Doctor Who – The Curse of Fenric (1989)

head shot of Sylvester McCoy as Doctor Who looking concerned, looking away from the camera

Sylvester McCoy as Doctor Who © BBC

Director: Nicholas Mallett

Starring: Sylvester McCoy, Sophie Aldred, Dinsdale Landen, Alfred Lynch, Nicholas Parsons

Production Company: BBC

Kent locations used: Lillesden Manor, Roses Farm, St Lawrence Church in Hawkhurst

The Curse of Fenric is a four part story of popular sci-fi show, Doctor Who, starring Sylvester McCoy. The Doctor and his companion, Ace, arrive at a secret military base during World War II where a Viking curse has been awakened.. Confronted by vampires emerging from the sea and Russian commandoes closing in, the Doctor and Ace need to find a way to defeat an old evil to secure a better future for mankind.

Sylvester McCoy (Frank Stubbs, Rab C. Nesbitt) stars as the seventh Doctor alongside Sophie Aldred (Corners, Melvin and Maureen’s Music-a-grams), Dinsdale Landen (Devenish, Mickey Dunne), Alfred Lynch (Jackanory, West 11) and Nicholas Parsons (The Arthur Haynes Show, Sale of the Century).

The production visited Lillesden Manor which doubled as the laboratory under the church. It is situated in Hawkhurst and is set in 200 acres of land, and was built in 1853 by Edward Lloyd. Just after World War I, the mansion was sold and became a girl’s school which closed in 1999.

The production also visited listed timber framed cottage, Roses Farm in Hawkhurst, which doubled as Mrs Hardaker’s Cottage and St Lawrence Church in Hawkhurst which doubled as St Judd’s Church.

Doctor Who: The Curse of Fenric was first shown in 1989 and is now available to buy on DVD.

 

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


Doctor Who – The Androids of Tara (1978)

Mary Tamm as Romana stands in front of an ivy-covered castle wall, looking at a man dressed as a medieval knight. He is holding a purple prism-shaped object in his hands. Romana wears a purple and green buttoned-up jacket and a purple wide-brimmed hat with a green ribbon on it.

Doctor Who – The Androids of Tara (1978) © BBC

Director: Michael Hayes
Writer:
David Fisher
Starring:
Tom Baker, Mary Tamm, Peter Jeffrey, Neville Jason
Production Company:
BBC
Kent Locations Used:
Leeds Castle

The Androids of Tara (1978) is a four-part serial from the 16th season of the original Doctor Who series. It is set on the planet Tara, which is ruled by a feudal society with electronic weapons and androids. The Doctor’s assistant Romana is kidnapped, and the two are dragged into a feud between Count Grendel and Prince Reynart over who is the legitimate heir to the throne of Tara.

Directed by Michael Hayes (A for Andromeda, Take Three Girls) and written by David Fisher (Hammer House of Mystery and Suspense, The Lotus Eaters), the serial stars Tom Baker (Nicholas and Alexandra, The Golden Voyage of Sinbad) as the Doctor, Mary Tamm (The Likely Lads, Doghouse) as his assistant Romana, with Peter Jeffrey (The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, Midnight Express) featuring as Count Grendel alongside Neville Jason (From Russia with Love, The Message) as Prince Reynart.

Leeds Castle features throughout the serial, doubling as Castle Gracht, the seat of Count Grendel.

Leeds Castle is a romantic castle with medieval-themed rooms, 1920s style interiors and original marble bathrooms, all set on a large estate with gardens, moat, woodlands, a maze with a shell grotto, and an aviary. Other productions to have filmed there include Henry VIII (1979), Lady Jane (1987) and Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949).

The Androids of Tara (1978) originally aired on BBC1 between Saturday 25th November – Saturday 16th December 1978 and is currently available to buy on iTunes.

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


Blakes 7 – Bounty (1978)

Blakes 7 logo in space- cartoon planets with BLAKES 7 written in yellow on top

Blakes 7 logo © BBC

Director: Pennant Roberts

Creator: Terry Nation

Starring: Gareth Thomas, Sally Knyvette, Paul Darrow, T.P. McKenna

Production Company: BBC

Kent Locations: Quex Park – Waterloo Tower in Birchington

Blake’s 7 is a BBC One science fiction show which ran for four series between 1978 –1981. Set in the future, the show is about a group of outcasts who fight a guerrilla war against the totalitarian Terran Federation from an alien spaceship.

The series was created by Terry Nation (Doctor Who, And Soon the Darkness, London Conspiracy), who also created the Daleks in Doctor Who.

Episode 11 of Series 1, “Bounty”, sees Blake (Gareth Thomas) and Jenna (Sally Knyvette) try to convince Sarkoff (T.P. McKenna), the exiled former president of the planet Lindor to return to lead his people, before the Federation assumes control of the planet. However, the Liberator is taken over by a group of bounty hunters known as The Amagons.

“Bounty” is directed by Pennant Roberts (The Sherman Plays, Howards’ Way, Doctor Who) and stars Gareth Thomas (Merlin, Waterland, Parkin’s Patch), Sally Knyvette (Emmerdale, Castlevania: Lords of Shadow, General Hospital), Paul Darrow (Die Another Day, Rough Magik, Law & Order: UK) and T.P. McKenna (Straw Dogs, Red Scorpion, Ulysses).

Blakes 7 Screenshot at Quex Park- Waterloo Tower with trees around it

Blakes 7 Screenshot Quex Park – Waterloo Tower © BBC

Blakes 7 Screenshot Quex Park – Waterloo Tower- two characters leabing against the stone wall

Blakes 7 Screenshot Quex Park – Waterloo Tower © BBC

Waterloo Tower at Quex Park features in the episode as the ex-president Sarkoff’s residence in exile.

Quex Park is a unique country park of 250 acres set within an estate of 1800 acres in Birchington which offers parkland, gardens and a Regency-style country house with unique museum containing dioramas of African landscapes. Projects which have previously filmed in the Birchington area include Penelope Keith’s Hidden Villages (2015) and BBC Three drama The Things I Haven’t Told You (2008).

Blakes 7 aired between 1978 –1981 and is now available for DVD purchase.

 

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


Doctor Who: The Claws of Axos (1971)

Doctor Who (Jon Pertwee) and Jo Grant (Katy Manning) holding hands running across a muddy floor.

Doctor Who (Jon Pertwee) and Jo Grant (Katy Manning) © BBC

Director: Michael Ferguson
Starring: Jon Pertwee, Nicholas Courtney, Roger Delgado, John Levene, Bernard Holley, Katy Manning
Production Company: BBC
Kent Locations Used: Dungeness

The Claws of Axos (1971) is a four-part serial from popular sci-fi show Doctor Who starring Jon Pertwee. The Doctor investigates claims by Axons, who are the occupants of a mysterious object that has landed on Earth, to have a miracle substance that would end world famine. When he discovers an old enemy is involved, The Doctor becomes suspicious and must work with the UNIT team to drive the Axons from Earth. 

Jon Pertwee (Worzel Gummidge, Jackanory) stars as the third Doctor alongside Nicholas Courtney (Then Churchill Said to Me, Incendiary), Roger Delgado (The Battle of the River Plate, The Road to Hong Kong), John Levene (Permission to Kill, CanniBallistic!), Bernard Holley (Travels with My Aunt, Z Cars) and Katy Manning (Oakie’s Outback Adventures, When Darkness Falls). 

The production visited Dungeness to film the scenes where the Axon ship lands and The Doctor and UNIT team go to investigate. Dungeness Power Station doubled as the “Nuton power complex” in the third and fourth episodes of The Claws of Axos.

Dungeness is in the Shepway district of Kent and has a beautiful shingle beach with a mixture of old and modern homes, two lighthouses, a historic railway station and a Power Station. Dungeness is a popular film location and has been used for productions such as The Poison Tree (2012) and The Inspector Lynley Mysteries (2006).

Doctor Who – The Claws of Axos (1971) first aired on BBC1 from Saturday 13th March to Saturday 3rd April 1971 and is now available to buy on DVD. 

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


Doctor Who – Mind of Evil (1971)

Doctor Who (Jon Pertwee) in a suit sat in front of a tiled wall

Doctor Who (Jon Pertwee) © BBC

Director: Timothy Combe
Starring: Jon Pertwee, Nicholas Courtney, Katy Manning, Richard Franklin, Roger Delgado, Pik Sen Lim
Production Company: BBC
Kent Locations Used: Whitfield, Dover Castle, Former RAF Swingate, Manston Airport

The Mind of Evil (1971) is a six-part story of popular sci-fi show, Doctor Who, starring Jon Pertwee. The Doctor and his companion, Jo, arrive at Stangmoor Prison for the demonstration of a machine that has been created by Professor Keller to pacify criminals. However, when the Doctor discovers that his enemy, the Master, is involved he does everything to stop him before it is too late.

Jon Pertwee (Worzel Gummidge, Jackanory) stars as the third Doctor alongside Katy Manning (Gloria’s House, Evil Never Dies), Roger Delgado (First Man Into Space, The Road to Hong Kong), Nicholas Courtney (The Sarah Jane Adventures, Downtime), Richard Franklin (Emmerdale, Twilight of the Gods) and Pik Sen Lim (Emergency-Ward 10, Mind Your Language).

The production filmed in Kent where they visited Dover Castle which doubled as the exterior of Stangmoor Prison the junction of Archer’s Court Road with Pineham Road in Whitfield which was the location where the Master’s troops ambush the missile convoy. The hangar at Former RAF Swingate was used as the Master’s hiding place for his deadly missile and Manston Airport was the base for the helicopter company providing the choppers and aerial footage in the series.

Dover Castle was founded in the 11th century and defended the coast of Britain for almost 500 years. It is now run by English Heritage as a tourist attraction and is a very popular filming location having welcomed productions such as The Apprentice (2015), Wolf Hall (2015) and To Kill a King (2003).

Dover is a coastal town, home to the infamous White Cliffs of Dover, Dover Castle and Europe’s busiest passenger port, the Port of Dover. The Dover area has welcomed filming from productions such as Mr Selfridge Series 3 (2015), Great British Railway Journeys (2014) and Missing (2009).

Manston Airport is currently awaiting development and boasts a runway and warehouse space. It has been used for James Bond’s Die Another Day (2002).

Doctor Who: The Mind of Evil (1971) originally aired on BBC1 between Saturday 30th January 1971 and Saturday 6th March 1971. It is now available to buy on DVD.

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


Doctor Who – Inferno (1970)

Jon Pertwee as Dr Who in a suit in an office with a brick wall

Jon Pertwee as Dr Who © BBC

Director: Douglas Camfield
Starring: Jon Pertwee, Caroline John, Nicholas Courtney, Olaf Pooley, Christopher Benjamin
Production Company:BBC
Kent Locations Used: Kingsnorth Industrial Estate, Medway

Inferno (1970) is a seven part serial from popular sci-fi show Doctor Who starring Jon Pertwee. Inferno is a science project aimed at exploiting a new power source underneath the earth’s crust. While the Doctor is fixing his TARDIS, he is thrown in to a parallel universe, where his misgivings of Inferno are confirmed when he sees how it has almost completely destroyed the alternate earth.

Kingsnorth Powerstation next to a road

Kingsnorth Powerstation screenshot © BBC

Jon Pertwee (Worzel Gummidge, Jackanory) stars as the third Doctor alongside Caroline John (Harry Enfield’s Television Programme, P.R.O.B.E), Nicholas Courtney (The Sarah Jane Adventures, Downtime), Olaf Pooley (The Corpse, Star Trek: Voyager) and Christopher Benjamin (Pride and Prejudice, Angel).

The production visited Kingsnorth Industrial Estate in Medway which featured as the setting for the Inferno project. This estate used to be a large oil refinery known as Berry Wiggins and Co Ltd. and is now an Industrial Estate to many businesses.

Medway is a group of towns set along the River Medway, steeped in history, particularly with Charles Dickens connections. Productions which have previously filmed in the area include London Spy (2015), Les Misérables (2013) and Sherlock Holmes (2009).

Doctor Who – Inferno (1970) first aired on BBC1 from Saturday 9th May to Saturday 20th June 1970 and is now available to purchase on DVD.

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


Doctor Who – The Mutants (1972)

Jon Pertwee inside Chilslehurst Cave talking to a man with a torch

Jon Pertwee as Doctor Who at Chislehurst Caves © BBC

Director: Christopher Barry
Starring: Jon Pertwee, Katy Manning, Paul Whitsun-Jones, James Mellor, Garrick Hagon
Production Company: BBC
Kent Locations Used: Bluewater Quarry, Chislehurst Caves, Stone House Farm Caves

The Mutants (1972) is a six-part story of popular sci-fi show Doctor Who starring Jon Pertwee. The Doctor and his companion, Jo, arrive at Skybase One during the 30th century when the planet, Solos is fighting for independence from the Earth’s empire. However, the natives have started to mutate in to hideous looking creatures and the doctor needs to find out why.

Jon Pertwee (Carry On Cleo, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum) stars as the third Doctor alongside Katy Manning (Gloria’s House, Evil Never Dies) as his companion Jo, Paul Whitsun-Jones (The Quatermass Experiment, Huntingtower), James Mellor (Marat/Sade, The Oblong Box) and Garrick Hagon (Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory).

The production visited Bluewater Quarry which was the setting for the planet Solos prior to the shopping centre being built. The quarry began in the early 19th century and was then rapidly enlarged for cement production in the 1950’s; however it then closed down in the 1980’s and is now Bluewater shopping centre.

Chislehurst Caves also feature and doubled as the interior Solos’ caves. Chislehurst Caves are man-made and 22 miles long, initially dug as chalk and flint mines and are believed to have been last worked in during the 1830’s. The first mention of the mines was in 1250, during World War II when the caves became an air raid shelter for 15000 people with electrical lighting, a chapel and a hospital. The caves are now a tourist attraction and have been used for TV series Merlin (2008) and film The Riddle (2007).

The production also visited Stone House Farm Caves which represented the cave system entrance on Solos. It is situated near Strood in a field next to Lower Rochester Road. The caves are thought to be old chalk mines. The Medway area has previously been seen on screen in Jekyll and Hyde (2015)Great Expectations (2012) and Canterbury Tales (2003).

Doctor Who: The Mutants (1972) originally aired on BBC1 from Saturday 8th April 1972 to Saturday 13th May 1972 and is now available to buy on DVD.

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


Doctor Who – The Ambassadors of Death (1970)

Three people in space suits stand in front of a large orange planet in a starry sky. They are reaching out in front of them, towards John Pertwee as The Doctor. He looks startled. The Doctor wears a black coat, white shirt and large black bow tie.

Doctor Who – The Ambassadors of Death (1970) © BBC

Director: Michael Ferguson
Writer: David Whitaker
Starring: Jon Pertwee, Caroline John, Nicholas Courtney, William Dysart, John Abineri
Production Company: BBC
Kent Locations Used:
Northfleet Quarry & LaFarge Cement Works

The Ambassadors of Death (1970) is the third serial in the seventh series of Doctor Who. When two astronauts on the Mars Probe Seven lose contact with Earth, the Doctor and United Nations Intelligence Taskforce (UNIT) must investigate. When the astronauts finally return, the Doctor suspects that they may, in fact,  be aliens and  is soon caught in a government conspiracy.

The serial was directed by Michael Ferguson (Doctor Who: The Claws of Axos (1971), The Sandbaggers) and written by David Whitaker (Doctor Who – The Enemy of the World (1968), Showtime). It stars John Pertwee (Doctor Who – Inferno (1970), Carry On Cleo) as the Doctor, Caroline John (Love Actually, P.R.O.B.E The Zero Imperative) as his companion Liz Shaw, Nicholas Courtney (Doctor Who – Mind of Evil (1971), Incendiary) as the Brigadier, William Dysart (The Last Shot You Hear, Edward the Seventh) as Reegan and John Abineri (The Last of the Mohicans, Robin of Sherwood) as General Charles Carrington.

Filming for the serial took place at the former Northfleet Quarry and Lafarge Cement Works. The Quarry doubles as the exterior of the Space Centre in Episodes 4, 6 & 7 of the serial, and the Cement Works feature in Episode 3, doubling as the Quarry where Reegan buries two dead workers in the shingle.

The site of the old Northfleet Works had been used for cement production since 1853, but was formerly opened under its new name in 1970 and later incorporated an existing quarry to the south. It is now no longer operational

Doctor Who – The Ambassadors of Death (1970) aired on BBC1 from Saturday 21st March 1970 to Saturday 2nd May 1970 and is currently available to purchase on DVD.

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


Doctor Who – The Dominators (1968)

Patrick Troughton at Doctor Who standing in the tardis facing a man who has his back to the camera

Patrick Troughton at Doctor Who © BBC

Director: Morris Barry
Starring: Patrick Troughton, Giles Block, Wendy Padbury, Frazer Hines and Arthur Cox
Production Company: BBC
Kent Locations Used: Wrotham Quarry

The Dominators (1968) is a five-part story of popular sci-fi show Doctor Who, starring Patrick Troughton. The Doctor and his companions, Jamie and Zoe, land on the planet of Dulkis to find the Dominators and the Quarks, their robotic servants, enslaving the peaceful Dulcians. Can the trio help the natives and prevent the Dominators from destroying the planet?

Patrick Troughton (The Omen, Jason and the Argonauts) stars as the second Doctor alongside Giles Block, Wendy Padbury (The Blood on Satan’s Claw, Freewheelers), Frazer Hines (Two Days in the Smoke, Emmerdale) and Arthur Cox (She-Wolf of London, Partners in Crime).

The production visited Wrotham Quarry which doubled as the surface of Dulkis.

Screenshot at Wrotham Quarry screenshot - a man standing with the Quarks behind him

Screenshot at Wrotham Quarry screenshot © BBC

Wrotham Quarry is located in the Addington and was formerly known as Olley Sand Pit, used for producing sand for the glass industry. The Quarry is still active today and part of Hanson Aggregates.

The Tonbridge and Malling area has been chosen as a film location by productions including Great British Railway Journeys (2014), Missing (2010) and Cape Wrath (2007).

Doctor Who: The Dominators (1968) began airing on Saturday 10th August 1968 and is now available to buy on DVD.

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


Doctor Who – The Enemy of the World (1968)

Mary Peach as Astrid Ferrier is standing on a beach. Behind her is a retro-looking helicopter. She is wearing an all-leather flying suit. The photo is in black-and-white.

Mary Peach as Astrid Ferrier in Doctor Who – The Enemy of the World (1968) © BBC

Director: Barry Letts
Writer: David Whitaker
Starring: Patrick Troughton, Frazer Hines, Deborah Watling, Bill Kerr, Mary Peach
Production Company: BBC
Kent Locations Used: Dungeness Power Station

The Enemy of the World (1968) is a serial of the fifth season of the original 1967 Doctor Who series. Set in 2018, the story follows the Second Doctor (Patrick Troughton) and his companions as they become embroiled in a case of mistaken identity. When the Doctor discovers his uncanny resemblance to Earth’s scheming dictator Salamander (also played by Troughton), he must use this likeness to bring him down.

For over 40 years, only Episode 3 of the serial was known to exist. However, on 11th October 2013, the BBC announced that the remaining five episodes had been recovered from a TV station storage room in Nigeria.

Not all original Doctor Who serials have been rediscovered. The 1968 episodes entitled “Fury from the Deep” are still missing – unfortunate, as these allegedly feature Botany Bay, Kingsgate Bay and the Redsand Towers Sea Forts!

Written by David Whitaker (Doctor Who, Showtime) and directed by Barry Letts (Eastenders, David Copperfield), The Enemy of the World stars Patrick Troughton (The Omen, Jason and the Argonauts) as the Second Doctor, Frazer Hines (Emmerdale) as his companion Jamie, Deborah Watling (The Invisible Man, The Newcomers) as his other companion Victoria, Bill Kerr (Gallipoli, The Pirate Movie) as Giles Kent and Mary Peach (Room at the Top, Couples) as Astrid Ferrier.

Dungeness Power Station briefly appears in Episode 4 of the serial, doubling as the exterior of Salamander’s research station.

The now defunct power stations were originally built in 1965 and 1983 respectively. The building borders the Dungeness Estate, a unique expanse of SSSI shingle beach with ramshackle huts, old and ultra-modern residences, two light houses, a cafe by the historic railway station, boat moorings, a lifeboat station, two pubs and artist galleries. Other productions to have filmed in Dungeness include Back to Life (2019-2021), Brave New World (2020) and another Doctor Who episode – The Claws of Axos (1971).

Doctor Who – The Enemy of the World (1968) originally aired on BBC1 between Saturday 23rd December 1967 and Saturday 27th January 1968. It is now available to watch on Amazon or purchase on DVD.

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