Productions

Writers: Jeff Pope, Terry Winsor

Director: Terry Winsor

Starring: Sean Bean, Alex Kingston, Tom Wilkinson, Charlie Creed-Miles, Larry Lamb

Production Company: Granada Film Productions

Kent Location: Dartford Crossing

Essex Boys is a British crime thriller based loosely around events in 1995 that culminated in the murder of three drug dealers in Rettendon, Essex. Young taxi driver Billy Reynolds (Charlie Creed-Miles) gives up his job to become the driver for gangster Jason Locke (Sean Bean) and finds himself in some difficult situations.

The film was co-written by Jeff Pope (Cilla, Mo) and Terry Winsor (Mad Money, Party Party) who also directs.

The cast features lots of familiar faces including Sean Bean (Game of Thrones, Lord of The Rings, Martian). Alex Kingston (Doctor Who, American Odyssey, ER), Tom Wilkinson (Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel). Charlie Creed-Miles (Ripper Street, Harry Brown) and Larry Lamb (Gavin and Stacy, Eastenders).

 The Essex Boys production team visited the Dartford Crossing to film scenes where the gang travels from Kent to Essex.

Dartford is a historic town situated close to London and home to one of Europe’s largest shopping centres. The Dartford Crossing – QEII Bridge has also been used as a film location for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 (2010), London Spy (2015), Redemption (2013).

Essex Boys was released on 14th July 2000 and is now available to purchase on DVD.

 

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