The Hotel Inspector – Series 14 Episode 4: Westward Ho! Hotel, Folkestone

 

Image of presenter Alex Polizzi wearing a white top in a hotel smiling at the camera

Presenter Alex Polizzi ©Channel 5

 

 

Director: Tom Weston
Starring: Alex Polizzi
Production Company: Twofour (Channel 5)
Kent Locations Used: Folkestone

Alex Polizzi comes to Folkestone in her quest to improve some of Britain’s hotels and B+B’s.

The long running series is presented by hotelier Alex Polizzi (Restaurant Rescue), and in this episode, Polizzi visits Westward Ho! hotel and its owner in Folkestone to offer her sound business advice.

Scenes were filmed around Folkestone, including the Leas and seafront. Folkestone is popular as a filming location, some recent examples include David Jason’s Secret Service (2017), The Channel: The World’s Busiest Waterway (2017), and  Coast v Country (2017). As a location, Folkestone offers a seaside town with an elegant Victorian clifftop promenade, a creative quarter, gardens, a coastal park, and fishing harbour.

The Westward Ho! Hotel episode will broadcast on Channel 5 at 9pm on Tuesday 26th  June 2018.

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


David Jason’s Secret Service (2017)

David Jason appears in a vintage car in front of a historic espionage building. David Jason's Secret Service, epiisode one- 5th December, Episode two- 12th December, Episode three- 19th December, 9pm on More 4 is written in white on top.

David Jason’s Secret Service – © More 4

Director: James Tovell

Starring: David Jason

Production Company: October Films

Kent locations Used: Folkestone

Sir David Jason presents this three-part documentary series which reveals the secret places, people and stories from Britain’s 20th Century spy history. Episode One explores the inception of the British Secret Service in 1909 by Sir Mansfield Cumming. In 1914, when the First World War broke out in Europe, this group of spies were crucial in securing Allied victories and Folkestone became the frontline for British spy organisations.

In June 2017, the production team filmed at various locations in Folkestone, including the clifftop promenade, The Leas.

The Leas boasts sea views to France and Folkestone itself is renowned for its Creative Quarter with many galleries, shops, relaxing bars and restaurants. Tourists can visit the Kent Battle of Britain Museum which pays homage to the aircrews that defended Britain during the Second World War or visit Folkestone Harbour to explore Kent’s maritime history.

The town has been used previously for filming by productions such as Who Should We Let In? Ian Hislop on the First Great Immigration Row (2017), not to mention the seaside episode for Darling Buds of May, starring Mr Jason himself (1991-1993).

 

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

 


Coast v Country (2017)

two presenters standing outside beach hut looking towards camera

Coast v Country © Freeform Productions

Production Company: Freeform Productions

Kent Locations used: Hythe Seabrook, Folkestone, Dover, St Margarets at Cliffe, Deal, Reinden Woods, Pedlinge, Elham,  Chillenden , Canterbury, Densole, Great Chart, Ashford, Sittingbourne.

Coast v Country is a brand new property format for Channel 4, which showcases the most striking properties for sale in some of Kent’s most beautiful coast & countryside locations. The series is presented by property experts Sara Damergi, Kerr Drummond and property developers Kirsty Duffy and David Bull.

Dover is the site of the famous white cliffs of Dover and has been used in films such as Sherlock Holmes, a game of shadows (2011) and those magnificent men and their flying machines (1965)

Another well-known location, Canterbury Cathedral, is the oldest and most renowned cathedral in England; currently a world heritage site it has been previously used to film Last Orders (2002) and a Canterbury Tale (1944)

The new series of Coast v Country starts on Monday 30th October at 4pm on Channel 4.

Episodes which feature Kent are due to air on 2nd, 22nd and 24th November 2017.

 

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

 


Who Should We Let In? Ian Hislop on the First Great Immigration Row (2017)

Ian Hislop looking at camera holding up British passport

Who Should We Let in? Ian Hislop on the First Great Immigration Row – Ian Hislop – BBC – (C) Wingspan – Photographer: Andy Jackson

 

Production Company: Wingspan Productions

Kent Locations Used: Folkestone

BBC Two programme Who Should We Let In? Ian Hislop on the First Great Immigration Row explores how Britain’s attitude towards immigration changed from the Victorian era up to World War I.

As Britain prepares for Brexit, Ian Hislop looks at how rising numbers in migrants and stoking from the press caused economic concerns and a divide in public values leading on to a somewhat familiar sounding national debate.

The programme visited various locations around Folkestone including the harbour, Sunny Sands and The Leas.

Folkestone is a seaside town with a bustling harbour, coastal park and quaint old high street. The area has previously welcomed filming from productions such as The Tunnel (2013), Question Time (2016) and Great Railway Journeys (2016)

Who Should We Let In? Ian Hislop on the First Great Immigration Row airs on Thursday 22nd June at 21.00 on BBC Two.

 

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


Future Tense: The Story of H.G. Wells (2016)

Time machine at The Historic Dockyard Chatham

Time machine at The Historic Dockyard Chatham © BBC South East

Production Company: BBC South East

Kent Locations Used: Sandgate, Folkestone, The Historic Dockyard Chatham, St Clere Estate, Sevenoaks

To mark H.G. Wells’ 150th birthday, Future Tense: The Story of H.G. Wells, presented by Dominic Sandbrook, discovers how a sleepy corner of the country inspired some of the most fantastic ideas in science fiction.

The BBC South East production team filmed at Sandgate beach and Wells House in Folkestone, The Historic Dockyard Chatham which is doubles as The Time Machine Workshop and St Clere Estate in Sevenoaks. They also filmed in East Sussex, Surrey and London.

Folkestone is a seaside town with an elegant clifftop promenade, a lower coastal park, a fishing harbour and Victorian cliff-top lifts. The area has featured in a wide range of productions including The Tunnel: Sabotage (2016), Lifeline (2012) and Is Anybody There? (2009).

The Historic Dockyard Chatham is a 17th century dockyard set over 80 acres, containing over 100 buildings dating from the Georgian and Victorian Periods. It has been used extensively for filming, appearing in productions such as Rustom (2016), Partners in Crime (2015) and The World is Not Enough (1999).

Set across 2,800 acres of the rolling Kent countryside, St Clere Estate offers stunning views of the North Downs. The house itself was built in 1630 and has some fine architectural examples of the Caroline era. St Clere Estate has been previously featured on screen in Road Games (2016) and The Mirror Crack’d (1980).

Future Tense: The Story of H.G. Wells will air on Friday 16th September 2016 at 19.30 on BBC One South East can be found wherever you are in the country: Sky Channel 963, FreeSat 959, Freeview 858.

 

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

 


Long Lost Family Series 6 (2016)

Long Lost Family presenters Davina McCall and Nicky Campbell standing next to each other in front of a white pillar

Long Lost Family presenters Davina McCall and Nicky Campbell © ITV

Kent Locations Used: Folkestone

Long Lost Family is an award winning British television series that started on ITV in 2011. The programme, presented by Davina McCall and Nicky Campbell, aims to reunite close relatives after years of separation. The new series explores new territory and tackles some of the most difficult social history of family separation through compelling and touching personal stories.

Following stories in and around the UK, the show inevitably came to Kent, particularly in Folkestone.

Episode four of the new series features 70-year-old widow Susan Webb who fell pregnant as a teenager and decided to have the baby adopted. With the help of specialist adoption intermediaries, Long Lost Family track down Susan’s daughter to find she is living in Folkestone and the duo are reunited for the first time in 48 years.

Folkestone is a seaside town with an elegant clifftop promenade, a coastal park, fishing harbour and Victorian cliff-top lifts. It has featured in productions The Tunnel: Sabotage (2016), Is Anybody There? (2009) and The Darling Buds of May (1991 – 1993).

Long Lost Family featuring Folkestone will air on Wednesday 3rd August 2016 at 21:00 on ITV.

 

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


Question Time (2016)

Question Time David Dimbleby sitting in front of a desk

Question Time David Dimbleby © BBC/Mentorn/Des Willie

Production Company: Mentorn

Kent Location Used: The Creative Quarter, Folkestone

Question Time is the topical politics show hosted by David Dimbleby. High profile guests debate various topics and face difficult questions from members of the public.

In a special programme about the EU referendum, which takes place on Thursday 23 June 2016, Question Time will be coming live from The Quarterhouse in Folkestone’s  Creative Quarter.

Kent previously hosted the show in Tunbridge Wells in 2012, when the discussion included the crisis in Syria, Bankers bonuses and unpaid work placements.

The Creative Quarter in Folkestone was developed by the Creative Foundation, to regenerate the area through the arts, the creative industries and education. It is now home to a thriving collection of artists’ studios and creative businesses. The Folkestone area has been used as a location for filming by productions such as The Tunnel (2013 – 2016) and Is Anybody There? (2009).

Question Time will air on Thursday 9th June 2016 at 22:45 on BBC One.

 

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

 


The Tunnel: Sabotage (2016)

Stephen Dillane and Clémence Poésy walking along a beach towards the camera away from a burning plane

The Tunnel Sabotage Stephen Dillane and Clémence Poésy © Sky Kudos CANAL+

Writer: Ben Richards

Starring: Stephen Dillane, Clémence Poésy, Angel Coulby, Emilia Fox, Clarke Peters, Paul Schneider, William Ash

Production Company: Kudos Film and Television, Shine France

Kent Locations Used: Euro Tunnel, Folkestone Harbour, Discovery Park, Folkestone, Deal and Deal Pier, Dover including the Port and Dover Castle, Westwood Industrial Estate Margate, Ramsgate, Botany Bay – Broadstairs, The Barn in Upstreet, St Martin’s Hospital, Knowlton Court and many more.

The Tunnel: Sabotage is the second series of Sky Atlantic’s critically acclaimed show, re-uniting unlikely Anglo-French detective duo Karl Roebuck (Stephen Dillane) and Elise Wasserman (Clémence Poésy) on another intense investigation.

While series one was a re-imagining of Scandinavian drama “The Bridge”, the new series is an original story by Ben Richards (Outcasts, Spooks) and kicks off with two seemingly isolated events: a plane crashing into the Channel, killing everyone on board and a French couple abducted from the Eurotunnel.

Elise Wasserman (Clémence Poésy), having been promoted to French Commander, is reunited with DCI Karl Roebuck (Dillane) to investigate the two cases. The cross border teams follow a shocking trail of devastation as the victims mount up and become embroiled in a terrifying, deadly game.

The gripping eight part thriller is a Sky Atlantic and Canal+ co-production, made by Kudos and Shine Films France. Joining The Tunnel’s acclaimed production team for the second series are director Mike Barker (Broadchurch, The Smoke) and producer Julian Stevens (Hustle, The Fall).

Stephen Dillane (King Arthur, Game of Thrones) and Clémence Poésy (127 Hours, In Bruges) return in the lead roles, supported by Angel Coulby (Merlin, The Jacket), and new to series two, Emilia Fox (Silent Witness, The Wrong Mans), Clarke Peters (Notting Hill, The Wire), Paul Schneider (Parks and Recreation, The Newsroom) and William Ash (Waterloo Road, Shameless).

The hit first series was largely filmed in Kent and the county welcomed The Tunnel: Sabotage production team once again to their base at Discovery Park in Sandwich. Filming took place in a number of East Kent locations between April and July 2015 including:

Canterbury: The Barn in Upstreet, St Martin’s Hospital, Knowlton Court

Dover: Discovery Park, Deal and Deal Pier, the town of Dover, Port of Dover, Inn and Hotel, Deal, Sandwich Marina, Dover Castle – Admiral’s lookout

Shepway: Euro Tunnel, the town of Folkestone, Folkestone Harbour

Thanet: set building in a warehouse on Westwood Industrial Estate in Margate, Botany Bay and the towns of Ramsgate and Margate

East Kent is ideally situated with great transport links both to London and Europe. The area boasts a wealth of locations including industrial as well as historic buildings and beautiful coastal landscapes. East Kent has previously featured on screen in many projects such as Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), Edge of Heaven (2014), The Honourable Woman (2014), Sherlock Holmes – A Game of Shadows (2011), Great Expectations (2011/2012), On A Clear Day (2005) and Die Another Day (2002).

Don’t miss the much anticipated return of The Tunnel: Sabotage which starts on Tuesday 12th April 2016 at 21:00 on Sky Atlantic. The whole series will also be available on Sky Box Sets from this date.

 

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


Long Lost Family Series 5 (2015)

Nicky Campbell and Davina McCall standing in front of a window

Nicky Campbell and Davina McCall © ITV

Production Company: Wall to Wall Media

Kent Location: Lympne, Hythe

ITV’s BAFTA award winning show Long Lost Family returns for its fifth series as presenter’s Davina McCall and Nicky Campbell continue to reunite relatives desperately seeking one another.

In episode five of the new series, the Long Lost Family team work with Elizabeth Wells and her daughter Janice from Somerset, who are searching for Elizabeth’s son Paul Meddelton who was reluctantly given up for adoption.

The production team of Long Lost Family visited Lympne, Hythe and Westenhanger Station for one day in February 2015 whilst trying to find Paul.

The area has also welcomed filming from productions such as The Only Way is Essexmas (2014), The Tunnel (2013) and Is Anybody There? (2009).

Don’t miss the Kent episode of Long Lost Family which will air on Wednesday 1st July 2015 at 21:00 on ITV1.

 

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.