The Poison Tree (2012)

The Poison Tree lead characters relaxing around a dinner table with fairy lights.

The Poison Tree © ITV

ITV Mini-Series

Production Company: GroupM Entertainment, ITV,  STV

Kent Locations Used: Dungeness Estate, The Pilot Inn pub

‘The Poison Tree’ is an atmospheric and psychological TV drama based on the popular book of the same name by Erin Kelly. The two 60 minute episodes tell the tale of Karen Clarke (MyAnna Buring), who has been waiting twelve long years for the release of her partner Rex (Matthew Goode), from prison.

With her partner now free, Karen is looking forward to settling down as a normal family with their daughter, Alice (Hebe Johnson). However, Karen starts to receive phone calls and anonymous text messages and she realises that her family are being watched. Despite her best efforts to keep their past a secret, someone knows the truth about what she and Rex did twelve years ago. How far will Karen go to protect her family?

‘The Poison Tree’ was written by Emilia di Girolamo, lead writer/Co-producer of Law & Order UK seasons 5 and 6 and directed by Marek Losey who previously made his debut feature film ‘The Hide’, which was also filmed in Kent.

Filming took place on the Dungeness Estate, which has a rich and diversified history with film and television. The BBC filmed episodes of Dr Who during the 1970’s and the 1998 film ‘I Want You’ staring Rachel Weisz and Alessandro Nivola, which was set in and around Dungeness.

In an interview with Broadcast magazine in December 2012, writer of the TV adaption Emilia di Girolamo  said: “First we decided to change the setting.  Relocating the story to Dungeness gave us an immensely powerful and evocative landscape to work with. Abandoning the traditional dimly lit world of the thriller for the bleached out, desert-like exteriors, the power station. Brooding in the distance, gave a real sense of there being nowhere to hide for Karen, upping the dramatic tension.”

The Poison Tree was shown in December 2012 on ITV 1 and is now available to buy on DVD.

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