Dover

The Great Pottery Throw Down – Series 3 (2020)

Posted on by Kent Film Office
Keith Brymer Jones sits on a stool with Sue Pryke and Melanie Sykes stood besides him smiling at the camera. Wooden wall with varied containers is in the background.

The Great Pottery Throw Down with Sue Pryke, Keith Brymer Jones and Melanie Sykes (Channel 4/PA)

 

Starring: Melanie Sykes,  Keith Brymer Jones, Sue Pryke

Production Company: Channel 4

Kent Locations Used: Dover

The Great Pottery Throw Down, now in its third series, is produced by the company behind The Great British Bake Off. The TV show sees home potters strive to create their most intricate and imaginative works as they compete to be crowned best at the wheel.

The programme has moved to Channel 4 with new host Melanie Sykes fronting the series. Master potter Keith Brymer Jones returns to judge alongside award-winning ceramicist Sue Pryke.

Master potter Keith Brymer Jones, a born and bred Londoner and a potter by trade, started his career in a studio in Whitstable, Kent, which is housed inside an old bakery. Here he throws shapes on his pottery wheel for various designers, a leading retailer and clients such as the National Trust.

One of the 12 contestants is Rainna Erbas who grew up in Bow, east London, but moved to Kent when she was 14, where she began her love affair with potting. She uses her whole house as a studio, including the kitchen and conservatory, but she can mainly be found throwing in a converted garden shed.

Kent contestant Rainna Erbas smiling at the camera sitting at a potting wheel in an apron with a red background behind her.

Kent contestant Rainna Erbas (Channel 4/PA)

During filming production visited the woods behind Coxhill Gardens in Dover to go bird watching with Rainna.

Dover is the site of the famous The White Cliffs of Dover and has been used in previous productions such as Britain’s Most Historic Towns – Series 2 (2019) and Flog It! Series 17 (2019).

Whitstable is a bohemian seaside town which was famous for its oysters and is now famous for the harbour where sunbathing, swimming and water sports are popular including jet skiing. Furthermore, it has one of the oldest yacht clubs. Previous filming here includes Flirty Dancing – Series 2 (2019)and Who Do You Think You Are? (2018).

Episode One airs on Wednesday 8th January at 9pm on More4 and Sunday 12th January at 6.45pm on Channel 4.

 

 

 

 

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

Britain’s Most Historic Towns – Series 2 (2019)

Posted on by Kent Film Office

 

Presenter Alice Roberts wearing a pink top and headband seen driving a green tractor in a field in Dover, Kent.

Alice Roberts exploring Dover, Kent ©Channel 4 Television

 

Starring: Alice Roberts

Production Company: IWC Media and Channel 4 Television

Kent Locations Used: Canterbury and Dover

Documentary series Britain’s Most Historic Towns returns this week, where presenter Alice Roberts (Digging for Britain) explores the UK’s past, by focusing on six key eras as she travels to different towns which best illustrate each of these.

Episode one of the second series kicks off in Kent, where Alice examines Britain in wartime by looking at the coastal town of Dover.

In addition to this, production also visited the historical city of Canterbury, as well as Canterbury Castle, St Augustine’s Abbey, Blean Forest and East Bridge Hospital.

Dover is the site of the famous The White Cliffs of Dover and has been used in previous productions such as The Lost Commando Raid (2018) and Celebrity Antiques Road Show – Series 8 (2018).

Canterbury is a popular filming location and has hosted a variety of filming, such as the productions for River Walks (2018) and Britain’s Great Cathedrals with Tony Robinson (2018).

Presenter Alice Roberts sitting by the river in Canterbury.

Presenter Alice Roberts exploring Canterbury ©IWC Media

 

Britain’s Most Historic Towns Series 2 is due to air on Channel 4 on Saturday 18th May 2019 at 8pm and will air on a weekly basis.

 

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

 

Back to Life – Series 1 (2019)

Posted on by Kent Film Office

 

Main actress Daisy Haggard's reflection seen holding up a handheld mirror and looking into it. Blood splatters a white background.. Back to Life written in black.

Back to Life series ©BBC

 

Writer: Daisy Haggard and Laura Solon

Director: Christopher Sweeney

Starring: Daisy Haggard, Geraldine James, Jamie Michie, and Christine Bottomley

Production Company: BBC Studios

Kent locations used: Dungeness, Abbot’s Cliff, Folkestone & Hythe, Lydd-on-Sea

BBC 3 comedy drama Back to Life follows Miranda ‘Miri’ Matteson (Daisy Haggard), who has just been released from prison, having spent a decade behind bars. Thirty-six years old, jobless and with no one to turn to, she has no choice but to move back in with her parents. She is desperate to go straight and move on with her life but will she be able to free herself from her past?

The series is directed by Christopher Sweeney (Parental Advisory: Disciplinary Measures, Women are from Mars), is written by Daisy Haggard and Laura Solon, and stars Daisy Haggard (Black Mirror, Outnumbered), Geraldine James (Alice in Wonderland, Sherlock Holmes), Jamie Michie (Game of Thrones, The Outlaw King) and Christine Bottomley (Hard Sun, The End of the F***ing World).

Production took filming to place across Dungeness, including Dungeness Estate, the Britannia Pub Inn and Lydd on Sea’s Lade Car Park. Dungeness has recently played host to several TV productions, including The Harry Hill Movie (2013), Parade’s End (2012), and All Or Nothing (2002).

As well as filming along the seafront of the small seaside town of Hythe, production filmed at another location in Dover, Abbot’s Cliff where production for King Lear (2018) also filmed previously.

The show is due to air on BBC 3 on Monday 15th April at 10.35pm.

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

Baptiste (2019)

Posted on by Kent Film Office

 

Actor Tchéky Karyo starring as investigator Julien Baptiste wearing a brown jacket pictured standing in a street looking around with people blurred behind him.

Tchéky Karyo as Julien Baptiste in Baptiste Series ©BBC

 

Writers: Harry Williams and Jack Williams

Director: Börkur Sigþörsson and Jan Mattys

Starring: Tchéky Karyo, Anastasia Hille, Tom Hollander, Camille Schotte, Trystan Gravelle

Production Company: Two Brothers Pictures for BBC One

Kent Locations used: Discovery Park, Dover, Kingsdown, Deal, Ramsgate

The highly anticipated new six-part BBC drama Baptiste will be airing next week! From the creators of The Missing, this spin-off stars Tchéky Karyo as the insightful, yet stubborn investigator Julien Baptiste. Now retired and trying his best to enjoy his retirement with his family,  the investigator is contacted by Police Commissioner and former girlfriend Martha Horchner (Barbara Sarafian), who brings him a missing person’s case he can’t refuse.

The series is directed by Börkur Sigþörsson (BlackBoxTV, Trapped) and Jan Mattys (The Last Kingdom, Shetland). It was written by Harry Williams (The Missing, Liar) and Jack Williams (The Missing, Liar). Starring are Tchéky Karyo (Section Zéro, The Missing), Anastasia Hille (Prey, The Missing), Tom Hollander (American Dad, The Night Manager), Camille Schotte (The Missing, Belgian Disaster), Trystan Gravelle (The Aliens, A Discovery of Witches).

Production visited numerous Kent locations during filming for the series. These included a scene on Deal seafront, also showing Deal Pier, which features Edward Stratton (Tom Hollander) arriving by boat. A small scene also features a Co-op store in Deal where Edward shops for groceries. Further filming took place in neighbouring Kingsdown, again using the sea road and beachfronts. These include an establishing shot of a seafront house, a drone shot of Undercliffe and Sutton Vale Road of a black taxi and Sutton Vale Country Park where Edward Stratton (Tom Hollander) visits his family and meets with Baptiste (Tchéky Karyo). Kingsdown Beach is also featured for a conversation scene between Edward and Baptiste in the final episode.

Discovery Park in Sandwich was also used in the filming, doubling as a Japanese airport.  A tool store on Manston Industrial Estate in Ramsgate is featured as Baptiste (Tchéky Karyo) shops while talking on the phone.

A dangerous smuggle’s haunt in the 1800s, Deal town boasts a wonderful collection of colourful Georgian buildings, complemented by a long shingle beach with huts, fishing boats and pier restores in the 1950’s. It is a popular filming location and has previously featured in productions such as The Tunnel: Sabotage (2016) and Liar (2017). Kingsdown village is situated south of Deal and features in the James Bond trail.

Sandwich is a town north of Deal on the Stour Estuary and was once one of the Cinque Ports. It still has many original medieval buildings, including churches, almshouses and the White Mill. This location was the base for all three series of Kudos’  The Tunnel (2013), The Tunnel: Vengeance and The Tunnel: Sabotage (2016).

Ramsgate, located in the district of Thanet, is a thriving seaside town with beautiful Georgian terraced housing, Marina, Port and Promenade. Previous TV productions which filmed here include Eastenders (2015), The Tunnel: Vengeance (2017) and Hancock and Joan (2008).

Baptiste is set to air on BBC One on Sunday 17th February at 9pm.

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

Trollied: The Wedding – Christmas Special (2018)

Posted on by Kent Film Office

 

Jason Watkins and his four other cast members wearing shirts seen running and struggling through Dublin Ferry Port barriers on a cobbled street.

Gavin (Jason Watkins) and his friends at ‘Dublin Ferry Port’ (Port of Dover) ©TVWise

 

Writer: Paul Doolan
Director: Paul Murphy
Starring: Jason Watkins, Sarah Parish, Stephen Tompkinson, Hugh Dennis
Production Company: Roughcut TV
Kent Location Used: Port of Dover- Cruise Terminal

Deciding to leave the Valcro store and make a fresh start in Calais, Gavin (Jason Watkins) and Cheryl (Sarah Parish) plan to get married. When Gavin’s stag-do goes awry, he and his friends face a race against time to get him back for the wedding.

The Wedding episode of Trollied was written by Paul Doolan (Mongrels (5 episodes)/Hospital People (2 episodes)) and directed by Paul Murphy (Casualty/Grange Hill). The season and show’s finale starred Jason Watkins (Being Human/Love, Nina), Sarah Parish (W1A/Bancroft), Stephen Tompkinson (Truckers/DCI Banks) and Hugh Dennis (Not Going Out/Outnumbered), plus many more of the Trollied regulars.

The Cruise Terminal at the Port of Dover was used as the location for the Dublin and Holyhead Ferry Ports in scenes which sees Gavin (Jason Watkins) and his friends panic they are going to miss the wedding.

The Port of Dover in Kent is the closest point between England and France and the busiest ferry port in Europe. It gets a lot of interest from location managers for the service it provides and the views that come along with it. Other shows that filmed on location at the port include The Tunnel (2013), Missing (2009-2010), and film Albert’s Memorial (2009).

The episode was first aired in the UK on the 23rd December 2018 on Sky One.

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

The Lost Commando Raid (2018)

Posted on by Kent Film Office

 

 

Image of a dark tunnel with The Lost Commando Raid text over the top in bright yellow.

The Lost Commando Raid ©BBC South East

 

Starring: Toby Jones, Phil Eyden

Production Company: BBC South East

Kent Locations Used:  Dover

BBC documentary film The Lost Commando Raid was inspired by Phil Eyden’s book, Dover’s Forgotten Commando Raid, and tells the story of Operation Abercrombie, a WWII raid led by Lord Lovatt on the French Town of Hardelot in 1942.

Narrating is BAFTA winning actor Toby Jones (Dr Who, Captain America, The Detectorists), as amateur historian Phil Eyden discovers mysterious graffiti in a supposedly abandoned fort in Dover that leads him to the story of a long-forgotten commando mission. The documentary includes interviews with Phil Eyden, as well as some of the relatives  of the commando’s taking part.

Production filmed in and around Dover at various locations, including the Drop Redoubt and the Grand Shaft at Western Heights, St Margaret’s at Cliffe, as well as at Discovery Park, where production filmed historian Phil Eyden using a microfilm reader and talking about Dover’s role in WWII.

Dover is the site of the famous White Cliffs of Dover and has been used in various productions such as Britain’s Favourite Walks: Top 100 (2018), Secret Britain (2016) and Great British Railway Journeys – Series 7 (2016).

The Lost Commando Raid will air on Friday 14th December 2018 at 7.30pm on BBC South East.

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

 

 

 

King of Thieves (2018)

Posted on by Kent Film Office

 

King of Thieves Movie Poster with pink background and main actors faces in the shape of a diamond.

King of Thieves Movie Poster ©IMDb

 

Writer: Joe Penhall

Director: James Marsh

Starring: Michael Caine, Michael Gambon, Tom Courtenay

Production Company: Working Title Films

Kent Locations Used: The Harbour Arm, Turner Contemporary, Wig and Pen Pub, Nayland Rock Hotel, Margate train station, and Dover

Feature film King of Thieves is based on the infamous Hatton Garden Robbery, in which a crew of retired crooks pull off a major heist in London’s jewelry district. The thieves, most of them in their 60s and 70s, employ their old-school tricks of the trade to plan the heist over the Easter holiday weekend of 2015. After taking over £200 million worth of jewels, arguments erupt in the group as the police start to move in on the group.

Starring Michael Cain (The Dark Knight, the quiet American, The Prestige) as widower Brian Reader, Michael Gambon  (The Kings speech, Harry Potter) as Billy ‘The Fish’ Lincoln. Tom Courtenay (45 years, Nicholas Nickleby) as John Kenny Collins.

A short scene was filmed at the footbridge that leads to Shakespeare’s Beach in Aycliffe, Dover, but the main bulk of the scenes were filmed in and around Margate, including scenes at the Wig and Pen Pub, the Nayland Rock Hotel, Harbour Arm in Margate, outside the Turner Contemporary, and a scene at Margate Train Station.

Margate is a popular film location for films and has recently featured in film productions such as King Lear (2018), The Carer (2016) and True Love (2012).

Dover, where production filmed a small scene, is the site of the famous white cliffs of Dover and has been used in films such as Sherlock Holmes (2011).

The film will be released in cinemas on Friday 14th September 2018.

 

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

Vanity Fair (2018)

Posted on by Kent Film Office
Poster for Vanity Fair series- women in long red dress sat on a gold chair with her feet up on a globe model.

Poster for Vanity Fair series ©ITV Studio

 

Writer:  Gwyneth Hughes

Director: James Strong

Starring: Olivia Cooke, Suranne Jones, Martin Clunes

Production Company: Mammoth Screen

Kent Locations Used: Deal, Dover, Sevenoaks and Medway

This new ITV series is an adaptation of William Makepeace Thackeray’s classic Victorian novel Vanity Fair. Set in the time of the Napoleonic wars, it follows the life of a beautiful and determined woman named Becky Sharp (Olivia Cooke) as she attempts to claw her way out of poverty and climb straight to the top of 19th century English Society.

Starring Olivia Cooke (Ready Player One, Bates Motel) as the antihero Becky Sharp, Suranne Jones (Doctor Foster, Scott and Bailey) as Miss Pinkerton, Martin Clunes (Doc Martin, Men Behaving Badly) as Sir Pitt Crawley, Michael Palin (Monty Python, Remember Me) as Thackeray, Tom Bateman (Snatched, Into The Dark) as Captain Rawdon Crawley.

A cottage on Chevening House Estate was used for filming and featured as Rawdons’ (Tom Bateman) Cottage. This location is situated at the foot of the North Downs in Sevenoaks with extensive parkland surrounding it. It is set aside for official Government business.

A scene on the promenade, featuring soldiers and horses was filmed outside the Royal Hotel in Deal. The town is situated on the South Coast of Kent and has a longstanding naval history as one of the major Cinque Ports and many period features remain.

Squerryes Court in Sevenoaks was also used for filming Miss Pinkertons’ (Suranne Jones) school interiors. This location is a beautiful 17th century manor house which has been in the residence of the Warde family since 1731. It is surrounded with 20 acres of attractive and historic gardens which includes a lake and 18th century dovecote. Previous films that have used this location are The Hollow Crown: Henry V (2012) and The Boat that Rocked (2009).

The Historic Chatham Dockyard was also used. Production filmed various London street scenes outside the Ropery, as well as Anchor Wharf for an embarkation to France and the interior of Commissioners House. The Historic Chatham Dockyard built many ships for the Royal Navy over the last 400 years, including HMS Victory, and it is the home of the Royal Rope Makers, having produced ropes since 1618. It is a popular filming location which offers many period locations, authentic cobbled streets and three historic warships. The Dockyard has previously been featured in films such as Suffragette (2015) and Mr Turner (2014).

Vanity Fair begins on 2nd September 2018 at 9pm on ITV, with episode two airing the next day, on Monday (3rd September 2018). It will then continue for 5 Sunday nights at 9pm.

 

 

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

 

 

 

King Lear (2018)

Posted on by Kent Film Office

 

Portrait shot of character King Lear sitting on a chair with his three daughters by his side in the palace. Background is black and white chequered floor with black wall panels.

King Lear and his three daughters ©BBC

 

Director: Richard Eyre

Starring: Anthony Hopkins, Emma Thompson, Emily Watson, Florence Pugh, Jim Broadbent, Andrew Scott, John Macmillan, Jim Carter, Christopher Eccleston, Tobias Menzies, Anthony Calf and Karl Johnson

Production Company: Playground Entertainment, Amazon Studios and BBC

Kent Locations Used: Dover

King Lear is a modern-day adaptation of William Shakespeare’s play of the same name. The film tells the tragic story of King Lear (Anthony Hopkins) who abdicates his throne in favour of his two corrupt daughters Regan (Emily Watson) and Goneril (Emma Thompson), rejecting his loving and honest third daughter Cordelia (Florence Pugh) when she fails his test of flattery.

Director, Richard Eyre, has previously worked on films Notes on a Scandal, Iris, and Stage Beauty. Anthony Hopkins who plays King Lear, is best known for his role in The Silence of the Lambs, Hannibal, and Hitchcock. Emma Thompson as eldest daughter Goneril, was previously in Love Actually and The Remains of the Day.

Scenes were filmed in various locations in Dover, such as at Dover Castle, Samphire Hoe, and Abbot’s Cliff.

King Lear will air on Monday 28 May 2018 at 9:30pm on BBC Two.

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

Eastenders (2018)

Posted on by Kent Film Office
Actress Melanie Owen (TAMZIN OUTHWAITE) smiling with her hands in her pockets. She is wearing a white blouse and grey cardigan. She is on a plain white background.

Melanie Owen (TAMZIN OUTHWAITE) © BBC – Photographer: Nicky Johnston

Writer: Henry R. Swindell

Creative Director: John Yorke

Starring: Tamzin Outhwaite, Adam Woodyatt, Nitin Ganatra, Gillian Taylforth

Production Company: BBC

Popular BBC One soap Eastenders is set in East London and chronicles the lives of the residents of Albert Square. In the upcoming episodes Mel Owen (Tamzin Outhwaite) returns to the Square after nearly 16 years away. Tamzin made her first appearance in October 1998 and was dubbed the show sweetheart.

Last seen in April 2002, Mel fled Walford when everything started to fall apart. If losing her beloved husband, Steve Owen was not enough heartbreak for Mel, his web of deceit and lies were soon uncovered and Mel found herself facing a long stretch in prison as she was unknowingly implicated in her late husband’s drug dealing. Mel took desperate measures and she fled the country.

EastEnders’ Creative Director John Yorke admitted: “Tamzin is one of EastEnders’ biggest stars, so it’s particularly exciting to welcome her back to Walford for an incredible storyline – one that will awaken a lot of old ghosts, some great memories, and a whole new series of adventures too.”

Filming took place over 3 days at the Cruise Terminal in the Port of Dover at Passport control, a security office and a DFDS Ferry to France as Tamzin’s character appears in yet another gripping plotline.

The show has been running since 1985 and now airs four times a week with an average of more than 8 million viewers per episode.

Dover is best known for the world famous White Cliffs of Dover along with the Port of Dover and Dover Castle. The Port of Dover is a popular choice for TV dramas recently appearing in Sky Atlantic series The Tunnel: Sabotage (2016) and Missing Series 2 (2010).

The Eastenders episode featuring Kent was screened on BBC One at 19:30 on 12 January 2018.

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