True Love (2012)

Posted on June 11, 2012 by Kent Film Office

True Love cast L - R Adrian (DAVID MORRISEY), Nick (DAVID TENNANT), Holly (BILLIE PIPER), Paul (ASHLEY WALTERS), Sandra (JANE HORROCKS) standing in a row with the sky behind them

True Love cast L – R Adrian (DAVID MORRISEY), Nick (DAVID TENNANT), Holly (BILLIE PIPER), Paul (ASHLEY WALTERS), Sandra (JANE HORROCKS) © BBC and Working Title

Two lovers holding hands on the beach with the sea in the background

True Love L – R Stella (JAMIE WINSTONE) and Paul (ASHLEY WALTERS) © BBC and Working Title

Writer/director: Dominic Savage

Starring: David Tenant, Billie Piper, David Morrissey, Joanne Froggatt, Kaya Scodelario, Lacey Turner, Jane Horrocks, Ashley Walters, Jaime Winstone, Vicky McClure

Production company: Working Title Television, BBC

Kent Locations: Thanet – Margate – Beach, promenade, High Street, train station, various hotels and bars, Thanet District Council Offices, Turner Contemporary, Westgate-On-Sea, Cliftonville, Pegwell Bay, Botany Bay, and Broadstairs

True Love has many familiar faces including David Tenant (Doctor Who) Billie Piper (Secret Diary of a Call Girl), Jane Horrocks (Absolutely Fabulous), Vicky McClure (This is England), Lacey Turner (Eastenders), Ashley Walters (Inside Men), Jamie Winstone (Kidulthood), and David Morrissey (The Other Boleyn Girl).

The series explores love in the modern day and the many different dilemmas and situations along the way. Each story has links with the previous, either through connecting story lines or character connections and all have plenty of drama, heartbreak passion and some surprising outcomes.

The five stories that take place during the week-long serial include a married man whose life is turned upside down due to the reappearance of his first love, a school teacher who is drawn to a female pupil, a married woman who takes revenge on her cheating husband by starting an affair, a father unable to connect with his baby and a divorcee on a desperate search for new love.

David Morrissey as Adrian at Margate train station with the sign behind him

David Morrissey as Adrian at Margate train station © BBC and Working Title

In 2011, Kent welcomed the crew and stars of True Love. The production based it self in Margate, the director Savage’s home town, and used many Thanet locations including Margate Beach and promenade, Margate High Street, train station, various hotels and bars and even Thanet District Council Offices. They also used the Turner Contemporary, as well as nearby Westgate-On-Sea, Cliftonville, Pegwell Bay, Botany Bay and Broadstairs.

Thanet has an astonishing 9 Blue Flag beaches and is a very popular filming location, due to its beautiful bustling seaside towns. It previously welcomed many TV and film productions, including Hancock and Joan (2008), Last Orders (2002) and a McDonald’s Happy Meal Commercial.

It is also home to the Turner Contemporary art gallery, adjacent to Margate harbour, which was built to contribute to the regeneration of the town and is fast becoming a highlight of the British visual arts scene. It also hosted the first public screening of the opening episode of True Love on 29^th March 2012.

True Love will air every night on BBC One at 22.25pm from Sunday 17th – Thursday 21st June 2012.

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

The Mystery of Edwin Drood (2012)

Posted on January 3, 2012 by Kent Film Office

Matthew Rhys, Tamzin Merchant & Freddie Fox all staring into the camera against a black background

The Mystery of Edwin Drood featuring Matthew Rhys, Tamzin Merchant & Freddie Fox

Directed By: Diarmuid Lawrence

Written By: Charles Dickens (Novel) & Gwyneth Hughes (Adaptation)

Starring: Matthew Rhys, Tamzin Merchant & Freddie Fox

Production Companies: BBC, Masterpiece

Kent Locations Used: Eastgate House, Rochester Cathedral, Riverside Country Park

A new two part drama from the BBC aims to solve The Mystery of Edwin Drood. Dickens’ final and incomplete novel has been subject to many adaptations over the years, with various endings that guessed at what the great author intended. In the style of a psychological thriller penned by Gwyneth Hughes (Five Days, Miss Austen Regrets), this latest BBC adaptation focusses on choirmaster John Jasper’s (Matthew Rhys-Brothers and Sisters) obsession with his student, 17 year old Rosa Bud (Tamzin Merchant-Jane Eyre).

Rather than resolve his frustrated ambition and leave the stifling environment of his home city, Cloisterham, Jasper resorts to taking opium. As the drug slowly fractures his mind, he develops a murderous hatred for his nephew, Rosa’s love interest, Edwin Drood (Freddie Fox- Worried about the Boy).

A darker and more gripping adaptation than previously seen, the series is part of the BBC’s Dickens celebrations of the bicentenary of his birth in 2012. Another BBC project is the new adaptation of Great Expectations.

Earlier in 2011, the production crew and cast arrived in Rochester to film scenes for the drama. Eastgate House, an Elizabethan mansion on Rochester High Street features in both the unfinished novel and the BBC adaptation. Formerly The Dickens Centre when it housed a Dickensian exhibition, it is now undergoing a £5M development programme which includes the restoration of the writer’s Swiss Chalet, a gift from lifelong friend John Forster for Dickens’ home at Gad’s Hill Place in Higham, where he worked also on his last and unfinished novel.

The misty marsh scenes at Riverside Country Park, which is in Medway and is a beautiful country park set over 100 hectares. There are many various habitats within the park, including mudflats, salt marsh, ponds and grassland, which provide a haven for wildlife.

Eastgate House was a the model for Westgate House in Pickwick Papers (1836) as well as the nuns’ house “a seminary for young ladies” in The Mystery of Edwin Drood (1870).

The site of Rochester Cathedral was also used in the production. Featuring in both the novel and the 1993 adaptation of The Mystery of Edwin Drood starring Robert Powell, the location has strong links to Dickens. A memorial plaque can be found inside the Cathedral commemorating Dickens and a annual memorial service is held there during the Dickens Festival.

As the author’s spiritual home and the location for many of his stories, Rochester was the ideal place to film the drama. Some of his most famous characters lived in or visited the city, from Mr Micawber in David Copperfield, to Miss Havisham in Great Expectations, when Dickens found inspiration for “Satis House” at Restoration House in Rochester.

The Mystery of Edwin Drood was shown on Tuesday 10 January 2012 9.00-10.00pm on BBC TWO and is now available to buy on DVD.

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

Great Expectations (2011)

Posted on December 23, 2011 by Kent Film Office

Douglas Booth, Ray Winstone, Gillian Anderson, David Suchet and Vanessa Kirby staring into the camera in front of a misty sky and house

Great Expectations featuring Douglas Booth, Ray Winstone, Gillian Anderson, David Suchet and Vanessa Kirby © BBC

Directed By: Brian Kirk

Written By: Charles Dickens (Novel) & Sarah Phelps (Adaptation)

Starring: Gillian Anderson, David Suchet, Ray Winstone, Douglas Booth & Harry Lloyd.

Production Company: BBC and Masterpiece co-production

Kent Locations Used: St Thomas A Beckett Church in Fairfield

This three part mini-series based on Charles Dickens novel, Great Expectations has been adapted by writer, Sarah Phelps (Oliver Twist, Dickensian). The story centers on orphan Pip (Douglas Booth) and his transformation to becoming a gentlemen when a mysterious benefactor leaves him a large sum of money.

This BBC production was directed by Brian Kirk (Luther, Game of Thrones) and stars Douglas Booth (Noah, Jupiter Ascending), Ray Winstone (The Departed, Snow White and the Huntsman), Gillian Anderson (The X Files, Hannibal) and David Suchet (Agatha Christie’s Poirot, The Bank Job).

This adaption forms the centrepiece of the BBC’s celebration of Dickens as we move into 2012 and the bicentenary of his birth. The most recent version of the novel to have been shot by the BBC was in 1999 and starred Ioan Gruffudd as Pip and Charlottte Rampling as Miss Havisham. This version aims to capture the romance whilst giving it a thrilling edge.

For those unfamiliar with the story, it tells of young orphan Phillip Pirrip (Pip) who lives with his sister and her husband, the kindly blacksmith Joe Gargery. Local spinster Miss Havisham requests his company at her home where she entertains herself by encouraging her adopted daughter Estella to be cruel to the young boy. As he grows up, Pip’s circumstances change after the visit from Mr Jaggers who brings news that an unknown benefactor has left a substantial fortune on the condition that the boy is educated as a gentleman. Consequently, Pip travels to London where he lodges with Herbert Pocket, a boy from his youth and it is there that Pip finally learns the truth about his benefactor.

The filming for this adaption took place near Fairfield, at the isolated St Thomas Becket Church, which is situated on Romney Marsh. This iconic location was the ideal setting for the opening scenes, where Pip visits his parent’s graves and instantly the theme is set in a melancholy manner. Dickens found inspiration for this scene from another Kentish Church, St James’ at Cooling, on the marshes near the Hoo Peninsula.

An interesting piece of trivia for Dickens fans of Dickens is the fact that the role of Herbert Pocket, Pip’s friend in London, is played by none other than Charles Dickens’s great, great, great grandson Harry Lloyd, who also featured in a remake of David Copperfield starring a young Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter). Filming took place near Fairfield, at the isolated St Thomas A Becket Church. Situated on Romney Marsh, it was the perfect setting for the bleak opening scenes of the novel where Pip visits the graves of his parents. Another Kentish church, St James’ at Cooling on the marshes near the Hoo Peninsula , inspired Dickens to write this dramatic scene which also introduces Pip’s nemesis, prisoner Magwitch.

Great Expectations also features in the Kent Film Office Dickens Trail which launched in 2012.

Great Expectations aired on BBC1 from Tuesday 27 December 2011 at 9pm and is now available for DVD purchase.

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

Poirot “The Clocks” (2009)

Posted on December 19, 2011 by Kent Film Office

Poirot The Clocks L-R Geoffrey Palmer & David Suchet standing in front of a mast

Poirot The Clocks featuring L-R Geoffrey Palmer & David Suchet © ITV

Directed By: Charles Palmer

Written By: Agatha Christie (Novel) & Stewart Harcourt (Adaptation)

Starring: David Suchet, Jaime Winstone, Geoffrey Palmer, Phil Daniels, Lesley Sharp, Tom Burke

Production Company: ITV Studios, WGBH, Agatha Christie, Picture Partnership Productions

Kent Filming Locations: Dover Castle, Waterloo Crescent, Dover, St Margaret’s Bay

Long term fans of the series will be delighted to hear that David Suchet returns to our screens this Christmas as Agatha Christies famous Belgian Detective. The latest episode, “The Clocks”, will be shown on ITV over the festive period.

When Secretary Shelia Webb (Jaime Winstone) runs out of a house into the arms of Lieutenant Colin Race (Tom Burke,) Hercule Poirot is called to Dover to investigate the death of a man who was found surrounded by four clocks, all stopped at the same time. Shelia becomes the prime murder suspect, despite assurances that she does not even know the victim. While the evidence mounts, Poirot must solve the mystery before another innocent victim is found brutally murdered.

Behind the scenes picture © Kent Film Office	Poirot (David Suchet) and Shelia Webb (Jaime Winstone) on set © Kent Film Office
Shelia Webb (Jaime Winstone) on set © Kent Film Office	Behind the scenes picture © Kent Film Office

The production visited a number of locations in and round the historical town of Dover, including Dover Castle, Waterloo Crescent and the village of St Margaret’s Bay. The bay boasts the famous Art Deco house ‘White Cliffs’, who’s previous owners include Noel Coward (playwright) and Ian Fleming (author of the James Bond novels) and proved to be the ideal setting for this adaptation.

Dover is home to several renowned locations including the port, connecting the UK with the European mainland, Dover Castle which was first built in 1160 and largely remains in the same condition as it was when first constructed and the infamous White Cliffs of Dover. Dover has previously been seen on screen in The Tunnel: Sabotage(2016), The Other Boleyn Girl (2008) and Missing (2009).

Not the only Poirot episode to be filmed in Kent, viewers may remember Hercule Poirot’s Christmas, which was filmed in the village of Chilham in 1995. The village was turned into a winter wonderland as Poirot investigates the murder of multi millionaire Simeon.Celebrating 23 years in his most famous role, David Suchet has signed a deal to film the remaining five Poirot novels, Labours of Hercules, Dead Man’s Folly, The Big Four, Elephants Can Remember and Curtain, which is Poirot’s last case.

Poirot – The Clocks was shown on ITV1 Boxing Day 2009 at 21:00 and is now available to buy on DVD.

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

My Week with Marilyn (2011)

Posted on November 11, 2011 by Kent Film Office

My Week with Marilyn Movie poster with Michelle Williams, Eddie Redmayne, & Kenneth Brannagh. A london skyline can be seen in the background, My week with Marilyn is written in blue

My Week with Marilyn Movie poster © The Weinstein Company

The Silver Screen Icon comes to life in this blockbuster biopic.

Directed by: Simon Curtis

Writers: Adrian Hodges (Screenplay) & Colin Clark (Books)

Starring: Michelle Williams, Eddie Redmayne, Kenneth Brannah

Production company: The Weinstein Company, BBC Films, LipSync Productions, Trademark Films

Kent Filming Locations: Gibraltar Lane, Hawkinge & Saltwood Castle

Released in cinemas from 18^th November, My Week with Marilyn tells the story of the infamous blonde bombshell and her love affair with Colin Clark.

My Week with Marilyn is based on true events that took place when Monroe arrived in the UK to film Sir Laurence Olivier’s The Prince and the Showgirl. At the time the actress was married to Arthur Miller. They had a famously turbulent relationship. A tragic miscarriage lead to increasingly erratic behaviour by the star and the depicted time span in her life was one of the most dramatic. Sadly the actress died five years after the film was made.

The production was adapted by Adrian Hodges (Survivors, Primeval) and directed by Simon Curtis (The Practise, Cranford), and stars Michelle Williams (Brokeback Mountain, Shutter Island), Eddie Redmayne (The Theory of Everything, The Danish Girl) and Kenneth Brannah (Valkyrie, Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit).

In 2010, Kent welcomed the crew and stars of this historic Hollywood tale. Filming took place in Gibraltar Lane in Hawkinge and it was the first film to give the Kent Film Office an opportunity to use their new powers to close a road for filming.

Shooting also took place at the beautiful Saltwood Castle, still privately owned by members of the Clark family. Only rarely open to the public, the castle was also used for the BBC drama series The Alan Clark Diaries, starring John Hurt. Its earliest mention is in the year 488.

The Shepway area has previously featured in productions including The Tunnel: Sabotage (2016), The Only Way is Essexmas (2014) and The Harry Hill Movie (2013).

My Week With Marilyn is out on DVD.

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

Johnny English Reborn (2011)

Posted on September 26, 2011 by Kent Film Office

Rowan Atkinson as Johnny Engish holiday a gun with fire behind him, Johhny English Reborn written underneath

Johnny English Reborn © Universal Pictures

Director: Oliver Parker

Starring: Rowan Atkinson, Gillian Anderson, Dominic West, Rosamund Pike

Production Company: StudioCanal, Relativity Media, Working Title Films

Kent Filming Locations: The A299 carriageway and Cliffs End, Ramsgate.

Released in cinemas from October 7th, Johnny English Reborn sees M17’s deadliest secret agent in his latest adventure. After a failed mission, Johnny English retreated from service to hone his skills in a remote region of Asia. But when a plot to kill the Chinese premier is discovered, the agency must track down the only man who can stop it… Johnny English.

As the clock counts down to a Heads of State conference, high-tech gadgets and the improbable skills of English reveal that the layers of conspiracy are far reaching: all the way back to MI7.

As always, Johnny English goes to show that a “little intelligence goes a long way”.

Rowan Atkinson (Love Actually, Bean) returns as the haphazard Johnny English with a supporting cast including Gillian Anderson (The X Files, The Last King of Scotland), Dominic West (300, The Wire) and Rosamund Pike (Jack Reacher, Die Another Day).

The A299 carriageway, that runs from Faversham to Ramsgate was used to film a high speed car chase. This was made possible by the introduction of the KCC (filming on Highways) Act 2010, which allows Kent County Council to effect road closure to facilitate filming.

Cliff’s End in Ramsgate was also used as a filming location. Ramsgate is a popular coastal filming location for the county and home to the only “Royal” harbour in the country. Ramsgate has previously been seen in comedy series Not Going Out (2013), drama Hancock and Joan (2008) and the independent film Gypo (2006).

Johnny English Reborn was released in cinemas in October 2011 and is now available on DVD.

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

The Crimson Petal and The White (2011)

Posted on April 11, 2011 by Kent Film Office

Romola Garai smiling away from the camera in a dark dress, two candles sit in front of her.

Romola Garai The Crimson Petal and The White @ BBC

A four-part adaptation of Michel Faber’s international best-selling novel about Victorian Life.

Starring: Romola Garai, Chris O’Dowd, Gillian Anderson, Richard E Grant, Shirley Henderson, Amanda Hale and Mark Gatiss.

Production Company: Origin Pictures, Cité-Amérique

Kent Filming Locations: Eastgate House, The Historic Dockyard Chatham

In this four-part tale of love, lust, desire and rage, Victorian life is revealed in a way never seen before on screen.

The tale takes viewers into a hidden world in which a young prostitute and a prominent businessman embark on a dangerous relationship with epic consequences.

This version of Michel Faber’s novel, The Crimson Petal and The White, has been adapted by acclaimed playwright and screenwriter Lucinda Coxon (Wild Target, The Danish Girl) and directed by Marc Munden (Touching Evil, Utopia).

The four part series stars; Romola Garai (Atonement, Suffragette), Chris O’Dowd (Bridesmaids, This Is 40), Gillian Anderson (The X-Files, The Fall), Richard E Grant (Withnail & I Downton Abbey), Shirley Henderson (Trainspotting, Bridget Jones’s Diary), Amanda Hale (Bright Star, Persuasion) and Mark Gatiss (Match Point, Sherlock).

The production visited Kent where they filmed on location at The Historic Dockyard Chatham and Eastgate House in Rochester.

The Historic Dockyard Chatham is a popular filming location in Kent due to its authentic period backdrops, including cobbled streets and Georgian as well as Victorian architecture. Victor Frankenstein (2015), Grantchester (2014), and The Golden Compass (2007) have previously filmed at The Historic Dockyard Chatham.

Eastgate House, situated on Rochester High Street, was formerly a large private town house. Built by Sir Peter Buck; it has now been restored and is owned by Medway Council. Productions such as Jekyll and Hyde (2015), BBC’s The Mystery of Edwin Drood (2012) and Great Expectations (1989) have previously filmed in Rochester.

The Crimson Petal and The White will be shown on BBC Two on Wednesday 6^th April at 21.00

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

Whistle and I’ll Come To You (2010)

Posted on December 4, 2010 by Kent Film Office

John Hurt wearing a dressing gown with one arm holding the dirty wall behind. Looking slightly distressed,.

Starring: John Hurt, Gemma Jones, Lesley Sharp

Kent Filming Locations: Botany Bay, Kingsgate Bay and the Sea Pavilion at Walpole Bay

BBC2 drama Whistle and I’ll Come To You is a modern adaptation of M R James’ Edwardian ghost story which stars John Hurt (Merlin, Hellboy) as James Parkin who after leaving his wife in a nursing home travels to their favourite destination, a quiet seaside town. On a deserted beach he has an encounter with an apparition which continues to haunt him for the rest of his stay.

The one off drama was written and adapted by Neil Cross and explores the themes of ageing, supernatural with a psychological element throughout.

The drama also stars Gemma Jones (Bridget Jones Diary, Sense and Sensibility) and Lesley Sharp (Scott & Bailey, The Full Monty).

Kingsgate Bay is a small sandy bay surrounded by white chalk cliffs with it having some of the best sea caves in the country and has been used by Sulphur and White (2019) . Nearby Botany Bay which also has a white cliff backdrop is a popular filming location and has been used for productions such as True Love (2012) and Hunderby (2012).

Whistle and I’ll Come To You was shown on BBC TWO 24^th December 2010 at 22:00.

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

Missing Series Two (2010)

Posted on February 4, 2010 by Kent Film Office

The cast of missing standing facing the camera with the view of the seaside behind

Starring: Pauline Quirke, Felix Scott, Pooja Shah, Mark Wingett, Adjoa Andoh, Brooke Kinsella, Gary Lucy, Roy Hudd

Production company: Leopard Films

Kent Filming Locations: Dover – Port, White Cliffs, and St Margaret’s Bay, Tonbridge

Following the success of the first series, Pauline Quirke returns in her role as MJ – Head of the police’s Missing Persons Unit for a further 10 episodes of the critically acclaimed programme.

It is a year on from the first series and MJ is still struggling to live with her sister, who was found in the first series but that’s the least of her troubles as soon her estranged father shows up. Has he really changed or is there more family trouble on the horizon? Things are not easy at the office either, as Amy and Jason’s affair comes to an end when one of them sets their sights on promotion.

Returning for the second series is Pauline Quirke (Broadchurch, Birds of a Feather), Felix Scott (Inception, Blitz Blitz), Pooja Shah (EastEnders, Bend It Like Beckham), Mark Wingett (The Bill, Snow White and the Huntsman) and Adjoa Andoh (Invictus, Casualty). There are also guest appearances from Brooke Kinsella (Eastenders, Kid in the Corner), Gary Lucy (The Bill, Hollyoaks) and Roy Hudd (Coronation Street, Purely Belter).

Missing was filmed on location in Dover including the Port, White Cliffs, and St Margaret’s Bay. They also visited Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells.

Dover is best known for the world famous White Cliffs of Dover along with the Port of Dover and Dover Castle. The Dover area has previously featured on screen in The Tunnel: Sabotage (2016), Wolf Hall (2003) and Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows (2011).

Tonbridge is a West Kent market town with a rich cultural heritage and spectacular scenery. The area is surrounded beautiful countryside and boasts castles, stately homes, gardens, farms, as well as sports and leisure facilities. The Tonbridge area has been used by previous productions including Queens of Mystery (2019).

The new series starts on BBC1 from Monday 15th March at 2.15pm.

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

The Long Lonely Walk (2010)

Posted on February 4, 2010 by Kent Film Office

Actor walking down the street towards a red double decker bus, There is police tape behind him

Kent Film maker Leon Chambers returns with a new film

Director & Writer: Leon Chambers

Production Company: Third Light Films

Kent Filming Locations: Mid Kent College

The Long Lonely Walk follows the a bomb disposal expert, a young boy and an elderly woman as they reach a life defining moment. The cast includes Jeremy Sheffield (Holby City and contestant on Dancing On Ice 2010), Tessa Peake-Jones (Only Fools and Horses) and Sylvia Syms (The Queen).

The film cost just £23,500 to make and was shot both at Mid Kent College in Maidstone and at Pinewood Studios. The Long Lonely Walk was partly financed by the Cranbrook Film Society and by those who attended a premier of the film at the Curzon Cinema in London in January.

Last year, Leon Chambers’s short film entitled ‘Stolen Youth’ received critical acclaim by winning Best UK Short at the Canary Wharf Film festival and making the official selection at Sundance and Palm Springs among others.

The Long Lonely Walk is now available on DVD and was shown at the following festivals.

The Crystal Palace Film Festival – 19th July

The Sacramento Film and Music Festival – 25th July

LA Shorts Fest – July 28th. This prestigious festival is recognised by the Academy Awards.

The film has also been awarded the following at the Accolade Competition Award of Merit: Short Film Award of Excellence: Sound – Overall Impact

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

Kent's Premier Film Commission

TV Drama

True Love (2012)

The Mystery of Edwin Drood (2012)

Great Expectations (2011)

Poirot “The Clocks” (2009)

My Week with Marilyn (2011)

Johnny English Reborn (2011)

The Crimson Petal and The White (2011)

Whistle and I’ll Come To You (2010)

Missing Series Two (2010)

The Long Lonely Walk (2010)