Creator: Guy Ritchie Starring: Theo James, Kaya Scodelario, Daniel Ings, Joely Richardson
Production Company: Miramax Television, Moonage Pictures, Toff Guy Films
Kent Locations Used: Detling Diner, Maidstone, Ashford Cattle Market
Based on the 2019 film of the same name, The Gentlemen (2024) is an eight-part crime-drama series for Netflix. After the death of his father, Eddie Halstead inherits a large estate, unaware it is the front for a drug empire. With no experience in the criminal underworld, Eddie must take over the operation or lose everything.
With high-speed connections to London, Ashford is a busy market town with a bustling town centre that boasts two shopping malls, vibrant cafés and pubs and a partly pedestrianised high street. The Thompsons (2012) also filmed in Ashford.
The Gentlemen (2024) will be released on Netflix on Thursday 7th March 2024.
Creator: Peter Morgan Starring: Claire Foy, Olivia Colman, Imelda Staunton, Jonathan Pryce, Lesley Manville, Elizabeth Debicki, Dominic West Production Company: Left Bank Pictures, Sony Pictures Television Kent Locations Used: The Historic Dockyard Chatham, Brompton Barracks, Cobham Hall, Lydd, Discovery Park, Rochester
The Crown (2016-2023) is a Netflix Original historical drama series focusing on the reign of Queen Elizabeth II. Based on real events, the series is a fictional dramatization of the political and personal events that shaped her reign.
In Series 4, production visited Brompton Barracks in Chatham, where they used the Parade Square and The Mall for scenes re-enacting Trooping the Colour at the Horse Guards Parade. Brompton Barracks is ideally suited as a location to double for iconic London landmarks with a large parade ground, vaulted cellars under the Officer’s Mess, statues, stone bridges, a museum, and a large ornate arch.
For Series 5, production revisited The Historic Dockyard Chatham where they filmed the Queen boarding a ship at Anchor Wharf. Filming also took place in the village of Lydd, at Hardy Hall and The Green, which was used to recreate Tony Blair, played by Bertie Carvel (Dalgliesh, Doctor Foster), and his family casting their votes in the 1997 General Election – a scene which sadly did not make the final cut. Production also visited Cobham Hall, which doubled as Eton College.
Production returned to Kent for Series 6, with filming taking place at Cobham Hall, which once again doubles for Eton College. A jogging scene was also filmed in a nearby private woodland and in Episode 4 Discovery Park features as the hospital in France where Princess Diana passed away. The wedding of Prince Charles (Dominic West) and Camilla (Olivia Williams) in Windsor was filmed outside Rochester Guildhall in the City Centre doubling for the registry office at Windsor Guildhall and the wedding procession.
Cobham Hall is a private school in a historic house which is located in 150 acres of Grade II listed parkland. Its features include a stunning ballroom, library, cobbled courtyards, formal gardens, water towers, modern classrooms and sport facilities, including a swimming pool. Previous productions to have filmed at Cobham Hall include Hetty Feather (2015-2020), High End Yaariyaan (2019) and Tulip Fever (2018).
The first series of The Crown (2016-2023) was released on Netflix on Friday 4th November 2016. All seasons are currently available to view on Netflix.
Series 6 of The Crown (2016-2023) will be released on Netflix in two parts. Part 1 will be released on Thursday 16th November 2023, with Part 2 following on Thursday 14th December 2023.
Director: Wes Anderson
Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, Ralph Fiennes, Rupert Friend, Ben Kingsley, Dev Patel, Richard Ayoade
Production Company: American Empirical Pictures, Netflix Studios
Kent Locations Used: Maidstone Studios, Powerhub
Just 45 minutes from London, Maidstone Studios is the UK’s largest independent studios. They are classed as a regional studio facility and have been home to some of the industry’s best-loved television programmes over the years. Most recently, it played host to Season 2 of This Time With Alan Partridge (2021), Series 2 of The Split (2020) and Series 2 and 3 of Hetty Feather (2015-2020).
The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar, Poison, The Rat Catcher and The Swan (2023) were released on Netflix on Wednesday 27th September 2023.
Writer: Jack Lothian
Starring: Evin Ahmad, Sean Teale, Douglas Henshall, Susannah Fielding, Indica Watson
Production Company: Left Bank Pictures
Kent Locations Used: Folkestone Harbour, Grand Burstin Hotel
Who Is Erin Carter? (2023) follows Erin Collantes, a British teacher living a quiet life in Spain. When she’s caught up in a supermarket robbery and the robbers seem to recognise her, her family realise there might be more to Erin than meets the eye.
Various scenes for Episode 1 of the series were filmed in Folkestone, including on the Harbour Arm, The Stade and the Grand Burstin Hotel.
Folkestone is a seaside town with elegant clifftop promenade, lower coastal park, fishing harbour and Victorian cliff-top lifts. Other productions who have filmed there recently include Pistol (2022), The Fight (2019) and Seagull (2018).
Who Is Erin Carter? (2023) will be released on Netflix on Thursday 24th August 2023.
Creator: Lauren Schmidt
Starring: Henry Cavill, Freya Allan, Anya Chalotra
Production Company: Cinesite, Hivemind, Netflix, Pioneer Stilking Films, Platige Image
Kent Locations Used: Jolly Farm, Fort Amherst
Based on the book series of the same name by Polish writer Andrzej Sapkowski, The Witcher (2023) is a Netflix drama series which explores the legend of Geralt of Rivia, a monster hunter struggling to find his place in the medieval-inspired land known as the Continent.
Production visited Kent for Series 3 to film at Fort Amherst and transform a barn at Jolly Farm into a medieval tavern.
Built during Napoleonic times to defend Medway from a land-based attack, Fort Amherst consists of run-down period outbuildings, cannons, defensive ditches, dressed period guard quarters, and atmospheric underground tunnels. Previous productions to have filmed there include Darkest Hour (2018), Jekyll and Hyde (2015) and Partners in Crime (2015).
Situated in Sevenoaks district, Jolly Farm has 250 acres of arable and pastoral farmland, ancient parkland and woodland, as well as multiple farm buildings, a historic untouched stable courtyard, vintage-packed farmhouse and quintessential English cottage. ITV series The Larkins (2021-2022) also filmed at Jolly Farm.
Series 3 of The Witcher (2023) will be released on Netflix, with Part 1 dropping on Thursday 29th June 2023 and Part 2 following on Thursday 27th July 2023.
Creator: Charlie Brooker Starring: Aaron Paul, Josh Hartnett, Kate Mara
Production Company: Zeppotron, Channel 4 Television, Babieka
Kent Locations Used: Home Farm, Chilham Mill Estate, Dungeness, Perry Wood
Black Mirror (2011-2023) is a Netflix anthology series set in a dystopian future, with each episode focusing on unique individuals grappling with the effects of technology.
Set in an alternative 1969, Beyond the Sea follows two astronauts, Cliff and David, who are deep in outer space on a six year-long mission. Thanks to technology, the two can transfer their consciousness into highly realistic replicas of themselves back on Earth. When a tragedy occurs, their lives onboard and off the ship are thrown into turmoil.
Various locations in Kent feature throughout the episode. Cliff’s family home was shot at Home Farm in Swale, the river where Cliff and his son Henry (Daniel Bell) go fishing was filmed at Chilham Mill Estate, and the woodland where Lana takes David was Perry Wood in Selling. Dungeness also features as the road which Lana travels along to get into town, and where she later sits in her car waiting for Cliff to return from the ship.
Situated in Swale, Home Farm is a colonial style weatherboarded villa, with veranda’s overlooking the countryside. Inside, rooms are decorated in a vintage chic style with reclaimed wood floors and chateau doors. The property is particularly popular for photoshoots but has also featured in The Autopsy of Jane Doe (2017), Juliet, Naked (2018) and The Current War (2019).
Perry Wood is an ancient woodland lying between Selling and Chilham parishes. It is designated as a Local Wildlife Site and offers stunning panoramic views of the Kent Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
Chilham Mill Estate is located in the idyllic village of Chilham, which offers a multitude of features including a stunning private castle, two pubs, a traditional beamed village hall and a Norman built church which is believed to be the final resting place of Thomas Becket. The village has previously been featured in Emma (2009), Chickens (2011), and A Canterbury Tale (1944).
A unique expanse of SSSI shingle beach, the Dungeness Estate also features ramshackle huts, old and ultra-modern residences, two lighthouses, boat moorings, two pubs and artist galleries. It’s one of Kent’s most popular filming locations, having recently featured in Back to Life (2019-2021), Brave New World (2020) and Una (2017).
Season 6 of Black Mirror will be released on Netflix on Thursday 15th June 2023.
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.
Director: Harry Bradbeer
Writer: Jack Thorne, Nancy Springer
Starring: Millie Bobby Brown, Henry Cavill, Helena Bonham Carter, Louis Partridge
Production Companies: Legendary Entertainment, Netflix, PCMA Productions
Kent Locations Used: The Historic Dockyard Chatham
Based on the mystery novels by Nancy Springer, young detective Enola Holmes makes her return in Enola Holmes 2 (2022), where she takes the lead in her first missing person case. Once again, she will need to team up with her friends and older brother, Sherlock, to try to unravel the mysteries of the seedy London underworld.
From September to November 2021, production was based at The Historic Dockyard in Chatham, where they filmed a variety of scenes in the Ropery complex of buildings.
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 Series 1 of Bridgerton (2020), Summerland (2020) and Operation Mincemeat (2022).
Enola Holmes 2 was released on Netflix on Friday 4th November 2022.
Writer: Joe Barton Director: Colm McCarthy Starring: Jay Lycurgo, Nadia Parkes, Isobel Jesper Jones, Emilien Vekemans Production Company: Imaginarium Productions Kent Locations Used: Port of Ramsgate and Ramsgate Royal Harbour
Based on the ‘Half Bad’ series of books by author Sally Green, The Bastard Son & the Devil Himself (2022) is a young adult tale about a sixteen-year-old boy called Nathan, who is the illegitimate son of the most powerful and cruel Witch in the world. Monitored all his life by those who wish to stop him from following in his father’s footsteps, Nathan soon begins to question the rules that have been imposed on him. In a world where one is either a “Good” Witch, or a “Bad” Witch, Nathan must discover what kind of person he truly is.
The production visited the Port of Ramsgate and the Royal Harbour of Ramsgate during filming of the eight-episode series for Netflix. Both locations feature in Episode 4, doubling as the French harbour where Nathan, Annalise and Gabriel walk through a magic portal into Paris. The Port of Ramsgate is set on 32 acres of dedicated port land and is often used as a ‘stand-in’ for film and TV as the Port of Dover. Other productions that have filmed here include the SKY crime-drama series The Tunnel (2013) and, more recently, the Acorn TV crime-drama series Whitstable Pearl (2021-2022).
Ramsgate has the only Royal Harbour in the country, decreed by King George IV in 1821 due to his fondness of the friendly locals he met there. Often used as a double for London, Ramsgate is a popular filming location, with previous productions such as the BBC comedy series Not Going Out (2013) making use of the marina, and the Netflix crime-drama series Top Boy (2019-2022) using the iconic Jacobs Ladder steps in the harbour, as well as several other locations within the town.
The Bastard Son & the Devil Himself was released on Netflix on Friday 28th October 2022.
Axed by Channel 4 in 2013 after two series, the show soon found a new home on Netflix and the new Series was produced by rapper Drake, a long-time fan of the show.
Season One follows the story of Dushane as he travels to Jamaica where he makes a deal with Sugar (Gilbert Chen), an imprisoned drug lord. When Dushane returns to the UK, he connects with some of his crew selling drugs in Ramsgate and tries to regain control. Back on Summerhouse estate, Dushane once again rises to Top Boy status despite resistance from the new crew in London Fields that is headed by teenager Jamie. Season Two continues to explore the rival dynamics between the two gangs.
In Season One, filming took place in Margate at Walpole Bay and Fulsam Rock Beach and nearby streets including Athelstan Road. Production also visited Ramsgate, where they filmed at Jacob’s Ladder, outside the Rose of England pub on the High Street and Ramsgate Train Station. In addition, Gordon Place in Gravesend played the role of the fictional ‘Summerhouse Estate’ in London.
Gravesend is on the southern bank of the River Thames and boasts a cast iron pier, promenade and high street as well as international rail links at the nearby Ebbsfleet International station. The Gravesend area has previously welcomed film productions such as Killing Eve (2018-2022), The Escape (2018), and Doctor Strange (2016).
Top Boy Season Two was made available to stream on Netflix on Friday 18th March 2022.