Mark Stanley

A Cruel Love: The Ruth Ellis Story (2025)

Posted on by Kent Film Office
Lucy Boynton as Ruth Ellis is sitting at a bar smoking a cigarette. She has blonde curled hair and is wearing a red strapless top, red lipstick and silver earrings.

Lucy Boynton as Ruth Ellis in A Cruel Love: The Ruth Ellis Story (2025) © SILVERPRINT PICTURES FOR ITV/ITVX

Director: Lee Haven Jones
Starring: Lucy Boynton, Toby Jones, Laurie Davidson, Mark Stanley, Joe Armstrong, Arthur Darvill, Juliet Stevenson, Toby Stephens
Production Company: Silverprint Pictures
Kent Locations Used: The Historic Dockyard Chatham

A Cruel Love: The Ruth Ellis Story (2025) is a four-part ITV historical drama based on Ruth Ellis, the last woman to be hanged in Britain.

Directed by Lee Haven Jones (The Feast, The Long Call), the series stars Lucy Boynton (Sing Street, Bohemian Rhapsody) as Ruth Ellis, Toby Jones (Mr Bates vs the Post Office (2024), Empire of Light (2023)) as her lawyer John Bickford, Laurie Davidson (Cats, Will), Mark Stanley (Trigger Point (2022), Sulphur and White (2020)), Joe Armstrong (Robin Hood, Darkest Hour (2018)), Arthur Darvill (World on Fire (2019), Doctor Who), Juliet Stevenson (Pierrepoint (2006), Queens of Mystery (2020-2021)) and Toby Stephens (Summer of Rockets (2019), Die Another Day).

Filming took place at the entrance to The Historic Dockyard Chatham, which doubled for the entrance to Holloway Prison.

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. Other recent productions to have filmed at the Dockyard include Call the Midwife (2012-2024), The Great (2020-2023) and The Crown – Series 1-6 (2016-2023).

A Cruel Love: The Ruth Ellis Story (2025) will air on ITV on Monday 17th February 2025.

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

Sulphur and White (2020)

Posted on by Kent Film Office
Sulphur and White poster. A shattered glass butterfly against a white background. In the butterfly's wings are screengrabs from the film. On the right side of the image are the words Sulphur and White written in faded black text.

Sulphur and White (2020) Poster © 2021 Modern Films ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Writer: Susie Farrell
Director: Julian Jarrold
Starring: Mark Stanley, Emily Beecham, Anna Friel, Dougray Scott, Aftab Shivdasani
Production Companies: AMG International, EMU Films
Kent Locations Used: Thanet (Joss Bay, Kingsgate Bay, Botany Bay)

Feature film Sulphur and White (2020) is inspired by the true story of David Tait (Mark Stanley), a city trader and mountaineer, who tries to forget his traumatic childhood as he climbs the corporate ladder in the City Of London. When he meets Vanessa (Emily Beecham), David’s life begins to change.

Sulphur and White is directed by the award winning Julian Jarrold (Kinky Boots, Becoming Jane) and the screenplay was written by Susie Farrell (Dirty God). It stars Mark Stanley (Game of Thrones, Run) as David Tait and Emily Beechman (Daphne, Hail, Caesar!) as Vanessa. Co-stars also include Anna Friel (Marcella, Deep Water), Dougray Scott (EverAfter, Hitman) and Aftab Shivdasani (Mast, Kasoor).

Filming took place in Thanet, a district of Kent containing resort towns Margate, Ramsgate and Broadstairs with beautiful beaches.

The production visited Joss Bay in Broadstairs, a proclaimed surfer’s paradise, boasting a 200 metre-long stretch of sandy beach. Kingsgate Bay and Botany Bay afford incredible views of white cliffs and highly photographed white chalk stacks.

These coastal locations have attracted various film and TV productions over the years from French coming-of-age film À nous les petites Anglaises (1976), Mr Selfridge Series 4 (2016), Bhikari (2017) to most recently Dracula (2020).

Sulphur and White will be released in UK cinemas on Friday 6th March 2020.

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