Kent & East Sussex Railway

A Very British Scandal (2021)

Posted on by Kent Film Office
Claire Foy, as the Duchess of Argyll, stands in the centre of the frame looking directly at the camera. Behind her is a grey-brick building. On her left, right and at the bottom of the frame stand three photographers, pointing large old-fashioned cameras directly at her. Foy has dark brown slicked-back hair and blue eyes. She wears a purple blazer with matching hat and thin veil over her face, a grey fur coat held around her midriff, light grey gloves, a pearl necklace, bracelet and earrings, and a dark grey clutch bag. She also wears bright red lipstick.

Claire Foy in A Very British Scandal © BBC

Writer: Sarah Phelps
Director: Anne Sewitsky
Starring: Paul Bettany, Claire Foy, Jonathan Aris
Production Company: Amazon Studios, Blueprint Pictures
Kent Locations Used: Kent & East Sussex Railway

A Very British Scandal (2021) depicts the story of events surrounding the notorious divorce of the Duke and Duchess of Argyll during the 1960s.

Claire Foy (The Crown Series 1 – 6 (2016-2023), Wolf Hall (2015)) stars as Margaret, Duchess of Argyll while Paul Bettany (Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), WandaVision) stars as Ian Campbell, Duke of Argyll. The three part miniseries also features Jonathan Aris (Grantchester, The End of the F***ing World (2017)), was written by
Sarah Phelps (The Pale Horse, The White Princess) and directed by Anne Sewitsky (Monsterland, Black Mirror).

Production visited Tenterden’s Kent & East Sussex Railway to film the opening scene where Margaret and Ian Campbell meet for the first time on The Golden Arrow Boat Train from Paris.

The Kent & East Sussex Railway is a ten and a half mile rural railway from Tenterden to East Sussex. The Kent and East Sussex Railway has provided location services for a variety of film and television productions over the years including Richard E. Grant on Ealing Comedies (2016) and the opening shot of Downton Abbey (2010-2013) series one, episode one when a steam train travels through the countryside. A more recent production to film on the railway is Paul O’Grady Great British Escapes.

A Very British Scandal began airing on Sunday 26th December 2021 on BBC One and all episodes are available to watch on iPlayer.

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

Mapp and Lucia (2014)

Posted on by Kent Film Office
Elizabeth Mapp (MIRANDA RICHARDSON), Emmeline 'Lucia' Lucas (ANNA CHANCELLOR) standing in a garden behind a table and chairs with food on

Elizabeth Mapp (MIRANDA RICHARDSON), Emmeline ‘Lucia’ Lucas (ANNA CHANCELLOR) © BBC/Nick Briggs

Director: Diarmuid Lawrence

Writer: Steve Pemberton

Starring: Miranda Richardson, Anna Chancellor, Steve Pemberton, Mark Gatiss, Frances Barber, Felicity Montagu, Gemma Whelan

Production Company: BBC

Kent Locations: Kent & East Sussex Railway – Tenterden Station

This Christmas, the BBC offers a new three part adaptation of E.F. Benson’s Mapp & Lucia novels set in 1930 in the quaint village of Tilling. The eccentric residents live in a world filled with gossip and petty one up-manship and the village’s renowned schemers, Miss Elizabeth Mapp and Mrs Emmeline Lucas, battle for social supremacy over garden produce, bridge and a fund-raising fete.

The mini-series is a satire, adapted and starring Steve Pemberton (The League of Gentlemen, Benidorm) and directed by Diarmuid Lawrence (The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Emma).

Miranda Richardson (Parade’s End, The Phantom of the Opera) plays Mapp with Anna Chancellor (Pramface, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy) as Lucia. Starring alongside the pair are Mark Gatiss (Sherlock, Match Point Match Point), Frances Barber (Silk, Doctor Who), Felicity Montagu (Alan Partridge, Bridget Jones’s Diary), and Gemma Whelan (The Wolfman, Gulliver’s Travels).

In July 2013, the Mapp and Lucia production team filmed in Kent when they visited period railway Kent & East Sussex Railway‘s Tenterden Station.

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 various film and TV productions such as Last Passenger (2013).

Mapp and Lucia starts on BBC One on Monday 29th December 2014 at 21.05.

 

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

Last Passenger (2013)

Posted on by Kent Film Office

Last Passenger Movie Poster- Last Passenger text in the centre with a montage of images of cast members on top.

Director: Omid Nooshin

Writers: Andy Love, Omid Nooshin

Starring: Dougray Scott, Kara Tointon, Iddo Goldberg, Lindsay Duncan, David Schofield

Production Companies: NDF International Future Films, UK Film Council, Pinewood Studios, 2B Pictures

Kent Location: Kent & East Sussex Railway, Rolvenden Station

Train carriage on fire, coming off the railway tracks at night

Writer-director, Omid Nooshin’s debut feature film “Last Passenger” is about a group of passengers stuck on a London commuter train as they fight for their lives when the driver’s twisted plans threaten the survival of all on-board.

Starring Iddo Goldberg (Defiance), Kara Tointon (Eastenders), Joshua Kaynama (Eva’s Diamond), Dougray Scott (Hitman) , Lindsay Duncan (Alice in Wonderland) and David Schofield (Gladiator).

The Last Passenger production team visited Kent & East Sussex Railway in November 2011 to shoot the carriage fire scenes at the end of the film.

Kent & East Sussex Railway provides a ten and a half mile rural railway track from Tenterden to East Sussex.

Don’t miss Last Passenger which will be released in cinemas on Friday 18th October 2013.

 

 

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

Downton Abbey (2010 & 2013)

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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.