Dover

After Love (2021)

Posted on by Kent Film Office
Actress Joanna Scanlan as Mary Hussain in a scene from the film. Joanna wears a patterned top and black headscarf and is looking into the distance. Behind her is grass.

Joanna Scanlan in After Love (2021) © IMDb

After Love (2021) is a BFI funded film directed by Aleem Khan (Three Brothers, Diana). It follows Mary Hussain played by Joanna Scanlan (Stardust, Getting On) in the wake of her husband Ahmed’s unexpected death played by Nasser Memarzi (Knightfall, The Honourable Woman). She leaves her hometown of Dover behind to cross the channel to Calais where she hopes to uncover secrets in her husband’s past.

The film also stars Nathalie Richard (Never Let Me Go, Caché) and focuses on the beauty of cultural differences and the effects of physical distance on people’s relationships.

Production visited The White Cliffs of Dover whilst filming, as well as a private residence in Kingsdown, near Dover. One scene was filmed showing Mary (Joanna Scanlan) boarding a ferry at the Port of Dover, as she travels to the Continent.

The White Cliffs of Dover are an iconic landmark, affording spectacular views across the Channel. Dover is a popular film location which also boasts the historic Dover Castle. The White Cliffs of Dover have previously featured in Sherlock Holmes – A Game of Shadows (2011), On A Clear Day (2005) and Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines (1965).

As the busiest passenger port in Europe, The Port of Dover is a very sought-after filming location. Previous productions to film at the Port include Disney’s Christopher Robin (2018) and Will (2011).

After Love was screened as part of the BFI London Film Festival 2020 in October 2020.

After Love (2021) will be released in UK cinemas on 4 June 2021.

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

 

Whitstable Pearl Series 1 (2021)

Posted on by Kent Film Office
Kerry Godliman as restaurant owner Pearl Nolan is centre of the image wearing a green top and blue apron. She has blonde hair and behind her is a pebble beach with boats and fishing huts

Whitstable Pearl stars Kerry Godliman as restaurant owner Pearl Nolan © Acorn TV

Writer: Julie Wassmer, Øystein Karlsen, Mike Walden, Rachel Flowerday, Alastair Galbraith
Directors: David Caffrey, Jon Jones
Starring: Kerry Godliman, Howard Charles, Frances Barber
Production Company: Buccaneer Media
Kent Locations Used: Whitstable, Canterbury, Faversham, Herne Bay, Margate, Ramsgate, Detling, Dover, Maidstone

Based on the much loved series of novels ‘The Whitstable Pearl Mysteries’ by Kent resident Julie Wassmer (EastEnders, London’s Burning), Whitstable Pearl (2021) is a six part detective series for Acorn TV. The story follows big-hearted local restaurant owner Pearl Nolan (Kerry Godliman) who sets up a local detective agency after undergoing police training in an earlier career. She is soon embroiled in her first case when she discovers the body of close friend, Vinnie. Pearl forms an unlikely partnership with DCI Mike McGuire (Howard Charles) and finds herself pulled into the dark underbelly of the picturesque town she calls home.

Whitstable Pearl (2021) was adapted for screen by Norwegian filmmaker Øystein Karlsen (One Night, Dag). Other writer credits include Mike Walden (Marcella), Rachel Flowerday (Marcella, Malory Towers) and Alastair Galbraith (Coronation Street). David Caffrey (The Alienist: Angel of Darkness, Peaky Blinders) is lead director joined by Jon Jones (We Hunt Together, Mr Selfridge (2013)).

Kerry Godliman (After Life, Call the Midwife (2019)) headlines the show as Pearl Nolan alongside Howard Charles as DCI Mike McGuire (Shadow and Bone, Liar Series 2 (2020)) and Frances Barber (Cold Feet, Queens of Mystery (2019)) as Pearl’s mum Dolly.

A woman with red hair and a black hat (Frances Barber as Dolly) walks along the sea shore with a woman wearing a black coat carrying a box (Kerry Godliman as Pearl Nolan). In the distance is the shoreline with houses and a beach

Frances Barber as Pearl’s mother Dolly (left) and Kerry Godliman as Pearl Nolan © Mark Bourdillon / Acorn TV

Most of the filming took place in and around Whitstable itself, including scenes filmed by the coast at Whitstable Harbour, Whitstable West Beach, Whitstable Yacht Club and Tankerton Beach. Long Rock and Swalecliff doubles as Seasalter Beach in Episode 6.

Whitstable High Street features and local shops were filmed including Iain’s Plaice (fish and chip restaurant), Gilbert’s Cafe and art gallery Chappell Contemporary as Houlihan’s Hardware store. Other Whitstable businesses filmed include the Cemetery, Football Ground, MFA Bowl and Seaview Holiday Park, which features as the trailer park where Vinnie and Connie live. Several private residences were used for filming including Beacon House as Pearl’s House located on Tankerton Beach and several other properties across Whitstable town.

The Kent Events Centre was used as a studio build location for interiors of Pearl’s seafood restaurant. Meanwhile, Margate in Thanet features in the series with Westgate-on-Sea doubling for Whitstable Beach and The Walpole Bay Hotel & Museum doubling for a Whitstable hotel. Production also filmed what was formerly St Peter’s Roman Catholic Church on Canterbury Road as Mather’s Church in Westgate-on-Sea for Episode 4. The Port of Ramsgate Harbour Approach Tunnel and Royal Harbour Marina also feature in Episode 2.

Interior scenes were filmed at St Martin’s Hospital in Canterbury doubling as a police station and a hospital, while The Citadel doubles as a Police Station and a children’s home. In Episode 3 Jasper House on London Road in Dover doubles as Greenacre Social Club. Other filming locations include the Redsand (Maunsell) Forts off the shore of Whitstable, a field near Faversham at Belmont Park, Hall Place Enterprises – a campus of the University of Kent at Canterbury doubling for interior scenes for both Whitstable Hospital and Whitstable Police Station – and private residences in Herne Bay and Thurnham near Maidstone. Mount Ephraim Gardens in Hernhill also features in Episode 1 as the Azarov family rented villa.

Whitstable is a 16th century thriving seaside resort in Kent. Known for its native oysters, Whitstable boasts a working fishing harbour, shingle beach and busy high street. Recent productions to film in the town include The Great Pottery Throw Down – Series 3 (2020) and The Thames: Britain’s Great River With Tony Robinson (2019). Beacon House is a colonial clapboard wooden turn of the century Beach House.  Set above the beach on a private sea road, the grounds include wild woodland gardens and views out to sea and lines of beach huts. Catastrophe Series 4 (2019) filmed at this location. Long Rock beach is a shingle promontory covered in grass with a number of paths across it. It is situated at Swalecliffe between Whitstable and Herne Bay.

Canterbury is a historic cathedral city; many of its original historical structures remain, including the cathedral and section of the city wall. The city is a popular tourist destination and a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site. Sex Education Season 3 (2021) and Small Axe (2020) have previously filmed at locations in the City.

Mount Ephraim Gardens located in Hernhill, Swale is a late Victorian property with an impressive and grand columned entrance situated in 10 glorious acres of stunning Edwardian terraced gardens. The large hall has marble columns and an elegant staircase adorned with a highly decorative hand-rail. The original Victorian roof-mounted skylight is located directly above the hall, providing natural daylight.

The Kent Events Centre based in Detling is the largest, most flexible conference and exhibition venue in Kent, offering 7,000 sqm of indoor space available to film productions as studio space and 200 acres of outdoor space. As the county town of Kent, Maidstone plays an important part in Kent’s history. The Borough of Maidstone is a popular town for filming, previous productions include This Time With Alan Partridge – Season 2 (2021) and Hetty Feather Series 1 – 6 (2015 – 2020).

Margate is a traditional seaside town complete with sandy beach, harbour, amusement park, period housing and ultra modern art gallery Turner Contemporary. The Walpole Bay Hotel & Museum in Margate was built for discerning guests in 1914 and extended in 1927. The hotel has five floors and 42 bedrooms and a museum space. The décor and layout is versatile to suit many eras and the hotel provides cast and crew accommodation and on road parking in a quiet cul de sac. Westgate-on-Sea is a charming Victorian town, steeped in Heritage with quaint shops and two fantastic blue flag beaches. Margate is popular as a film location with recent productions including Two Weeks to Live (2020), Pandemonium (2020) and Top Boy – Series 3 (2019).

The Port of Ramsgate offers 32 acres of dedicated Port Land including 3 modern Ro-Ro bridges and water and bunker facilities on all berths and the Ramsgate Harbour Approach Tunnel. It is often used as ‘stand-in’ for the Port of Dover. Royal Harbour Marina offers 700 finger moorings set in a picturesque and historic harbour setting. Crime dramas to previously film at the Port of Ramsgate include The Tunnel: Vengeance (2017) and Baptiste (2019).

The Citadel, located on Dover’s Western Heights was constructed in the late 1700’s as a port of defence during the Napoleonic war. Most recently it has been used as a borstal, prison, and immigration detention centre up until its closure in 2015. It is now becoming popular as a filming location and has welcomed several productions over the past year – soon to broadcast. 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).

Herne Bay is a coastal resort popular for filming along the Kent coast. Kate & Koji (2020) is a recent production to film here. Faversham is a beautiful historic market town set on Faversham Creek. TV productions to film in the area include Hetty Feather Series 1 – 6 (2015 – 2020) and Celebrity Antiques Road Show – Series 8 (2018).

St Martin’s Hospital is a large building on the outskirts of busy Canterbury town centre. It has hosted filming for crime drama The Tunnel: Sabotage (2016) and The Tunnel: Vengeance (2017).

Whitstable Pearl (2021) will be available as a box set on Acorn TV on Monday 24th May 2021.

Official trailer: https://youtu.be/hDA4KWtw7JU

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

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 and 2 (2019 – 2021)

Posted on by Kent Film Office

 

Daisy Haggard as Miri Matteson is sat on a bench on a pebbled beach with Adeel Akhtar as Billy. She has long hair blowing in the wind and is holding her phone and a sandwich. She is wearing a green anorak and black leggings. Adeel has black hair and a beard and wears a brown jacket and blue jeans.

Miri Matteson (Daisy Haggard), Billy (Adeel Akhtar) in Back to Life Series 2 (2021) in Hythe © SHOWTIME

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 in Dover, Folkstone & Hythe, Lydd-on-Sea

BBC3 comedy drama Back to Life follows Miranda ‘Miri’ Matteson (Daisy Haggard Breeders Series 2 (2021), Hilda) who has just been released from prison, having spent a decade behind bars. In Series One she is desperate to go straight and move on with her life.

In Series Two Miri starts a relationship with her neighbour Billy (Adeel Akhtar (Victoria and Abdul (2017)), but all is not plain sailing as a body is washed up on the beach and she becomes the prime suspect.

The series was 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 filmed in locations across Dungeness, including Dungeness Estate, the Britannia Pub Inn and Lydd on Sea’s Lade Car Park. Dungeness has played host to several recent TV productions including Brave New World (2020), The Third Day (2020) and Fantasy Homes by the Sea – Series 7 (2018).

Filming took place along the seafront at Folkestone’s Harbour Arm and Marine Parade Beach as well as in the nearby small seaside town of Hythe, which is the main setting for Miri’s hometowm. Production shot on the High Street, West Parade Promenade and  Fisherman’s beach. The Folkestone & Hythe district of Kent has 26 miles of beaches and is a popular location for filming, recently appearing in Flesh and Blood (2020) and Queens of Mystery (2019).

Abbot’s Cliff in Dover features in both series.

Series One aired on BBC 3 on Monday 15th April 2019 and is currently available on iplayer.

Series Two airs weekly on BBC One from Tuesday 31 August at 10.35pm and will be available on BBC iPlayer from the same date.

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)

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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.