Our World War (2014)

Soldiers holding guns running through war torn ground

Our World War © BBC/Joss Barratt

Production Company: BBC

Kent Locations Used: The Historic Dockyard Chatham

Marking the centenary of World War One, Our World War is a new BBC Three drama series documenting the real experiences of young British soldiers who bravely fought in the war.

The three part drama draws on stories of World War One soldiers and aims to bring audiences closer than ever before to the real events.

The Our World War production team visited The Historic Dockyard Chatham where they filmed exterior street scenes before and after a shell explosion and The Ropery doubled as a forward command post.

The Historic Dockyard Chatham  is a fantastic film location due to its mix of cobbled streets, industrial buildings and impressive Georgian and Victorian architecture. Feature films Les Miserables (2012) and Sherlock Holmes (2009 and 2011) as well as TV dramas Call the Midwife (2012-2014) and Oliver Twist (2007) have also chosen to film at this diverse Kent location.

Our World War starts on Thursday 7th August 2014 on BBC Three at 21:00.

 

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


Still Life (2013)

Eddie Marsan as John May stands on a concrete grey tiled pavement looking upwards. He wears a white shirt, grey knitted vest, black spotted tie and a black trench coat. He holds a brown leather bag.

Eddie Marsan in Still Life (2013) © Beta Cinema

Director / Writer: Uberto Pasolini
Starring:
Eddie Marsan, Joanne Froggatt
Production Company:
Redwave Films, Embargo Films, Beta Cinema, Cinecittà, Exponential Media, RAI Radiotelevisione Italiana
Kent Locations Used:
Whitstable, Herne Bay

Still Life (2013) follows council case worker John May as he looks for the relatives of those who died with no known family.

Written and directed by Uberto Pasolini (The Full Monty, Nowhere Special), Still Life stars Eddie Marsan (Deceit (2021), Southcliffe (2013)) as John May, with Joanne Froggatt (Liar (2017-2020), Downton Abbey (2013)) in a supporting role as Kelly Stoke.

Production visited Whitstable and Herne Bay to film a scene set on Whitby seafront where John May is searching for the family of a recently departed man. Local businesses V.C Jones and Mr Chips Fish Bar in Whitstable briefly feature in John’s search.

Whitstable is a thriving seaside town with working fishing harbour, shingle beach and a bustling high street. Other productions to have filmed there include Tipping the Velvet (2002), Venus (2007) and Gangsters, Guns and Zombies (2012).

Herne Bay is a coastal resort which is home to the world’s first free-standing purpose-built clock tower. Series 1 of Big Bad World (2013), Series 1 & 2 of Boomers (2014-2016), and Heartstopper (2022) all filmed in Herne Bay.

Still Life (2013) debuted at Edinburgh International Film Festival on Wednesday 25th June 2014 and is available to watch on ITVX and Amazon Prime.

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


The Honourable Woman (2014)

The Honourable Woman - Nessa Stein (Maggie Gyllenhaal) wearing a headscarf standing in a desert

The Honourable Woman © BBC/Drama Republic

Director and writer: Hugo Blick 

Starring: Maggie Gyllenhaal, Lubna Azabal, Eve Best, Andrew Buchan, Janet McTeer, Tobias Menzies, Genevieve O’Reilly, Katherine Parkinson, Stephen Rea

Production company: BBC Worldwide, Drama Republic, Eight Rooks, SundanceTV

Kent Locations: Cottage in New Romney, Little Cheyne Court Wind Farm, Dengemarsh Road, Romney Marsh

This BBC Two political thriller focuses on Nessa Stein (Gyllenhaal), a young woman who inherits her Zionist father’s weaponry business and gradually changes its purpose to laying data cables between Israel and the West Bank. As she continues to promote reconciliation between the Israelis and the Palestinians, she inevitably finds herself in the middle of a political maelstrom.

The eight part drama was written and directed by BAFTA recipient Hugo Blick (Up in Town, Sensitive Skin, The Shadow Line) and stars an award winning cast, including Maggie Gyllenhaal (Donnie Darko, Secretary, The Dark Knight), Lubna Azabal (Incendies, Body of Lies), Eve Best (The King’s Speech, Much Ado About Nothing), Andrew Buchan (Broadchurch, Nowhere Boy), Janet McTeer (Parade’s End, Tumbleweeds), Tobias Menzies (Casino Royale, Game of Thrones), Genevieve O’Reilly (Episodes, Spooks), Katherine Parkinson (The IT Crowd, The Boat That Rocked) and Stephen Rea (V for Vendetta, The Shadow Line).

In the summer of 2013, The Honourable Woman crew spent 2 days filming at several locations in the Romney Marsh area, including a cottage in New Romney, Little Cheyne Court Wind Farm, and Dengemarsh Road.

Romney Marsh in East Kent is a unique landscape of over 100 square miles of woodland, wetlands as well as sand and shingle shores. Many productions have taken advantage of this stunning area including Ginger and Rosa (2012), Great Expectations (2011) and The Inspector Lynley Mysteries – Natural Causes (2006).

The Honourable Woman starts on BBC Two on Thursday July 3rd 2014 at 21:00. 

 

 

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


The Crimson Field (2014)

osalie Berwick (Marianne Oldham), Kitty Trevelyan (Oona Chaplin), Flora Marshall (Alice ST Clair) dressed as midwives standing in front of old fashioned shelves

Rosalie Berwick (Marianne Oldham), Kitty Trevelyan (Oona Chaplin), Flora Marshall (Alice ST Clair) © BBC – Photographer: Todd Antony

Directed by: David Evans, Richard Clark, Thaddeus O’Sullivan

Written By: Sarah Phelps

Starring: Oona Chaplin, Kevin Doyle, Anthony Farrelly, Kerry Fox, Suranne Jones, Hermione Norris, Marianne Oldham

Production Company: BBC

Kent Locations Used: The Historic Dockyard Chatham

The Crimson Field is a 6 part WW1 drama created as part of the BBC’s First World War Centenary Season. It focuses on the story of three new voluntary aid detachment (VAD’s) recruits, Kitty Trevelyan (Oona Chaplin), Flora (Alice St. Clair) and Rosalie Berwick (Marianne Oldham), who have left their old lives behind to volunteer at a field hospital in war torn France. 

When the three new VAD’s arrive at the field hospital in Northern France and begin putting their training into practise, they realise that the reality of volunteering is harsher than they imagined. Feeling under prepared, all of the girls must learn to cope with the traumas that war brings.

Starring Oona Chaplin (Game of Thrones, Quantum of Solace), Kevin Doyle (Downton Abbey, Scott and Bailey), Anthony Farrelly (Midsomer Murders, New Tricks), Kerry Fox (Patrick’s Day, Trap for Cinderella), Suranne Jones (Scott and Bailey, Coronation Street), Hermione Norris (Outcasts, Spooks), and Marianne Oldham (Titus, WPC 56).

The Historic Dockyard Chatham was used as the port of Boulogne in Northern France, where the VAD’s disembark before heading to the hospital. HMS Gannet features as the ship and was recently the focus of a £3million restoration project, returning the ship to its former glory.

The Historic Dockyard Chatham is one of Kent’s most popular filming destinations previously hosting productions such as Call the Midwife (2012-2013), Les Miserables (2013) and Sherlock Holmes (2009).

The Crimson Field is next on BBC1 on Sunday 13th April 2014 at 9pm.

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


Edge of Heaven (2014)

 

 

Edge of Heaven cast standing in front of a hotel

Edge of Heaven © Hartswood Films/ITV

Starring: Blake Harrison, Justine Michelle Cain, Camille Coduri, Nitin Kundra, Laura Checkley, Louisa Lytton, Marcia Warren, Adrian Scarborough, Robert Evans

Production company: Hartswood Films

Kent Locations: Margate, Broadstairs, Morelli’s and Morgan’s

BLAKE HARRISON (Alfie) standing by the seaside with the beach and town behind him

BLAKE HARRISON (Alfie) © Hartswood Films/ITV

Edge of Heaven is a new six part ITV comedy drama series which displays life at Margate’s finest , and only, ‘80s themed B&B, run by the chaotic Taylor-Chatterjee family,  Wham!-loving Judy and her black pudding enthusiast Husband Tandeep,  and her grown up children, demobbed soldier Ann-Marie and Alfie, whose life is going badly ever since his fiancée Carly left him at the altar.

Edge of Heaven is a Hartswood Films production for ITV, and is produced by Elaine Cameron (Sherlock, Jekyll) and Paul McKenzie (Sadie J, Dani’s House). The series was written by Robert Evans (Stella), who also stars in the sitcom.

The comedy will feature Blake Harrison (The Inbetweeners), Justine Michelle Cain (Some Girls), Camille Coduri (Doctor Who), Nitin Kundra (Steel River Blues), Laura Checkley (Rosemary and Thyme), Louisa Lytton (EastEnders), Marcia Warren (Vicious) and Adrian Scarborough (Gavin and Stacey).

BLAKE HARRISON (Alfie) carrying JUSTINE CAIN (Carly) across the sandy beach

BLAKE HARRISON (Alfie) and JUSTINE CAIN (Carly) © Hartswood Films/ITV

The production visited Margate and Broadstairs between September and October 2013 to film on location and shoot exterior scenes including the B&B which is in Albert Terrace. The interiors of the B&B were filmed at Longcross Studios.

Margate is the quintessential British seaside town, with a sandy beach, harbour, arcades, and historic architecture. The town has lots to offer, including Turner Contemporary, quirky shops, independent galleries and trendy cafes. Margate is a popular filming location, having previously welcomed productions like True Love (2012) and The Apprentice (2009).

Broadstairs is in East Kent offers a sandy beach, Viking Bay lined with traditional beach huts, a band stand and large Victorian terraces as well as a busy high street and many food and drink establishments. The area has previously been used as a film locations by Eastenders (2015) and The Fixer (2008). 

Don’t miss the series, which starts on 21 February 2014 at 21:00 on ITV1.

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

 


Legacy (2013)

 

Three cast members all staring at the camera.

Legacy © Slim Productions and BBC

Director: Pete Travis

Writers: Alan Judd (Novel), Paula Milne (Screenplay)

Starring: Andrew Scott, Romola Garai, Charlie Cox, Geraldine James, Olivia Grant

Production company: Slim Film + Television

Kent Locations: Deal

Legacy is a BBC TV film based on Alan Judd’s novel of the same name which is set in 1970’s London during the height of the Cold War where a trainee MI6 spy is tasked to seek out a former friend, now a Russian diplomat with the hope of “turning” him. As both men have their own agendas, a dangerous game of cat and mouse begins around a secret plan for a lethal attack within the UK.

The film is part of BBC Two’s Cold War Season and stars many familiar faces including Andrew Scott (Sherlock, Saving Private Ryan), Romola Garai (The Last Days on Mars, Amazing Grace), Charlie Cox (Boardwalk Empire, Stardust), Geraldine James (Sherlock Holmes, Alice in Wonderland) and Olivia Grant (Mr.Nice, Lark Rise to Candleford). 

Legacy © Slim Productions and BBC

Legacy © Slim Productions and BBC

The screenplay is adapted by award-winning writer Paula Milne (The Politician’s Husband, Endgame) and directed by BAFTA-winning Pete Travis (Dredd, Omagh) and is the second time the pair has collaborated since the 2009 film Endgame.

The Legacy production team visited Deal in July 2013 where they filmed the two main characters meeting at the pier as well as scenes on the seafront where a car pulls up and a man gets out and make a call from a public phone box.

Deal is a town in East Kent situated between Dover and Ramsgate and has a wealth of independent shops, eateries and delightful seafront with a pier and maritime clock. Previous productions that have taken advantage of the area including The Tunnel (2013), Little Dorrit (2008) and Ruby Blue (2008).

Don’t miss Legacy will be shown on BBC Two at 21:00 on Thursday 28th November 2013.

 

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


Dom Hemingway (2013)

Dom Hemingway (Jude Law) smoking in front of a brick building

Dom Hemingway (Jude Law) © Nick Wall and Lionsgate UK

 

Director and writer: Richard Shepard

Starring: Jude Law, Richard E. Grant, Demian Bichir, Emilia Clarke, Jumayn Hunter, Mădălina Diana Ghenea, Kerry Condon

Production company: BBC Films, Isle of Man Film, Pinewood Pictures, Recorded Picture Company

Kent locations used:  The Historic Dockyard Chatham

Released from prison after a 12-year stretch, larger-than-life safecracker Dom Hemingway  is determined to get what he’s owed for keeping quiet about the last job. But after visiting his boss, Dom decides his promised reward isn’t enough to replace what he’s lost. Characteristically for the notorious criminal with a drug and drink-fuelled ego, Dom manages to mess everything up before deciding on his real priorities.

Directed by Richard Shepard (The Matador) and starring Jude Law (Sherlock Holmes, Side Effects) as Dom Hemingway, alongside Richard E. Grant (Withnail and I, The Iron Lady) Kerry Condon (The Runway) and Emilia Clarke (Game of Thrones).

At the end of 2012, the Dom Hemingway production team came to The Historic Dockyard Chatham which doubled as the prison exterior for the scenes where Dom Hemingway (Jude Law) is released.

The Historic Dockyard Chatham is set over eighty acres and has a variety of buildings dating from the Tudor, Georgian and Victorian periods. Its rich history and authentic look and feel have led several film and television crews to film here including Mr. Selfridge (2013), Les Miserables (2012) and The Golden Compass (2007).

Dom Hemingway was in cinemas on Friday 15th November 2013 and is now available to buy on DVD.

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


The Tunnel (2013)

 

Clemence Poesy (Elise Wassermann) and Stephen Dillane (Karl Roebuck) standing in the centre of a tunnel

The Tunnel – Clemence Poesy (Elise Wassermann) and Stephen Dillane (Karl Roebuck) © Sky Atlantic/Justin Downing

 

Starring: Stephan Dillane, Clemence Poesy, Keeley Hawes, Liz Smith, David G. Robinson, Angel Coulby, Tobi Bakere, Mathieu Carriere

Production Company: Kudos Film and Television, Shine France

Kent Locations: Channel Tunnel, Folkestone HarbourDiscovery Park, Connaught Barracks, Folkestone, Dover, MargateThe Port of Dover, The Turner Contemporary and many more.      

Inspired by hit Scandinavian drama The Bridge, The Tunnel is a new 10 part Sky Atlantic series set against the backdrop of a European crisis after a French politician is found dead on the border between the UK and France. Detectives from the respective countries are sent to investigate but at the crime scene comes a shocking discovery, forcing the French and British police into an uneasy partnership.  As the serial killer uses ever more elaborate and ingenious methods to highlight the moral bankruptcy of modern society, the detectives are drawn deeper into his increasingly personal agenda.

The series is a Sky Atlantic HD and CANAL+ co-production from Kudos Film and TV and Shine France Films in association with Filmlance and was adapted by an Anglo-French writing team led by Ben Richards (Spooks, Outcasts, Party Animals).

The series stars many famous faces including Stephen Dillane (Game of Thrones), Clémence Poésy (Harry Potter series), Joseph Mawle (Game of Thrones), Tom Bateman (Da Vinci’s Demons), Keeley Hawes (Ashes to Ashes), Liz Smith (The Royal Family), Tobi Bakare (Silent Witness), Jeanne Balibar (The Invisible Woman), Thibault de Montalembert (Days of Glory), Mathieu Carrièrre (High Speed), Angel Coulby (Merlin) and Jack Lowden (Mrs Biggs).

In November 2012, Kent welcomed The Tunnel’s production team who based themselves at Discovery Park in Sandwich.  Filming took place at a variety of East Kent locations between February 2013 and August 2013.

Many prominent Kent locations were used such as the Channel Tunnel, Connaught Barracks, Discovery Park, Folkestone Harbour, The Turner Contemporary, The Port of Dover, Westwood Cross Shopping Centre as well as the towns of Folkestone, Dover and Margate, and the production also made use of the Kent Film Office’s legal powers to close roads for filming.

East Kent has previously provided the back drop for many filming projects such as Dominic Savage’s True Love (2012), Ginger and Rosa (2012), My Week with Marilyn (2011), Son of Rambow (2008) and Venus (2007).

Don’t miss the start of The Tunnel which will be start on Wednesday 16th October 2013 on Sky Atlantic at 21:00.

 

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


Everyone’s Going To Die (2013)

 

Everyone's Going to Die Movie - an animated man and woman with the title Everyone's going to die in white

Everyone’s Going to Die (2013) Movie Poster

Director: Jones
Starring: Nora Tschirner, Rob Knighton
Production Companies: Bobo Kaminski, Everyone’s Going To Die, Jones Film
Kent Location Used: Various streets in Folkestone, Rotunda and Sunny Sands beaches, St. Mary’s and St. Eanswythe Church, St. Peter’s Primary School, Georges House Gallery in the Old High Street, The Quarterhouse, The Leas, Folkestone Harbour, Dymchurch Amusements, The Grand, The Warren Country Park

Everyone’s Going To Die is a film set in a fictional English seaside town and centres around Melanie (Nora Tschirner), whose life is going nowhere. When a mysterious man, Ray (Rob Knighton), comes into town, she sees an opportunity to save herself. Attempting to leave their pasts behind and move on, the pair endeavours to change their lives for the better.

Collective Jones directs the film, with Nora Tschirner (Sternenfanger, Rabbit Without Ears) starring as Melanie and Rob Knighton (King Arthur: Legend of the Sword, Anti-Social) as Ray.

The production shot on location in and around Folkestone including various streets, Rotunda and Sunny Sands beaches, St.Mary’s and St. Eanswythe Church, St. Peter’s Primary School, Georges House Gallery in the Old High Street, The Quarterhouse, The Leas, as well as various shops and cafes.

Everyone's Going to Die Screenshot

Everyone’s Going to Die Screenshot at Folkestone Harbour Arm

Everyone's Going to Die Screenshot

Everyone’s Going to Die Screenshot at the old railway at Folkestone Harbour

Everyone's Going to Die Screenshot

Everyone’s Going to Die Screenshot – Melanie (Nora Tschirner) and Ray (Rob Knighton) at the beach

Additional locations include Folkestone Harbour where the old railway station and Harbour Arm feature as one of the locations where Melanie and Ray meet up. The Grand was the hotel that Ray stays at, Dymchurch Amusements was used for the scenes where Melanie bumps into Ray and the beach at The Warren Country Park was used for some of the beach scenes where Melanie and Ray join Laura (Madeline Duggan) and her friends.

Folkestone is a town in the district of Shepway and boasts a beach, Harbour, quaint streets, many studios and galleries at the Creative Quarter and The Leas, whose mile-long cliff-top promenade offers sea views to France. Folkestone has been used as a location for filming by productions such as The Tunnel (2013) and Is Anybody There? (2009).

Everyone’s Going To Die was released at film festivals in 2013 and is now available to buy on DVD.

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.