Top Boy (2019-2022)

Kane Robinson as Sully and Ashley Walters as Dushane stand in front of the River Thames looking off into the distance. Both are wearing dark-coloured baggy hoodies.

Kane Robinson and Ashley Walters in Top Boy Season 1 © Netflix

Writer: Ronan Bennett
Starring: Ashley Walters,Kane Robinson, Micheal Ward, Shone Romulus
Production Company: Cowboy Films, DreamCrew, Easter Partisan, SpringHill Entertainment
Kent Locations Used: Margate, Ramsgate, Gravesend, The Dockside Outlet Shopping Centre in Chatham

Top Boy (2019-2022) is a British drama series revolving around the life of Dushane (Ashley Walters (Figures of SpeechBulletproof)), the leader of an underground drug operation, his friend Sully (Kane Robinson (Tower BlockPoint Blank)), troubled teen Jamie (Michael Ward (The A List, Small Axe (2020)) and their aim to become the richest men in town.

Axed by Channel 4 in 2013 after two series, the show soon found a new home on Netflix and the new Series  was produced by rapper Drake, a long-time fan of the show.

Season One follows the story of Dushane as he travels to Jamaica where he makes a deal with Sugar (Gilbert Chen), an imprisoned drug lord. When Dushane returns to the UK, he connects with some of his crew selling drugs in Ramsgate and tries to regain control. Back on Summerhouse estate, Dushane once again rises to Top Boy status despite resistance from the new crew in London Fields that is headed by teenager Jamie. Season Two continues to explore the rival dynamics between the two gangs.

Season One was written by Ronan Bennett (GunpowderHidden) and Daniel West (Gunpowder) and directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green (King Richard, Monsters and Men), Brady Hood (Endeavour, The One) and Aneil Karia (Lovesick, Pure), with Episode 4 directed by the critically-acclaimed Nia DaCosta (Candyman, The Marvels).

Season Two sees the return of Ronan Bennett as writer, and introduces new cast members including Josephine De La Baume (Road Games (2016), Mr Selfridge (2013-2016)) as Delphine, Sully’s new love interest, Howard Charles (Whitstable Pearl (2021-2022), Liar (2017-2020) as Curtis, Lauryn’s abusive boyfriend, Erin Kellyman (The Green Knight, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier) as Pebbles, and rap and grime artist NoLay who returns to her role as Sully’s ex-girlfriend Mandy.

In Season One, filming took place in Margate at Walpole Bay and Fulsam Rock Beach and nearby streets including Athelstan Road. Production also visited Ramsgate, where they filmed at Jacob’s Ladder, outside the Rose of England pub on the High Street and Ramsgate Train Station. In addition, Gordon Place in Gravesend played the role of the fictional ‘Summerhouse Estate’ in London.

In Season Two Episode 5, The Dockside Outlet Shopping Centre in Chatham features in a scene where Lauryn (Saffron Hocking) flees from her abusive boyfriend in a Liverpool shopping mall. Chatham is a historic town situated in Medway, North Kent, and is known for its historic dockyard, army barracks and high street. A recent production to film in Chatham is Great British Railway Journeys Series 11 (2020).

Margate, in the district of Thanet, is a popular film location and has been used as in various productions such as in feature films King of Thieves (2018) and King Lear (2018). Ramsgate is also a popular location in Thanet and has featured in several productions such as Baptise (2019)Hurricane (2018) and The Tunnel: Sabotage (2016).

Gravesend is on the southern bank of the River Thames and boasts a cast iron pier, promenade and high street as well as international rail links at the nearby Ebbsfleet International station. The Gravesend area has previously welcomed film productions such as Killing Eve (2018-2022), The Escape (2018), and Doctor Strange (2016).

Top Boy Season Two was made available to stream on Netflix on Friday 18th March 2022.

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


Summer of Rockets (2019)

Close up of actress from Summer of Rockets pictured inside a building, looking deep in thought off camera, wearing a blue coat and green scarf.

Summer of Rockets ©BBC Pictures

Writer: Stephen Poliakoff
Director: Stephen Poliakoff
Starring: Toby Woolf, Suanne Braun, Keeley Hawes, Linus Roache, Timothy Spall, Toby Stephens
Production Company: Little Island Productions
Kent Locations Used: The Historic Dockyards, Chatham

Set in London during the height of the Cold War, Summer of Rockets (2019) is a drama based on true events amid with growing tensions across Europe. At the time, the UK tested its first hydrogen bomb, the Soviets launched their first ballistic missile, and the space race between America and the Soviet Union had begun.

Written and directed by multi-award winning writer Stephen Poliakoff (Dancing on the Edge, Close to the Enemy), the series stars Toby Woolf (The Last Post), Suanne Braun (No Signal, Starhyke), Keeley Hawes (Line of Duty, Bodyguard) Linus Roache (Non-Stop, Vikings), Timothy Spall (Finding Your Feet, Hatton Gardens), Toby Stephens (And Then There Were None, Lost in Space).

The streets outside the Ropery in The Historic Dockyard Chatham were used to film the 1950s civil defence exercise in the series and the upper floors of the Ropery itself featured as civil defence training rooms.

The Historic Dockyard Chatham, with its Victorian and Georgian architecture continues to be a popular filming location. Previous productions which featured this location have been The Man From U.N.C.L.E. (2015), Our World War (2014) and Foyle’s War – A War of Nerves (2004).

Summer of Rockets can be seen on BBC Two on Wednesday 22nd May 2019 at 9pm. After this, episodes will then be shown every Wednesday for the next six weeks.

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


Baptiste (2019)

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 (2019-2021) 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 smuggler’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. 


Dark Heart Series 1 (2018)

Actor Tom Riley from Dark Heart Series staring away from the camera in a suit and coat. City skyline in background.

Actor Tom Riley from Dark Heart Series ©ITV

Writer: Chris Lang
Director: Colin Teague
Starring: Miranda Raison, Anjli Mohindra, Tom Riley
Production Company: ITV Studios
Kent Locations Used: Shellness beach, Swale

ITV crime drama Dark Heart (2016-2018) will soon be hitting our screens, starring Tom Riley as DI Will Wagstaffe, who is haunted by his past after both his parents were murdered when he was just sixteen years old. Will and his team try to solve brutal crimes, whilst he also attempts to hold his own fractured life together.

Alongside Tom Riley (The Nevers (2021), Da Vinci’s Demons) are Miranda Raison (Spooks (2007), My Week with Marilyn) and Anjli Mohindra (The Lazarus Project, Bodyguard) and the series is written by Chris Lang (Unforgotten, Innocent) and directed by Colin Teague (Torchwood, Being Human).

Scenes were filmed at one of the beach chalets on Shellness Beach and included a drone shot of a car travelling along Shellness Road.

Shellness Beach has proved to be a popular filming location recently, with Netflix series End of the F***ing World (2017) and Channel 4’s Kiss Me First (2018) using the area as a filming location also.

Dark Heart can be seen on ITV on Wednesday 31st October 2018 at 9pm.

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


Black Earth Rising (2018)

Black Earth Rising Series Poster Image- main character in a dress staring up at the sky on a dirt track with foliage either side.

Black Earth Rising Series ©BBC Two

Writer: Hugo Blick

Director: Hugo Blick

Starring: Aure Atika, Abena Ayivor, Martin Bassindale

Production Company: Drama Republic BBC, British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and Drama Republic

Kent Locations Used: Sevenoaks

Black Earth Rising is an upcoming television drama series written and directed by Hugo Blick , who has written and directed this poignant new drama, tackling issues such as the relationship between contemporary Africa and the West and the prosecution of international war crimes.

Starring Aure Atika (In and Night, The night manager) as Sophie Barre, Abena Ayivor (Machine Gun Preacher, The dinosaur Project) as Bibi Mundanzi, Martin Bassindale (Holmes and Watson, Endeavour) as Peter.

The production visited  a private residence in Sevenoaks whose swimming pool doubled for a Spa hotel in Paris. Sevenoaks has been a popular filming location and previously featured in BBC’s popular ‘Who Do You Think You Are’ in 2014, the latest series of Vanity Fair in 2018, and Sky Arts Landscape Artist of the Year in 2017.

The six part series will air on Monday 10th September 2018 at 9pm on BBC Two.

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


Downton Abbey (2010 & 2013)

Joanne Froggatt as Anna Bates, Baby George and Di Botcher as Nanny West

Joanne Froggatt as Anna Bates, Baby George and Di Botcher as Nanny West © ITV

Creator: Julian Fellowes
Starring: Maggie Smith, Hugh Bonneville, Michelle Dockery, Brendan Coyle, Elizabeth McGovern
Production Company:
ITV Studios, Carnival Films, Masterpiece, NBC Universal, WGBH Boston
Kent Locations Used:
Kent & East Sussex Railway, The Historic Dockyard Chatham

Downton Abbey (2010-2015) was an ITV period drama charting the lives of the Crawley family and their servants in early 20th Century Britain.

Created by Julian Fellowes (Belgravia (2020), Vanity Fair (2005)), the series hosts a star of acting talent including Maggie Smith (The Lady in the Van (2015), A Room With a View (1986)) as Violet Crawley, Hugh Bonneville (The Gold (2023), The Monuments Men (2014)) as Robert Crawley, Michelle Dockery (The Gentlemen, Good Behaviour) as Lady Mary Crawley, Brendan Coyle (Me Before You, Lark Rise to Candleford) as John Bates and Elizabeth McGovern (Ordinary People, Once Upon a Time in America) as Cora Crawley.

The opening shot of Series 1 Episode 1 is a steam train going through the countryside and was filmed at Kent & East Sussex Railway.

In February 2013, the Downton Abbey team visited The Historic Dockyard Chatham where they used the Tarred Yarn Store to double as the workhouse where Mr Grigg (Nicky Henson) works in Series 4 Episode 1. Later, in Episode 2, the Ropery streets were used for the scenes where Lady Rose MacClare (Lily James) is at the market with James Kent (Ed Speleers) watching her.

Downton Abbey Screenshot - train going through the countryside

Downton Abbey Screenshot © ITV Studios, Carnival Films, Masterpiece, NBC Universal, WGBH Boston

Kent & East Sussex Railway is a ten-and-a-half-mile rural light railway from Tenterden to East Sussex. Kent & East Sussex Railway has previously featured in film and TV productions including Richard E. Grant on Ealing Comedies (2016), Mapp and Lucia (2014) and Last Passenger (2013).

The Historic Dockyard Chatham is a popular film location due to its varied and interesting areas such as the cobbled streets, church and over 100 buildings dating from the Georgian and Victorian periods. Previous productions that have shot here include Les Misérables (2013), Call the Midwife (2012-2024), and The Golden Compass (2007).

Series 1 of Downton Abbey originally aired on ITV from Sunday 26th September.

Series 4 of Downton Abbey aired on ITV from Sunday 22nd September 2013 and is now available to stream on Amazon Prime.

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


The Alan Clark Diaries (2004)

Alan Clark walking under the gate at Saltwood Castle

Alan Clark (John Hurt) at Saltwood Castle © BBC

Directed by: Jon Jones

Written by: Alan Clark, Jon Jones

Starring: John Hurt, Jenny Agutter, Hugh Fraser, Nicholas Jones, Jeremy Clyde, Paul Brooke, Peter Blythe

Production Company: BBC

Kent Locations: Saltwood Castle, Hythe Beach

The Alan Clark Diaries is a 6 part BBC drama production, adapted from the bestselling diaries of late conservative MP Alan Clark. It gives a unique inside into the politicians mind, his controversial views and his dedication to the conservative party. It depicts the highs and lows of his career, as well as his unique relationship with his loyal wife Jane (Jenny Agutter), who tries her best to support him throughout his political life.

Starring John Hurt (Doctor Who, Hellboy Franchise) as Alan Clark alongside Jenny Agutter (Call the Midwife, The Avengers), Hugh Fraser (Agatha Christie: Poirot, 101 Dalmations), Nicholas Jones(Philomena , Hornblower: Mutiny), Jeremy Clyde (The Iron Lady), Paul Brooke(Bridget Jones’s Diary , The Phantom of the Opera)and Peter Blythe(Carrington).

Saltwood Castle featured as itself during the series after Clark’s widow, Jane, gave her support for the production and welcomed the team into her home. The castle remains owned by the Clark family, and is rarely opened to the public. However, it has previously hosted other productions such as My Week with Marilyn (2011), again due to a family connection.

Alan Clark often used to visit Hythe seafront and this is represented in the first episode of the series. Fisherman’s Beach in Hythe is a pebble beach with beautiful views, closely located to several cafés and tearooms, which are perfect for tourists.

The Alan Clark Diaries was first aired on the BBC in 2004 and is now available to buy on DVD.

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


Elizabeth R (1971)

Elizabeth R in costume and make up looking away from the camera

Elizabeth R © BBC

Starring: Glenda Jackson, Ronald Hines, Stephen Murray, Rachel Kempson, Robert Hardy, John Shrapnel
Production Company: BBC, Masterpiece
Kent Locations Used: Penshurst Place, Chiddingstone, St. John The Baptist Church, Penshurst

Elizabeth R (1971) is a six part BBC drama is about the life and tumultuous reign of Elizabeth I, including her rise to the throne, quest for a suitor and the challenges she faces with the threat of the Spanish Armada.

Starring in the lead role of Queen Elizabeth is Glenda Jackson (Sunday Bloody Sunday, Women in Love) supported by Ronald Hines (Young Winston, Not in Front of the Children), Stephen Murray (The Nun’s Story, The Magnet), Rachel Kempson (Out of Africa, Tom Jones), Robert Hardy (Sense and Sensibility, Little Dorrit) and John Shrapnel (Gladiator, Troy).

The series won five Emmy Awards, including Drama Series, New Series, Achievement in Costume Design and Glenda Jackson scooped the Continued Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role prize, as well as Outstanding Single Performance for the episode “The Shadow In The Sun”.

The production filmed at Penshurst Place which doubled as the Queen’s castle grounds and featured in a variety of

Elizabeth R at Penshurst Place walking towards the stone building, two other women in costume follow behind

Screenshot of Elizabeth R ladies walking through the grounds of Penshurst Place

scenes in episode one and two. St. John The Baptist church in Penshurst also featured in episode 2 for the scenes where Lord Robert Dudley  waits at the church for Queen Elizabeth.

Nearby Chiddingstone village also features in the first two episodes of the series, for the scenes where Queen Elizabeth celebrates her rise to the throne.

Penshurst Place is set in 2,500 acres and boasts limestone exteriors as well as the 14th century house with medieval interiors, beautiful gardens and parkland. Penshurst Place is a popular film location, having been used for productions such as The Hollow Crown – Henry V (2012), The Other Boleyn Girl (2008) and The Princess Bride (1987).

Chiddingstone is a one-street Tudor village with its properties boasting half-timbered sides, gables and stone-hung red-tiled roofs. The village is owned by the National Trust to ensure its preservation and has previously been used for productions such as A Room With A View (1986).

Elizabeth R also features in the Kent Film Office Tudor(ish) Trail which celebrates Kent’s Tudor history and film connections.

Elizabeth R (1971) was first broadcast on BBC2 from Wednesday 17th February to Wednesday 24th March 1971 and is now available to buy on DVD.

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