Director: Louise Hooper, Sarah O’Gorman
Starring: Ciarán Hinds, Charlie Cox, Olga Kurylenko, Oona Chaplin
Production Company: Binocular Productions, Borderline Productions, Bryncoed Productions, ITV Studios
Kent Locations Used: Sessions House – Maidstone
Treason (2022) is a 5-part spy miniseries about MI6 agent Adam Lawrence whose career seemed set until Kara, a Russian Spy, wanders into his life. Adam must negotiate his complicated relationships with Kara and his wife Maddy, whilst all three try to expose each other’s secrets.
Production visited Maidstone to film the exterior of local government office building Sessions House, which doubled as a Westminster building in Episode 4.
Sessions House is a Grade II listed office building complete with council chambers, lecture theatre and a grand staircase. It is situated in Maidstone, the county town of Kent. The building also features in Rustom (2016), doubling as The Ritz.
Treason will be released on Netflix on Monday 26th December 2022.
Creator: Julie Wassmer Starring: Kerry Godliman, Howard Charles, Sophia Del Pizzo, Frances Barber Production Company: Buccaneer Media Kent Locations Used: Whitstable, Canterbury, Faversham, Herne Bay, Margate, Ramsgate, Detling, Dover, Sevenoaks, Rochester
Based on the much loved series of novels ‘The Whitstable Pearl Mysteries’ by Kent resident Julie Wassmer (EastEnders, London’s Burning), Whitstable Pearl (2021-2022) is a detective series for Acorn TV. The story follows big-hearted local restaurant owner Pearl Nolan (Kerry Godliman) who sets up a local detective agency after undergoing police training in an earlier career. She is soon embroiled in her first case when she discovers the body of close friend, Vinnie. Pearl forms an unlikely partnership with DCI Mike McGuire (Howard Charles) and finds herself pulled into the dark underbelly of the picturesque town she calls home.
For both Series 1 and 2, most of the filming took place in and around Whitstable itself, including scenes filmed by the coast at Whitstable Harbour, Whitstable Beach, Whitstable Yacht Club and Tankerton Beach. In Series 1, Whitstable High Street features and local shops were filmed including Iain’s Plaice (fish and chip restaurant) and art gallery Chappell Contemporary as Houlihan’s Hardware store. Other Whitstable businesses filmed for Series 1 include the Cemetery, Football Ground, MFA Bowl and Seaview Holiday Park, which features as the trailer park where Vinnie lives. Several private residences were used for filming, including Beacon House as Pearl’s House for Series 1, the exterior of The Ness as Mike’s Flat in Series 2 Episode 2, The Warehouse Cottages for the same episode, and various private residences on Island Wall for Series 2 Eps 1 and 2. Filming took place at The Old Neptune pub, which doubled as the Pearson’s Arms for both series. Whitstable train station also features briefly in Series 2 Ep 2 as Pearl trails a suspected cheating spouse.
The Kent Events Centre was used as a studio build location in Series 1 for interiors of Pearl’s seafood restaurant.
Meanwhile, Margate in Thanet features in both series with Margate Beach and The Walpole Hotel doubling for Whitstable seaside scenes in Series 1, Dreamland and the Nayland Rock Hotel featuring in Series 2 as a theme park and The Bradford Hotel. For Series 1, production also filmed at St Peter’s Roman Catholic Church on Canterbury Road in nearby Westgate-on-Sea. The Port of Ramsgate and Royal Harbour Marina double for the Port of Dover cruise terminal and Dover Marina in Series 1.
Dover features multiple times in Series 2, with locations such as The White Cliffs, Port of Dover, Lydden Spout Battery and Western Heights making an appearance in Episode 1, along with various nearby roads. The Citadel also appears in both series, doubling as a police station. The Citadel also features in Series 1 as a children’s home, and in Series 2 Episode 1 the location’s tunnels feature as the setting for the dramatic confrontation between Kruz Tomlin (Yaw Nimako-Asamoah) and his stepfather Leo (Oliver Walker).
For Series 2, production also visited various locations in Sevenoaks, including a private house which doubled as Dolly’s House, Stonepitts PYO Farm and the St Clere Estate which doubles as Zelda St John’s (Stephanie Beacham) mansion.
Rochester High Street in Medway appears in Series 2, with local businesses Baggin’s Book Bazaar, Kiss the Bride and a former Estate Agents featuring in Episodes 2 and 3.
Interior scenes for Series 1 were filmed at the former St Martin’s Hospital in Canterbury doubling as a police station and a hospital. Other filming locations for Series 1 include a field near Faversham at Belmont Park and private residence in Herne Bay.
Beacon House is a colonial clapboard wooden turn of the century Beach House. Set above beach on a private sea road, the grounds include wild woodland gardens and views out to sea and lines of beach huts. Catastrophe Series 4 (2019) filmed at this location.
The Kent Events Centre based in Detling is the largest, most flexible conference and exhibition venue in Kent, offering 7,000 sqm of indoor space available to film productions as studio space and 200 acres of outdoor space.
Margate is a traditional seaside town complete with sandy beach, harbour, amusement park, period housing and ultra-modern art gallery Turner Contemporary. The Walpole Hotel was built for discerning guests in 1914 and extended in 1927. Built over 5 floors it has 42 Bedrooms, 2 flats and a newly added small museum space. Dreamland is considered to be the oldest-surviving amusement park in Great Britain, and has played host to a variety of productions, including Killing Eve (2018-2022), Two Weeks to Live (2020) and Jellyfish (2018). Located nearby, The Nayland Rock Hotel also featured in Killing Eve (2018-2022), as well as King of Thieves (2018).
The Port of Ramsgate offers 32 acres of dedicated Port Land including 3 modern Ro-Ro bridges and Water and bunker facilities on all berths. It is often used as ‘stand-in’ for the Port of Dover. Royal Harbour Marina offers 700 finger moorings set in a picturesque and historic harbour setting. Crime dramas to previously film at the Port of Ramsgate include The Tunnel: Vengeance (2017) and Baptiste (2019).
Dover houses the major port, connecting the UK with the European mainland. Dover Castle towers above the town, signalling Dover’s strategic importance in the defence of the country and the White Cliffs are one of the most recognised landmarks in Britain. Recent productions to have filmed in Dover include Pistol (2022), Rogue Agent (2022), and The Tunnel: Sabotage (2016).
The Citadel, located on Dover‘s Western Heights was constructed in the late 1700’s as a port of defence during the Napoleonic war. Most recently it has been used as a borstal, prison, and immigration detention centre up until its closure in 2015. It is now becoming popular as a filming location and has welcomed several productions over the past year – soon to broadcast.
The town of Sevenoaks has a varied landscape, featuring a bustling high street, stately homes and castles as well as beautiful countryside. Located in that countryside is the St Clere Estate, which offers stunning views of the North Downs, formal gardens, paddocks, a kitchen garden, orangery, green houses, and a temple by the lake. Built in 1630, it has some fine architectural examples of the Caroline era. It has recently played host to a variety of productions including The Great (2020-2021), Gangs of London (2020-2022) and The Third Day (2020).
Writer / Director: Leroy Kincaide Starring: Bethan Waller, Johnny Fleming, Kit Smith Production Company: Nocturnal Pictures Kent Locations Used: Ballin’ – Maidstone, Barming, Eastwell Manor Hotel, Hemsted Forest – Cranbrook, Kangaroo Court Coffee House – Chatham, Lenham, Sevenoaks, St Peter & St Paul Church – Aylesford, Teston Bridge Country Park, Wildwoods Restaurant – Maidstone
The Last Rite (2021) is an indie horror film about medical student Lucy who begins suffering from sleep paralysis and falls prey to a demonic force set on tearing her life apart.
The film was shot entirely on location in Kent. The main location, Ben and Lucy’s house, was filmed in a private house in Barming, Maidstone. Other Maidstone locations featured include Dr. Bennett’s (Simon Rhys-Jones) office, Ballin’ (formerly Gallery Superclub) and Wildwood Restaurant which double as The Cuban Bar and bathroom.
Another Maidstone location featured in the film is Teston Bridge Country Park, which appears in a short sequence where Lucy meets Father Roberts for the first time and asks for his help.
In the nearby town of Lenham, a private house features as the exterior and interior of Dr Andrews’ (David Kerr) house, where Lucy goes to seek answers about The Man in the Hat.
The Chancellor’s office, where Father Roberts goes to plead the Church for an exorcism, was filmed at Eastwell Manor Hotel in Ashford.
Hemsted Forest in Cranbrook appears in a short dream sequence, where Lucy imagines herself waking up in the woods and being haunted by The Man in the Hat.
A private house in Sevenoaks doubles as the living room and bedroom of Father Roberts’ house
Kangaroo Court Coffee House (formerly in Chatham, now in Rochester) features in a small scene where Lucy and her friend Ellie (Tara Hoyos-Martinez) meet to discuss the otherworldly figure in Lucy’s house.
As the county town of Kent and seat of local governance, Maidstone plays an important part in Kent’s history. The River Medway runs through Maidstone’s town centre, which is bustling with many shops, restaurants, bars, churches and a museum. Previous productions to have filmed in Maidstone include Series 2 of This Time with Alan Partridge (2021), Rustom (2016) and Series 1 of Missing (2009-2010).
Lenham is a market village situated on the southern edge of the North Downs, halfway between Maidstone and Ashford. In its centre is the busy but picturesque square, which has two public houses, a couple of restaurants, and a tea-room, as well as various shops. The village is at the main source of the Great Stour as well as the River Len, which flows in a westerly direction to join the River Medway at Maidstone.
Built in a Neo-Elizabethan style in 1920 on the site of the former stately home Eastwell Park, Eastwell Manor Hotel offers uninterrupted views over the North Downs, as well as a luxurious dining room, manicured lawns, a gym, leisure club, spa, outdoor pool and 9-hole golf course. The hotel appears in a 1992 episode of The Darling Buds of May (1991-1993).
Aylesford is a picturesque village located on the banks of the River Medway, complete with a Norman Church and Victorian houses. Other productions to have filmed in Aylesford include the Bollywood film Rustom (2016) and Half a Sixpence (1967).
Hemsted Forest boasts approximately 398 hectares of woodland, a mixture of conifer and broadleaf, and is rich in different bird species. The forest is situated in Cranbrook, a busy village with a large smock mill on the North Downs. Both Series 1 and 2 of the detective show Queens of Mystery (2019-2021) feature the village.
Chatham is a historic town situated in Medway, North Kent and is known for its historic dockyard, army barracks and high street. Series 4 of The Crown (2016-2020) features the barracks, and Operation Mincemeat (2022), along with many other high-profile productions, features scenes filmed at the dockyard.
The Last Rite was released on Amazon Prime on Monday 4th April 2022.
Director: Simon Kinberg Writers: Simon Kinberg, Theresa Rebeck Starring: Jessica Chastain, Lupita Nyong’o, , Diane Kruger, Penélope Cruz, Bingbing Fan Production Company: Freckle Films, CAA Media Finance, FilmNation Entertainment Locations Used: Fairbourne Reservoir in Harrietsham
The 355 (2022) is an American spy thriller about a CIA operative who joins forces with three international agents on a mission to recover a top-secret weapon that has fallen into the wrong hands.
During filming, production visited Fairbourne Reservoir near Harrietsham in Maidstone. The property was dressed as Graciela’s (Penélope Cruz) Colombian home.
Fairbourne Reservoir is a modern mansion which has previously featured in two episodes of Netflix’s Black Mirror – Metalhead (2017) and Smithereens (2018). Harrietsham is a picturesque village in Maidstone and contains a number of listed buildings..
The 355 was released in UK cinemas on Friday 7th January 2022.
Director: Alex Winckler Writer: Greg Davies Starring: Greg Davies, Helena Bonham Carter, David Mitchell, Stephanie Cole, Layton Williams, Jo Hartley Production Company: Studio Hamburg UK Kent Locations Used: Private residences in Sevenoaks, Tunbridge Wells and Maidstone, Showfields Hall Community Centre
The Cleaner (2021) is a BBC sitcom that tells the story of Paul ‘Wicky’ Wickstead, a state-certified cleaning technician, who is responsible for the removal of any signs of death from crime scenes. When carrying out his duties, he stumbles across the strangest of people: from the victim’s relatives, employers, neighbours, and acquaintances, to occasionally even the murderers themselves. And because he’s a sociable type, he sometimes gossips more than he cleans.
During filming, production visited several private residences in the Sevenoaks, Tunbridge Wells and Maidstone districts, and built a green screen set at Showfields Hall Community Centre in Tunbridge Wells. Each episode of the series focuses on a different crime scene, and Kent residences are the main locations for all but Episode 3.
The town of Sevenoaks boasts a varied landscape with acres of beautiful countryside, stately homes and castles as well as a thriving town centre. It is most known for being home to one of the oldest cricket grounds in the country – The Vine Cricket Ground. Previous productions to have filmed in the town of Sevenoaks include The Larkins (2021),Making Noise Quietly (2019) and Parade’s End (2012).
Starring: Davina McCall, Nicky Campbell Production Company: ITV Studios Kent Locations Used: Gravesend, Maidstone, Dartford
Long Lost Family (2011-) returns for another series. The team combine detective work alongside the latest DNA technology to help four contributors uncover their real identities and work out where they came from.
In these two special episodes we see the incredible stories of a man who was left in a car on the outskirts of Belfast, a woman left in a telephone box in Dundalk, another woman found in a public toilet in Warminster and lastly, a man found outside a railway tavern in Greenhithe.
The show is presented by Davina McCall and Nicky Campbell, who continue to work together to bring solace to many families across the UK.
Production visited a contributor’s house in Gravesend, along with various streets in Maidstone and Dartford.
Dartford is a historic market town with a rich industrial heritage and boasts one of the largest shopping centres in Europe. Recent productions to film here include Gangs of London (2020) and The Corrupted (2019).
Long Lost Family: Born Without Trace will air on Monday 1st June and Tuesday 2nd June at 9pm on ITV.
Phil, accompanied by Conservation Architect Liz Smith ,is given unprecedented access into fascinating stately home archives to reveal the incredible ambition of the house’s creators, as well as the huge quantities of materials, labour and money involved in turning their flights of fancy into bricks and mortar.
With a chance to try his hand at craft and restoration, and insight from the current custodians, Phil discovers how these homes became symbols of power – and play – and what the buildings and estates are really like to own.
The series is produced by Mayfly Television and written by Harry Williams and Jack Williams. The executive producer is Marcus Stephenson with Clemency Green Commissioning Editor for Features.
During filming in 2019 the production visited Leeds Castle in Kent in the year the castle celebrated its 900th anniversary. Filming took place inside the Castle when Phil interviewed staff members including Leeds Castle Curator Annie Kemkaran-Smith as well as a descendant of the last private owner Lady Baillie. During the episode Phil went punting on the moat and visited the clock tower to raise Lady Baillie’s flag.
Director: Titus Ogilvy Starring: Michael Portillo Production Company: Boundless West Kent Locations Used: Canterbury, Maidstone, Chartwell House in Westerham
Great British Railway Journeys (2010-) is a documentary series in which Michael Portillo travels the length and breadth of the country by train referring to his 1930s Bradshaw’s Guide stopping at places of interest.
Produced by Boundless West for the BBC, the episode is directed by Titus Ogilvy with John Comerford as Executive Producer.
In episode 11 Michael Portillo takes a journey from Canterbury to Alexandra Palace exploring the east of England in the inter-war period. Beginning in Canterbury, Michael treads the boards as he uncovers the political message behind a play published in 1936 ABOUT the 12th-century murder of Archbishop Thomas Becket.
In Maidstone, Michael learns of the international origins of the most British symbol of remembrance at the Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal before paying his respects at a war memorial based on London’s Cenotaph.
Michael stopped off in Sevenoaks and travelled to nearby Westerham where he visited the country home of one of his political heroes, Sir Winston Churchill and discovers how the 1930s were wilderness years at Chartwell.
As the county town of Kent Maidstone plays an important part in Kent’s history. The River Medway runs though the town centre linking it with other towns such as Rochester and Chatham. The Borough of Maidstone is a popular town for filming, previous productions include Celebrity Antiques Road Show – Series 8 (2018) and popular Netflix show Black Mirror.
Chartwell House, Churchill’s former home. Set in delightful gardens,Chartwell is a National Trust property in Westerham, just outside Sevenoaks, and the rooms remain much as they were when Churchill lived there. Chartwell has previously been used as a film location by productions such as Flog It! (2014) and feature film Darkest Hour (2018).
Episode 11 Canterbury to Alexandra Palace airs on BBC Two at 6:30pm on Monday 20th January 2020.
Writers: J.J Mcdowell and Damián Romay Director: Ara Paiaya Starring: Angus MacFadyen, Lou Ferringo, Armando Gutierrez, Anna Hutchinson, Madison McKinley, Arin Aldridge Production Companies: Conglomerate Media, Swen Group Kent Locations Used: Leeds Castle
Purge Of Kingdoms (2019) is a parody of HBO’s hit TV series Game of Thrones. The story depicts nobles from Eight Kingdoms gathering for Purge Fest 3000 to try and put an end to their violent conflicts. Meanwhile, members of the Fat King’s own family conspire to overthrow him.
The film was shot almost entirely at Leeds Castle in Maidstone including the Maiden’s Tower and the large grounds surrounding the castle, all doubling as the fictional Kingdom of Kingshire.
Leeds Castle is located in Maidstone as is a romantic castle with medieval themed rooms. Other features include 1920s style interiors and original marble bathrooms, large estate – grounds, gardens, moat, river, large formal gardens, woodlands, maze with shell grotto and a aviary. The castle dates mostly from the 19th century and has been open to the public since 1976. The location was also used during the filming of Henry VIII (1979) and Lady Jane (1986).
Purge of Kingdoms was released on Monday 16th December 2019.
Writer: Surabhi Bhatnagar, Tarun Jain, Luv Ranjan Director: Akiv Ali Starring: Ajay Devgn, Tabu, Rakul Preet Singh Production Company: Luv Films, T-Series Kent Locations Used: Castle Farm Lavender in Sevenoaks and Leeds Castle in Maidstone
De De Pyaar De (2019) is a hit Hindi romantic comedy feature film. The film centres on Ashish Mehra (Ajay Deygn), a single father and business man from London who falls in love with a younger woman, Ayesha Khurana (Rakul Preet Singh), much to the disapproval of his family and ex-wife.
Some scenes in the film were shot at Castle Farm Lavender in Sevenoaks. The farm was used for a motorcycle driving scene, and the half-timbered Kentish barn at the farm was converted into a motorcycle shed for a BBQ and dance scene. Filming also took place at Leeds Castle in Maidstone.
