Maidstone

Great British Railway Journeys Series 11 (2020)

Posted on by Kent Film Office
Michael Portillo standing on a train platform with tracks in the background, wearing a blue top and pink blazer. He's smiling at the camera holding a book.

Michael Portillo in Great British Railway Journeys Series 11 © BBC

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.

Canterbury is a vibrant City that offers a variety of locations ranging from the modern day city, parks and open spaces, historic streets and the world heritage site of Canterbury Cathedral. Canterbury is a popular filming location and has previously been used as a location for filming for Britain’s Christmas Story (2019) and Britain’s Great Cathedrals with Tony Robinson (2018).

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.

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

Purge of Kingdoms (2019)

Posted on by Kent Film Office
Film poster depicting the portraits of 12 cast membersonn a grey medieval-style grid. With the title “Purge of Kingdoms” is in gold lettering

Purge Of Kingdoms Movie Poster © Conglomerate Media

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.

Purge Of Kingdoms was written by J.J. McDowell (Grow Old with Me, A Chance in Hell) and Damián Romay (Below the Surface, Dangerous Lessons), directed by Ara Paiaya (Instant Death, Skin Traffik). The film stars Angus Macfadyen (Braveheart, We Bought a Zoo), Lou Ferringo (The Incredible Hulk, Instant Death), Armando Gutierrez (The Little Mermaid, Anastasia: Once Upon a Time), Anna Hutchinson (Robert the Bruce, Encounter), Madison McKinley (The Wolf of Wall Street, Orange is the New Black) and Arin Aldridge (Guardians, The Bill (2000)).

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.

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

De De Pyaar De (2019)

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Ashish Mehra (Ajay Deygn) seen standing in a club with some girls standing at either side of him.

Ashish Mehra (Ajay Deygn) in De De Pyaar De ©IMDb

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.

The film was directed by Akiv Ali, and written by Surabhi Bhatnagar (Judwaa 2, Mubarakan),  Tarun Jain,(Pyaar Ka Punchnama 2, Life Sahi Hai) and Luv Ranjan (Dev.D, Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety). It stars Ajay Devgn (Simmba, Raid) and Rakul Preet Singh (NGK, Dev).

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.

Leeds Castle is a historic castle in Maidstone, with over 500 acres of land, including gardens, mazes and woodlands. The castle has been previously used in productions such as Rustom (2016) and The Hollow Crown: The Wars of the Roses (2016).

Castle Farm is a farm in Sevenoaks, with the historic timber framed farmhouse, surrounded by lavender fields. Previous filming has also taken place at Sevenoaks, including Mary Queen of Scots (2019) and The Favourite (2019).

The film was released on Friday 17th May 2019 in UK cinemas.

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

Rupert, Rupert and Rupert (2019)

Posted on by Kent Film Office
Rupert, Rupert and Rupert Film Poster showing a montage of three extreme close ups of Sandy Batchelor’s face as Rupert, lying sideways with Rupert standing in the middle, waist up. Rupert Rupert Rupert is written in blue

Rupert, Rupert and Rupert Official Film Poster © Substantial Films

Writer: Mick Sands
Director: Tom Sands
Starring: Sandy Batchelor, Daisy Keeping, Adam Astill, Ben Porter
Production Company: Substantial Films
Kent Locations Used: Streets in Royal Tunbridge Wells: Brook Road, Gusta Café, alleyway between Prospect Road and London Road in Southborough.

This comedy follows the life of Rupert (Sandy Batchelor), a struggling actor with multiple personality disorder and his three identities that compete for control after he earns the lead role in a West End play and meets Stevie (Daisy Keeping), the production’s makeup artist, who shows a romantic interest in him.

Rupert, Rupert and Rupert was written by Mick Sands (Nazi Vengeance, The Holly Cane Experiment) and directed by Tom Sands (The Holly Cane Experiment, False Witness) and stars Sandy Batchelor (The Fall of the Krays, False Witness), Daisy Keeping (Neverlake, Humans (2016)), Adam Astill (All The Money in the World, World’s End) and Ben Porter (School for Seduction, Somers Town).

Areas in Royal Tunbridge Wells were used for filming, including Brook Road, where Stevie lives and holds a garden party. The exterior of Gusta Café is shown when Rupert’s agent walks out with a coffee. The alleyway between Prospect Road and London Road in Southborough, Tunbridge Wells was also used for filming.

A historic town with a lot of character, Royal Tunbridge Wells has also been used for filming for the musical Half a Sixpence (1967), specifically The Pantiles, a parade of shops with old-style Georgian architecture. Gusta is a popular Italian café and restaurant in the busy town centre.

Rupert, Rupert and Rupert was released on Friday 26th April 2019 and can be streamed on Amazon Prime.

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

Child Genius Series 6 (2019)

Posted on by Kent Film Office
Image of presenter Richard Osmon in a blue suit holding a child genius card with book shelves pictured in the background.

Presenter Richard Osmon ©Channel 4

Starring: Richard Osman
Production Company: Wall to Wall
Kent Locations Used: Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells.

The competition to find UK’s brightest children continues on Channel 4. The competition is in association with British Mensa and tests twenty 8-12-year old’s in areas like spelling, mathematics or niche history to establish whether these children are deserving of the title Child Genius, as well as a unique view inside the childhood of the prodigies, who are from varying backgrounds.

Richard Osman, co-presenter of Pointless, uses his quick wit to test the nation’s sharpest children.

Maidstone Library was used in an upcoming episode, where one of the children was visiting. Southwood Road Recreation Ground, Tunbridge Wells also features.

Maidstone has been a popular site for TV programmes, productions include Long Lost Family: Born without Trace (2020). Tunbridge Wells has also been an attractive location for TV programmes like Question Time (2016) and series two of Hunted (2016).

Series six starts on Monday 25th February 2019 on Channel 4 at 8pm and will consist of 5 episodes that will air daily till Saturday 2nd March 2019.

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

Long Lost Family Special: Born Without Trace (2019)

Posted on by Kent Film Office
Presenters Davina McCall and Nicky Campbell pictured standing together smiling at the camera in front of an historic wall. Davina is wearing a denim jacket and nicky has a grey suit on.

Davina McCall and Nicky Campbell Presenting Long Lost Family Special: Born Without Trace ©ITV

Starring: Davina McCall and Nicky Campbell
Production Company: ITV Studios
Kent Locations Used: Maidstone

In this special episode of the popular series, we see the real-life stories of three foundlings. There is the man who, as a newborn, was abandoned in a hospital car park, the five-day old baby left in a cardboard box in Manchester and the woman abandoned on a doorstep in Scotland. All three are desperately searching to identify their biological parents and find the answer as to why they were abandoned.

During production, the crew visited a family home in the county town of Maidstone, Allington Lock and The Museum of Kent Life.

The show is presented by Davina McCall (Long Lost Family – Born Without a Trace) and Nicky Campbell (The Big Questions), who continue to work together to bring solace to many families across the UK.

The Borough of Maidstone has been a popular site for filming, productions include Great British Railway Journeys Series 11 (2020).

The Long Lost Family Special: Born Without will air on Monday 25th February 2019 at 9pm on ITV.

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

Celebrity Antiques Road Show – Series 8 (2018)

Posted on by Kent Film Office
Cast of Celebrity Antiques Road Show - Series 8- Four celebritites standing in a row holding up various antiques.

Cast of Celebrity Antiques Road Show – Series 8 ©BBC Two

Starring: Kelly Brook, Denise Van Outen and Peter Andre
Production Company: STV productions
Kent Locations Used: Ramsgate, Margate, Whitstable, Faversham, Sittingbourne, Maidstone, and Ashford

A brand-new series of Celebrity Antiques Road Show (2011-) returns to BBC two.  In the programme each antique expert is paired up with a celebrity and they travel across the UK in vintage cars, in a quest to find worthy antiques to sell at auction.

The series producer for the upcoming show is John Redshaw, and the chosen stars for Series 8 include reality-star Peter Andre, actress Denise Van Outen and model Kelly Brook.

One of the episodes visited Kent where the celebrities played mini-golf in Margate, went antiques hunting in  the sea-side town of Ramsgate and paid a visit to Leeds Castle and Pleasant View Garden Centre in Maidstone, and Whitstable Harbour in Canterbury.

Filming also took place in Faversham and Sittingbourne, which are towns in the district of Swale, as well as further filming in villages Appledore and Chilham in Ashford.

Ramsgate, Margate and Whitstable are seaside towns in East-Kent.  Ramsgate has been a significant filming location for popular television shows such as Juliet, Naked(2018), EastEnders (2015) and The Apprentice (2015).

Faversham and Sittingbourne are both towns within the Swale borough of Kent. Previous productions which filmed there include Celebs on the Farm (2018) and Walks With My Dog (2017).

Ashford is a market town with many shops, eateries, and a designer outlet shopping centre with London and Europe are just a train ride away through Ashford International train station. Previous productions which filmed include The Apprentice (2015).

Maidstone has been a popular site for TV programmes, productions include Long Lost Family: Born Without Trace (2020). Tunbridge Wells has also been an attractive location for TV programmes like Question Time (2016) and Series Two of Hunted (2016).

The series will start on Monday 5th November on BBC Two at 7pm with the Kent episode.

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

Four in a Bed – Series 12 (2018)

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Four in a bed series logo on a white sign hanging in a window

Four in a Bed Series ©1 RadioTimes

Starring: Mike Adams

Production Company: Studio Lambert

Kent Locations Used: Wortham, Maidstone, and Sheerness

A brand-new series of Four in a Bed returns to Channel 4, where a different B&B is visited each day of the week and owners take it in turns to stay with each other as they compete to be crowned Best Hosts. The final day at the end of the week is reserved for feedback debates and the announcement of the winner.

The series is narrated by Mike Adams (Emmerdale) and for this series production visited a B&B in Wrotham and one in Sheerness, as well as neighbouring areas like the county town of Maidstone.

Wrotham is located in Sevenoaks and has starred in other well-known series such as, Next of Kin directed by Justin Chadwick and Jamie Childs.  Maidstone in Kent has also been a key filming location used by popular Netflix show Black Mirror.

Isle of Sheppey is the largest town on the Isle of Sheppey. Sheppey regularly wins the blue flag for its clean beaches and has many pubs, restaurants, shops and other leisure attractions. The Hide (2009) has previously used The Isle of Sheppey as a film location.

The series will start on Monday 17th September on Channel 4 at 5.30pm and will air at the same time everyday till Monday 24th September 2018.

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

Bargain Hunt – Series 51 (2018)

Posted on by Kent Film Office

 

Bargain Hunt Series 51 poster- aerial shot of 15 cast members in a group kicking the air with their arms up and cheering faces.

Bargain Hunt Series 51 ©BBC One

 

Production Company: British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Kent Locations Used: Detling, Maidstone

This long-running, popular daytime show follows two amateur collector teams at an antique fair as they try to find the best bargains, to sell on at auction.

During the latest series production visited the Kent Event Centre  in Detling during the annual Antiques, Vintage and Collectors Fair. The location, which opened in 1964, offers several halls and over 200 acres of outdoor space alongside a private woodland organisers’ disposal. The venue hosts concerts as well as large scale exhibitions, trade fairs and the Kent County Show. Bargain Hunt has previously filmed at the venue, including one of their Christmas Specials (2016).

Bargain Hunt series 51 will air on BBC One on Friday 14th September 2018 at 12.15pm.

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

 

The Rizen (2017) and The Rizen: Possession (2020)

Posted on by Kent Film Office
Hand holding open book of arcane symbols

The Rizen © Lost Eye Films Ltd

Written and directed by: Matt Mitchell

Starring: Sally Phillips, Julian Rhind-Tutt, Tom Goodman-Hill, Adrian Edmondson

Production Company: Lost Eye Films

Kent Locations Used: Manor Way Business Park in Swanscombe, Old Town Hall Gravesend, Powerhub in Maidstone, Northfleet Industrial Estate

The Rizen (2017) and The Rizen: Possession (2020) is a horror story set in 1955, an era when both NATO and the Allied Forces were supposedly conducting secret, occult experiments in a bid to win the Arms Race.

What if they had succeeded and what the Army unleashed threatens to tear the world apart?

Man standing side-on looking at the Suited Women (Sally Phillips) who is looking forward.

The Rizen © Lost Eye Films Ltd

The Rizen was written and directed by Matt Mitchell (Gangsters, Guns & Zombies, It Never Sleeps). The film stars Sally Phillips (Bridget Jones’s Diary, The Decoy Bride), Julian Rhind-Tutt (Lucy, Rush), Tom Goodman-Hill (Mr Selfridge, Everest) and Adrian Edmondson (War and Peace, Bottom).

The production was largely based in Kent and the Manor Way Business Park in Swanscombe was used as their studio. Production filmed the endless, dark corridors in the Powerhub in Maidstone and ‘laboratory’ and ‘radio room’ scenes at Northfleet Industrial Estate with both locations doubling as an ex-military base. Filming also took place at Gravesend Old Town Hall which featured as a Grand Hall for an ‘academy’.

Manor Way Business Park is an industrial area with offices and warehouses located in Swanscombe, famous for its spectacular finds of Early Man. The site has excellent transport links and previously featured in Gangsters, Guns & Zombies (2012) and Doctor Strange  (2016).

The Gravesend Old Town Hall was once the seat of the local Magistrates Courts and has now been restored to serve as cultural and community venue. Other productions that have filmed in the Gravesend area include Canterbury Tales – The Seacaptain’s Tale (2003), The Interceptor (2015) and Great British Railway Journeys (2014).

Lieutenant Conner Taylor (Lee Latchford-Evans) pointing rifle towards figure in the foreground.

The Rizen © Lost Eye Films Ltd

The Powerhub in Maidstone is a five storey, listed, industrial building with a 1900’s art deco exterior. Inside the building there are a selection of studios, offices, showrooms and amazing studios. Past productions that have filmed in Maidstone include Missing (2009), Children in Need – The Rickshaw Challenge (2015) and Couples Come Dine With Me (2014).

Northfleet Industrial Estate is an estate in two halves, having been cut in half by the high speed railway and each half has its own tone. The location was used for filming a car crash scene in Doctor Strange  (2016).

The Rizen (2017) was chosen to headline and close the London Sci-fi Film Festival 2017 on Saturday 6th May 2017 with its World Premiere and The Rizen: Possession (2020) closed the London Sci-Fi film festival on 22nd May 2019.

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