A Taste of Britain (2014)

Posted on September 17, 2014 by Kent Film Office

Taste of Britain presenters Brian Turner and Janet Street Porter standing in the countryside smiling at the camera

Taste of Britain presenters Brian Turner and Janet Street Porter © BBC/Cactus TV

Production Company: Cactus TV

Kent Locations: Oare Marshes, Faversham, Brogdale Farm, The Goods Shed and Snail Farm in Canterbury

A Taste of Britain is a new BBC series presented by Janet Street-Porter and Brian Turner who visit different areas around the country to see the sights and try local delicacies and food specialities.

An upcoming episode takes the duo to one of Janet Street-Porter’s favourite places – Kent. They explore Oare Marshes and historic Faversham before visiting one of the UK’s only snail farms near Canterbury which inspires Brian to make a snail frittata.

The Goods Shed in Canterbury is the next stop for Janet and Brian, where chef Rafael Lopez creates a delicious lunch of lamb cutlets with vegetables using local ingredients.

The pair also visits Brogdale near Faversham which is in the throes of peak cherry season and spurs Brian on to bake a stunning cherry pastry cake.

The Oare Marshes Nature Reserve is located in the South Swale, in Harty Ferry, and has freshwater dykes, open water scrapes, reedbed, saltmarsh and a seawall which is favoured nesting place for many species of migrating birds. Previous productions which have filmed at Oare Marshes include Channel 4 drama Southcliffe (2013) and feature film Great Expectations (2012).

The historic market town of Faversham has nearly 500 listed buildings and is home to Britain’s oldest brewery, Shepherd Neame. The area has many restaurants, shops and beautiful landscapes such as the picturesque Faversham Creek. Faversham has been previously seen on screen for productions such as Great British Railway Journeys (2014).

The Goods Shed in Canterbury is a popular Famer’s Market, restaurant, and food hall. Canterbury is a vibrant City which boasts the historic Cathedral, shopping areas, parks and open spaces as well as neighbouring quaint, traditional towns. Previous productions that have shot in Canterbury include Last Orders (2008).

The Kent episode of A Taste of Britain will be shown on BBC One on Monday 22^nd September 2014 at 15:45.

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

Southcliffe (2013)

Posted on July 3, 2013 by Kent Film Office

David Whitehead (Rory Kinnear) and Anthony (Al Weaver) in a misty street

David Whitehead (Rory Kinnear) and Anthony (Al Weaver) © Channel 4

Director: Sean Durkin

Writer: Tony Grisoni

Starring: Rory Kinnear, Sean Harris, Shirley Henderson, Eddie Marsan, Anatol Yusef, Nichola Burley, Joe Dempsie, Kaya Scodelario

Production company: Warp Films

Kent Filming Locations: Faversham, Faversham Recreation Ground, Oare Marshes, Uplees Cottage, Whitstable, East Kent Railway, Grain Power station, Teynham Court Farm, Canterbury Hospital, The Sittingbourne School and Police Station and many more

Southcliffe is a new four part Channel 4 drama that tells the story of a fictional English town devastated by a series of shootings that take place on a single day. The story is told from the point of view of a journalist who returns to his childhood town to try and unravel the reasons behind the shocking events. The entire series was filmed in Kent, with Faversham doubling as the town “Southcliffe”.

The Warp Films (This is England) production has an array of talent behind it including award-winning writer Tony Grisoni (Red Riding, The Unloved) and directed by 2011 winner of the Sundance Film Festival Directing Award, Sean Durkin (Martha Marcy May Marlene).

The series stars many familiar faces including Rory Kinnear (Black Mirror), Eddie Marsan (Tyrannosaur), Shirley Henderson (Anna Karenina), Sean Harris (Prometheus), Kaya Scodelario (Skins), Joe Dempsie (Game of Thrones), Anatol Yusef (Boardwalk Empire) and Nichola Burley (Wuthering Heights).

In October 2012, Kent welcomed the Southcliffe production team, who based themselves at the East Kent Storage Centre in Faversham and made use of the surrounding beautiful and unique locations such as Faversham, Faversham Recreation Ground, Oare Marshes, Uplees Cottage, Whitstable, East Kent Railway, Grain Power station, Teynham Court Farm, Canterbury Hospital, Sittingbourne Police Station, The Sittingbourne Schoolas well as various other farms, pubs, churches and cafes.

Anna (Kaya Scodelario) © Channel 4	Paul Gould (Anatol Yusef) and police © Channel 4
Andrew (Eddie Marsan) and Anna (Kaya Scodelario) © Channel 4	Stephen (Sean Harris) © Channel 4

The production also made use of the Kent Film Office’s legal powers to close roads for filming, using traffic management and even road closures at various locations.

The Kent County Council Film Office was involved from the early stages actively supporting the production’s location filming. Gabrielle Lindemann, Kent Film Officer explains: “Since Faversham is truly a busy market town, hosting a high-profile drama while keeping disruption to the community to a minimum takes a lot of co-operation between local organisations.

“For example, Faversham Enterprise Partnership liaised between the local community and the production, Kent Highway Services and Kent Police helped to accommodate some tricky road filming, including a key scene on the A299 Thanet Way; Kent Wildlife Trust and Natural England helped with some of the surrounding nature reserves and Swale Borough Council assisted in finding parking spaces for the not inconsiderable number of equipment trucks.”

The Faversham community were thrilled to have such a high profile show choose their town as a backdrop with Laurence Young, of the Faversham Enterprise Partnership, saying: “Local people loved having filming take place around the town and really enjoyed helping the cast and crew.”

Faversham is a beautiful, historic market town which boasts nearly 500 listed buildings and is set on the picturesque Faversham Creek. It has many restaurants, shops, attractions and beautiful walks and has been seen many times on the small screen for productions such as Cook Me The Money (2013).

Don’t miss the first episode of Southcliffe which will be shown on Sunday 4 August 2013 on Channel 4 at 21:00.

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

Great Expectations (2012)

Posted on December 20, 2012 by Kent Film Office

The Great Expectations Movie Poster featuring Ralph Fiennes as Magwitch, Jeremy Irvine as Pip, Holliday Grainger as Estella and Helena Bonham Carter as Miss Havisham- Great Expectations written in blue

Great Expectations Movie Poster © Lionsgate

Directed By: Mike Newell

Written By: Charles Dickens (Novel) & David Nicholls (Adaptation)

Starring: Ralph Fiennes, Helena Bonham Carter, Robbie Coltrane, Jeremy Irvine, Holliday Grainger, David Walliams, Jason Flemyng

Production company: BBC Films

Kent Locations Used: St Thomas A Beckett Church in Fairfield, Swale Nature Reserve Shellness, Oare and Elmley Marshes, Stangate Creek, The Historic Dockyard Chatham and Thames and Medway Canal

At the end of the celebratory Charles Dickens bicentenary year, a new feature film adaptation of Great Expectations hits the silver screen. The classic story charts the progress of orphan Pip whose life is changed forever when local spinster Miss Havisham invites him into her home to become a companion to her adopted daughter Estella and a mysterious patron then pays for him to travel to London and become a gentleman. Directed by BAFTA award winning Mike Newell and featuring a stellar cast this is one of the must see films of 2012!

The host of familiar faces include Jeremy Irvine (War Horse) who plays Pip, Ralph Fiennes (Harry Potter series) as convict Abel Magwitch and Helena Bonham Carter (The King’s Speech, Alice in Wonderland) plays the tragic Miss Havisham. They star alongside Robbie Coltrane (Harry Potter series) Jason Flemyng (X-Men) and comedian David Walliams (Little Britain).

Helena Bonham Carter as Miss Havisham in a brides outfit sitting against a table

Helena Bonham Carter as Miss Havisham © Lionsgate

Since Charles Dickens has many strong connections with Kent, the county’s varied landscapes inspiring the settings of many of his novels, the production chose to shoot at a variety of Kent locations.

The picturesque St Thomas A Beckett Church in Fairfield was a perfect location for the first meeting between Pip and escaped convict Abel Magwitch as it stands isolated on the Romney Marsh and epitomises the bleak and mysterious setting described in the novel. This is not the first time the church has been used for filming as it has previously featured in Parades End (2012) and the BBC’s 2011/2012 adaption of Great Expectations.

Swale Nature Reserve, Shellness is a small coastal region on the Isle of Sheppey which is home to several private properties, a secluded beach and a WWII lookout on a remote part of the island and was used to film a childhood montage featuring young Pip playing along the beach. Shellness has been previously used as a filming location by Strawberry Fields (2012).

The Oare Marshes in Faversham were used as the setting for the blacksmith’s forge. Managed by the Kent Wildlife Trust they are part of an 81 hectare stretch of marshland, freshwater dykes, sea wall and salt marsh and were previously used by independent film The Hide (2009).

Oare Marshes- Cast walking through gates to the field, fields are in the background.

Behind the scenes of Great Expectations filming at Oare Marshes © Kent Film Office

Behind the scenes filming at Oare Marshes- filming crew filming at a house

Behind the scenes of Great Expectations filming at Oare Marshes © Kent Film Office

The Great Expectations team also used the Historic Dockyard in Chatham to shoot a warehouse scene with Pip and Herbert at the end of the film. A popular filming location, the Historic Dockyard in Chatham has also welcomed productions such as the 2013 feature film adaption of Les Miserables ,Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011) and BBC’S Oliver Twist (2007).

Elmley Marshes, Stangate Creek and the Thames and Medway Canal were also featured as various marshland locations, including the final dramatic escape sequence featuring Magwitch in a chase scene.

Don’t miss Great Expectations which is set for cinema release on 30^th November 2012.

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

Moon and Son (1992)

Posted on November 10, 1992 by Kent Film Office

Civic Centre, Folkestone- concrete building with cast members being filmed by a crew in front of the building

Creator: Robert Banks Stewart
Directors: Ken Grieve, Robert Tronson, Paul Harrison, Roger Tucker
Writers: Michael Aitkens, Leslie Darbon
Cast: Millicent Martin, John Michie, Laure Killing, Ian Redford, Patrick Drury, John Fitzgerald Jay
Production Company: BBC
Kent locations Used: Folkestone, Kent and East Sussex Railway, Oare Marshes, Chilham Castle, Crabble Corn Mill, Deal, Folkestone Harbour, Dungeness Estate, The Grand Hotel in Folkestone, The Leas Cliff Hall and The Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway

Moon and Son (1992) is a 13-episode BBC series created by Robert Banks Stewart (Darling Buds of May (1991-1993), Doctor Who), which follows a professional fortune teller, Gladys Moon (Millicent Martin), and her son Trevor (John Michie) as they solve a multitude of mysteries.

The series stars Millicent Martin (Days of Our Lives, Grace and Frankie), John Michie (Coronation Street, Holby City), Laure Killing (Paris Criminal Investigations, Nouvelle Vague), Ian Redford (The Remains of the Day, Coronation Street), Patrick Drury (The Crown (2016-2020), Father Ted) and John Fitzgerald Jay (Roujin Z, Reign).

The production filmed at a variety of locations in Kent and in Nord-Pas-De-Calais across the Channel. Folkestone is the main UK setting and hometown of the Moons. Folkestone Harbour is also used frequently as the Moons travel between Folkestone and Boulogne. The Folkestone area has been used for previous productions including The Tunnel (2013) and Everyone’s Going to Die (2013).

Wittersham Road Station, which is part of Kent and East Sussex Railway, features as a hideout in Episode Two. It is a versatile historic railway that boasts an extensive list of production credits including Mapp and Lucia (2014) and Last Passenger (2013).

The Oare Marshes appear as the location for Mr Marsh’s (Gregory Floy) business in Episode Two and again as the quarry lake where his body is discovered. The Oare Marshes is a reserve consisting of one the few grazing marshes left in Kent. Other productions to have filmed there are A Taste of Britain (2014), Channel 4’s Southcliffe (2013) and Great Expectations (2012).

Chilham Castle, a historic building set in the Tudor village of Chilham features as Lady Doddington’s Estate in Episode Nine of the series. The village of Chilham has welcomed other productions including BBC’s Emma (2009), Miss Marple – The Moving Finger (2006) and Dempsey and Makepeace ‘Cry God for Harry’ (1985).

Crabble Corn Mill also features in Episode Nine as Denham’s Auction House. Recognised as one of Dover’s hidden treasures, Crabble Corn Mill is one of the most complete working Georgian watermills. Dover has often been seen on screen, in particular Dover Castle, in productions such as The Apprentice (2015), Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) and The Other Boleyn Girl (2008).

The Old Boatmen’s Room on Deal’s Marina doubled as Basil’s Chapel in Episode Ten. Deal boasts a stunning seafront and pier, as well as two Tudor castles and a thriving high street. Other productions to have filmed in Deal include Legacy (2013) and Ruby Blue (2007).

Other locations that appear in Moon and Son include the palm court at Folkestone’s The Grand, which features frequently as Gladys’ preferred haunt for tea. Additionally, The Leas Cliff Hall is home to the final showdown of Episode Two and The Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway features in Episode Twelve as the location of hidden diamonds.

Moon and Son aired in 1992.

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

Kent's Premier Film Commission