History

My Lady Jane (2024)

Posted on by Kent Film Office

Creator: Gemma Burgess
Starring: Emily Bader, Edward Bluemel, Jim Broadbent, Jordan Peters, Dominic Cooper, Anna Chancellor
Production Company: Garden Studios, Parkes/MacDonald Image Nation
Kent Locations Used: Dover Castle

When her mother sells her hand in marriage to a handsome stranger with a dark secret, Lady Jane’s life is put in peril and the kingdom is thrown into chaos. My Lady Jane (2024) is reimagines the damsel in distress trope, allowing the damsel to save herself – and the kingdom.

Created by Gemma Burgess, the series stars Emily Bader (Charmed, Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin) as Lady Jane, Edward Bluemel (The Halcyon (2017), Persuasion) as Lord Guildford Dudley, Jim Broadbent (King Lear (2018), The Lady in the Van (2015)) as the Duke of Leicester, Jordan Peters (Everything I Know About Love, Pirates) as King Edward, Dominic Cooper (The Escape (2018), Captain America: The First Avenger) as Lord Seymour and Anna Chancellor (The Carer (2016), Tipping the Velvet (2002)) as Lady Frances Grey.

Dover Castle features in the series doubling as the Tower of London.

Dover Castle is a stunning medieval castle with wartime tunnels, which is situated on the White Cliffs of Dover looking out over the English Channel. Recent productions to have filmed there include Renegade Nell (2024), Summerland (2020) and King Lear (2018).

My Lady Jane (2024) will be released on Amazon on Thursday 27th June 2024.

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

Seize Them! (2024)

Posted on by Kent Film Office

Director: Curtis Vowell
Writer: Andy Riley
Starring: Aimee Lou Wood, Nicola Coughlan, Lolly Adefope, Nick Frost, Jessica Hynes
Production Company: Entertainment Film Distributors
Kent Locations Used: Allington Castle

Seize Them! (2024) is a female-led comedy set in the Dark Ages. It follows Queen Dagan, who, after her reign is toppled by the revolutionary Humble Joan. Left a fugitive in the land she once ruled, Queen Dagan must embark on a dangerous voyage to win back her throne.

Written by Andy Riley (Year of the Rabbit (2019), Big Bad World (2013)) and directed by Curtis Vowell (Baby Done, Fantail), Seize Them! stars Aimee Lou Wood (Sex Education (2021), Living (2022)) as Queen Dagan, Nicola Coughlan (Bridgerton (2020), Harlots (2017)) as Humble Joan and Lolly Adefope (This Time with Alan Partridge (2021), Ghosts) as Shulmay, with Nick Frost (The Boat That Rocked (2009), The Nevers (2021)) and Jessica Hynes (The Fight (2019), Seagull (2019)) in supporting roles.

Filming took place at Allington Castle in Maidstone.

Allington Castle is a privately-owned 13th Century Castle situated on the River Medway. Once opening its doors to King Henry VIII, the Castle now plays host to film and TV crews, with productions such as The Zany Adventures of Robin Hood (1984), the 14th-century ABC drama Covington Cross (1992), and Series 2 of the American soap opera The Royals (2016), all making use of the Castle’s picturesque location.

Seize Them! (2024) will be released in UK Cinemas on Friday 5th April 2024.

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

Horrible Histories Series 8 – 10 (2019-2024)

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James McNicholas, dressed as a medieval king, pinches the cheeks of Ethan Lawrence, who is dressed as a rich medieval aristocrat. Behind them is a stone castle.

James McNicholas and Ethan Lawrence in Daft Dads at Allington Castle © BBC

Starring: Jessica Ransom, Tom Stourton, James McNicholas, Emily Lloyd-Saini
Production Company: Lion Television
Kent Locations Used: The Historic Dockyard Chatham, Allington Castle, Ightham Mote

First premiering in 2009, the CBBC’s children’s TV programme Horrible Histories (2009-2023) is back for its tenth series. Based on the novels by Terry Deary, Horrible Histories is packed full of bloody battles and black humour; informing and entertaining young audiences with comedic historical sketches.

In 2015, the series returned with a revised format and a brand-new cast that includes Jessica Ransom (Doc Martin), Tom Stourton (About Time, All My Friends Hate Me), James McNicholas (This England) and Emily Lloyd-Saini (Code 404, The People We Hate at the Wedding). Each episode centres on the life of one prominent historical figure.

Production have visited Kent various times for Series 8, 9 and 10.

For Series 8, production visited The Historic Dockyard Chatham, where they filmed a Queen Victoria as well as  a Suffragettes sketch in the Ropery; Napoleonic and Georgian scenes at the Officer’s Terrace and the Commissioner’s House; various scenes for the Home Front episode at the Old Pay Office and HMS Ocelot, which doubled briefly as a Swedish submarine.

Allington Castle was also used in Series 8 for various medieval sketches, as well as in garden scenes featuring Madame Pomapadour and the English Romantic Poets.

For Series 9, production returned to The Historic Dockyard Chatham. The Tarred Yarn Store features as the interior of a factory, the Ropery and Anchor Wharf double as Victorian streets, and the Officer’s Terrace doubles as a Georgian street.

Allington Castle once again provide the setting for the gardens of the Palace of Versailles, plus the Royal Mint, an ancient Grecian market, the Palace of King Charles VI in France, a medieval hall, and a spooky castle.

The Historic Dockyard Chatham features in Series 10, with filming taking place in The Tarred Yarn Store, the Georgian Terrace and on the Ropery streets. Allington Castle also features throughout Series 10, including as the Tower of London, the Vatican and William the Conqueror’s castle. In Episode 4, Ightham Mote appears in a Made in Chelsea parody sketch about King James I, as well as in various gunpowder plot sketches.

The Historic Dockyard Chatham is one of Kent’s most popular filming locations. Set on the River Medway, the Dockyard spans over 80 acres, containing over 100 buildings dating from the Georgian and Victorian periods. The location has previously been home to several other historical productions, including Series 1 of Bridgerton (2020), Ammonite (2020), and Call the Midwife (2012-2024).

Built in the 12th Century and located on the River Medway, Allington Castle is now privately-owned and adorned with authentic Medieval tapestries and furniture. Once opening its doors to King Henry VIII, the Castle now plays host to film and TV crews, with productions such as The Zany Adventures of Robin Hood (1984), Covington Cross (1992) and The Royals (2016-2018).

Built nearly 700 years ago, Ightham Mote has seen many changes and been owned by medieval knights, courtiers to Henry VIII and high-society Victorians. Highlights include the picturesque courtyard, formal gardens, great hall, Grade I listed dog kennel and the library of the American businessman Charles Henry Robinson. Making Noise Quietly (2019) filmed on the grounds of Ightham Mote.

The eighth series of Horrible Histories aired on CBBC from 3rd June 2019. Episodes are available to stream on BBC iPlayer.

The Christmas special of Series 9 aired on CBBC on Friday 10th December 2021, with the rest of the series following in 2022.

Series 10 began airing on CBBC with a Father’s Day special on Friday 16th June 2023, with the rest of the series following intermittently. All episodes are available to stream on BBC iPlayer.

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

The Great (2020-2023)

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Creator: Tony McNamara
Starring: Elle Fanning, Nicholas Hoult, Phoebe Fox, Gwilym Lee, Sacha Dhawan
Production Company: Thruline Entertainment, Echo Lake Entertainment, Lewellen Pictures, MRC Television, Macgowan Films
Kent Locations Used: Hever Castle, St Clere Estate, Botany Bay, Cobham Wood, The Historic Dockyard Chatham

The Great (2020-2023), a satirical comedy from American streaming company Hulu, follows the infamous rise of Prussian-born Catherine the Great as she ascends to become the longest serving female ruler in Russian history. Forced to choose between her own personal happiness and the future of an empire, she abandons a life of love and romance and vows to change a country plagued by deceit and ruin.

Series 3 sees Catherine and Peter attempt to make their marriage work after a very rocky start. But with Peter haunted by visions of his late grandfather, Peter The Great (Jason Isaacs), will he stay content as mere First Husband to Catherine the Great for long?

The series was created by Tony McNamara (The Favourite, Ashby) and stars Elle Fanning (Maleficent, Mary Shelley) as Catherine the Great, Nicholas Hoult (Mad Max: Fury Road, Warm Bodies) as Peter III of Russia. Phoebe Fox (Close to the Enemy, The Woman in Black 2: Angel of Death), Gwilym Lee (Bohemian Rhapsody, Midsomer Murders) and Sacha Dhawan (Iron Fist, The History Boys) feature in supporting roles.

Production visited various locations in Kent for Series 1, 2 and 3.

In Series 1 Episode 8, the Italian Loggia on Hever Castle lake doubles as an Eastern European house where Peter III of Russia (Nicholas Hoult) and Catherine (Elle Fanning) meet the Swedish King Hugo (Freddie Fox) and Queen Agnes (Grace Molony). The Loggia reappears in Series 2 Episode 1 as the house in which Peter and his confidantes Grigor (Gwilym Lee) and Georgina (Charity Wakefield) hide out from Catherine’s army.

The fields of St Clere Estate in Sevenoaks were used to stage battle scenes in Series 1 Episodes 5 and 7. The location returned in Series 2 Episode 1 as Catherine’s army’s base camp. St Clere also reappears in Series 3 Episodes 6 and 8 as an army camp on the Russia / Sweden border and the frozen lake where one key character meets an unexpected end.

Botany Bay in Broadstairs features in a dream sequence in Series 2 Episode 10, where Catherine images Peter eating a whale on the beach.

Cobham Wood appears briefly in Series 3 Episode 6, as Catherine and Grigor ride in a carriage through the woods. The Tarred Yarn Store at The Historic Dockyard Chatham also features in Series 3 Episode 5, doubling as the interior of a town hall where Pugachev (Nicholas Hoult) incites the peasants against Catherine.

Hever Castle is an outstanding 13th century and Tudor castle with a moat, stunning Italianate gardens, a beautiful lake, as well as a mock Tudor Village. It was the original home of the Boleyn family. Productions that filmed here include Inkheart (2008) and The Third Day (2020).

St Clere Estate is set in 2800 acres of the rolling Kent countryside and offers stunning views of the North Downs. Some of the ground’s features include formal gardens, paddocks, a meadow, fields, an orangery, green houses and a temple by the lake. St Clere Estate has previously been used to film Road Games (2016) and Sky’s original series Gangs of London (2020-2022).

One of the most popular filming locations in Kent, Botany Bay is a sandy bay set against a white cliff backdrop with a steep, sandy track for vehicle access and small portable café. Recent productions to have filmed on Botany Bay include The Electrical Life of Louis Wain (2021), The Baby (2022) and Sulphur and White (2020).

Cobham Wood is a vast woodland park containing an array of vegetation and landscapes. The park is home to the Darnley Mausoleum; built in the 18th Century as the final resting place for the Darnley family, it remains unused.

A historic 17th Century Dockyard spanning over 80 acres, Chatham Dockyard contains over 100 buildings dating from the Georgian and Victorian periods. One of the most popular filming locations in Kent, recent productions to have filmed on the site include A Spy Among Friends (2022), Enola Holmes 2 (2022), and Series 3 of Jerk (2023).

Series 3 of The Great will be released on Lionsgate+ on Friday 14th July 2023 and the series is currently available to stream on StarzPlay and All4.

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

Born a King (2019)

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Writer: Henry Fitzherbert, Bader Al Samari, Ray Loriga
Director: Agusti Villaronga
Starring: Abdullah Ali, Ed Skrein, Hermione Corfield, Kenneth Cranham
Production Company: Arena Audiovisual, Celtic Films Entertainment
Kent Locations Used: The Historic Dockyard Chatham

Born a King (2019) is the real life, coming-of-age story of Faisal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud who was sent to London in 1919 by his father to gather support for Saudi Arabia as a sovereign country. He was the first Saudi Prince to visit the UK and at 14 was entrusted to negotiate with some of the pre-eminent figures of the age; Lord Curzon (Kenneth Cranham) and Winston Churchill (Celyn Jones). He befriends Princess Mary (Hermione Corfield) who helps guide him through the corridors of power.

Born a King was directed by Agusti Villaronga (Black Bread, Uncertain Glory) and written by Henry Fitzherbert (Love & Friendship, Slaughterhouse Rulez), Bader Al Samari and Ray Loriga (Theresa: The Body of Christ, Ausentes). The film introduces Abdullah Ali as Faisal, and stars Ed Skrein (Deadpool, The Model) as Philby, Hermione Corfield (The Halcyon, Rust Creek) as Princess Mary and Kenneth Cranham (Maleficent, The White Princess) as Lord Curzon.

Anchor Wharf at The Historic Dockyard Chatham doubles as Plymouth Docks in the film, in a scene where Prince Faisal arrives in England and is greeted by the press and government officials.

Set over 80 acres on the River Medway and with more than 100 Victorian and Georgian buildings, The Historic Dockyard Chatham is one of Kent’s most popular film locations. The site has previously featured in Mr Turner (2014), Victoria and Abdul (2017) and The Mercy (2018).

Born a King (2019) was released in Saudi Arabia on Thursday 26th September 2019 and is available to watch on Amazon in the UK.

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

Battle of Britain (1969)

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Director: Guy Hamilton
Writer: James Kennaway, Wilfred Greatorex, Derek Dempster, Derek Wood.
Starring: Michael Caine, Trevor Howard , Harry Andrews, Christopher Plummer
Production Company: Spitfire Productions
Kent Locations Used: Denton, The Jackdaw Inn (Denton), Chilham, RAF Hawkinge

Set in 1940, Battle of Britain (1969) film tells the tale of the epic battle of Britain. Nazi Germany is attacking the airfields of the south east as part of Operation Sea Lion, and in order to stop the enemy from achieving their goals for invasion, the British Royal Air force must fight a desperate battle for control of the skies.

With death defying aerial acrobatics, this historical re-enactment takes the audience to the heart of World War II. With the Luftwaffe advancing onto London, the RAF must gather their destroyed resources and launch a critical attack.

Starring Michael Caine (The Dark Knight, The Prestige), this feature was not to be his last visit to the county: the actor returned in Is Anybody There? (2009), the touching story of the friendship between a young boy and a retired magician, which was filmed in Folkestone and Hythe.

Battle of Britain featured some of the best of Kent’s locations. The village of Chilham was mentioned on fictional signs at the control centre at the end of the film. A popular filming location in the county, Chilham is most famous for appearing in Agatha Christie adaptations. Miss Marple: The Moving Finger (2005) was filmed almost entirely in the village and it was also home for a special Christmas episode of Poirot (1995).

Another Kent Village, Denton, appeared in the film. The local pub, The Jackdaw Inn, had a cameo as the scene for Christopher Plummer (The Sound of Music, Beginners) and his on-screen wife, giving the audience an insight into the personal effects of war. The Jackdaw Inn has a room devoted to RAF World War II memorabilia and is a must see for any history buff.

RAF Hawkinge was the obvious choice as a location for the film. With a rich military history, the site is now a museum with the largest collection of Battle of Britain artefacts on show in the country.

Battle of Britain (1969) was released on Monday 15th September 1969 and is now available to buy on DVD.

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