Peter Mullan

Liaison (2023)

Posted on by Kent Film Office
Close-up image of Vincent Cassel as Gabriel Delage and Eva Green as Alison Rowdy against a blue background, bordered by the London skyline. Written on the left-hand side of the image is ‘Liaison. Stop at nothing to save everything’.

Vincent Cassel and Eva Green in Liaison (2023) © Apple TV+

Creator: Virginie Brac
Starring: Vincent Cassel, Eva Green, Peter Mullan, Gérard Lanvin
Production Company: Apple Studios, Léonis Productions, Ringside Studios
Kent Locations Used: Port of Ramsgate, Ramsgate Royal Harbour, Samphire Hoe, Abbot’s Cliff

Liaison (2023) is a British-French thriller series following two spies, and former lovers, who are forced to reunite to fight against international cyber-attacks which threaten the United Kingdom.

The series was created by Virginie Brac (Cheyenne & Lola, Insoupçonnable) and stars Vincent Cassel (Black Swan, La Haine) as Gabriel Delage, Eva Green (Casino Royale, Penny Dreadful) as Alison Rowdy, Peter Mullan (The Fixer (2008), On a Clear Day (2005)) as Richard Banks and Gérard Lanvin (Mesrine Part 2: Public Enemy Number 1, The Prize of Peril) as Alain Dumas.

Production visited several locations in Kent whilst shooting the series, including the Port of Ramsgate, Ramsgate Royal Harbour, Royal Harbour Brasserie, Port of Dover and Samphire Hoe in Dover. Sadly a sequence filmed at Abbot’s Cliff in Dover ended up on the cutting room floor.

Ramsgate has the only Royal Harbour in the country, decreed so 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 beautiful Victorian terraced housing, marina, port and promenade. Previous productions that have filmed in Ramsgate include Juliet, Naked (2018), the Netflix crime-drama series Top Boy (2019-2022), and BBC psychological thriller Baptiste (2019).

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).

The Port of Dover is the busiest passenger port in Europe, including freight terminal, two cruise terminals, yachting marina, harbour wall, lighthouses and seafront promenade. Other productions to film there include After Love (2021), The Rook (2019) and Next of Kin (2018).

Created by the spoils of the Channel Tunnel, Samphire Hoe is a new piece of England, an award-winning country park known for its wildlife, biodiversity, and stunning views of the White Cliffs of Dover. Series 2 and 3 of the SKY crime-drama series The Tunnel: Sabotage (2016) and The Tunnel: Vengeance (2017) feature scenes filmed at Samphire Hoe.

Part of the White Cliffs of Dover, Abbot’s Cliff is a beautiful location with breath-taking views of the English Channel. Perhaps the most striking part of the cliff, however, is the Sound Mirror, a large block of concrete originally built in 1928 to provide early warning of enemy planes approaching Britain. Previous productions who have made use of this unique location include Back to Life (2019-2021), King of Thieves (2018) and King Lear (2018).

Liaison (2023) was released on AppleTV+ on Friday 24th February 2023.

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

The Fixer (2008)

Posted on by Kent Film Office

Jody Lee Latham, Peter Mullan, Andrew Buchan and Tamsin Outhwaite all in a row staring at the camera with a block of flats behind them

Jody Lee Latham, Peter Mullan, Andrew Buchan and

Tamsin Outhwaite cast of The Fixer © ITV1

Written by: Neil Cross

Directed by: Alrick Riley

Starring: Peter Mullen, Andrew Buchan, Jody Lee Latham ,Tamsin Outhwaite

Production Company: Kudos Film and Television

Kent Filming Locations: Botany Bay

From the award winning production company Kudos, who also brought you Hustle, Life on Mars and Spooks , comes a six part drama starring Tamsin Outhwaithe (Eastenders, Hotel Babylon), Peter Mullan (Children of Men, The Magdalene Sisters), Andrew Buchan (Cranford, Party Animals) and Jody Lee Latham (Ruby Blue, Shameless).

Retired police officer, Lenny Douglas (Peter Mullan), heads up a renegade group acting outside  the law to bring order to the spiralling criminal activity in the country. He hires John Mercer (Andrew Buchan), a former Special Forces member who has just been released from prison, to fix problems by carrying out assassinations. Rose (Tamsin Outhwaite), a disgraced ex police officer, and petty thief Calum  (Jody Lee Latham) help Mercer carry out his hits effectively, making them a deadly force to reckon with.

The production team visited Kent briefly in 2007 to shoot scenes at Botany Bay in Thanet.

Botany Bay is a beautiful sandy bay popular with tourists but it was once the home of notorious smugglers! In fact, Botany Bay is said to have been the location of the infamous Battle of Botany Bay, where Joss Snelling’s gang were caught red handed smuggling goods into the county. Botany Bay has previously welcomed projects such as the BBC drama True Love (2012).

The seclusion of the bay provided the perfect backdrop for a dark and sinister hit by The Fixer!

The first series aired on the 10th March on ITV and is now available to buy on DVD

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

On a Clear Day (2005)

Posted on by Kent Film Office
Frank (Peter Mullan) looking out at the sea with mountains in the background

On A Clear Day © Icon Film Distribution

Director: Gaby Dellal

Writer: Alex Rose

Starring: Peter Mullan, Brenda Blethyn, Jamie Sives, Billy Boyd, Sean McGinley, Ron Cook, Jodhi May, Benedict Wong

Production Company: Baker Street, Forthcoming Productions, Glasgow Film Finance, InFilm Productions, Isle of Man Film, Scottish Screen, Take Film Partnerships 

Kent Locations Used: The White Cliffs of Dover, the Port of Dover                                

On a Clear Day is the story of a middle-aged Glasgow shipbuilder, Frank (Peter Mullan –Trainspotting, Tyrannosaur) who is suddenly made redundant and starts to feel lost. When his friend jokes that he could swim the Channel on a clear day, Frank decides to take the challenge on, unbeknown to his family. Will Frank be successful and will he be able to repair his strained relationships? 

Alongside Peter Mullan stars Brenda Blethyn (Pride and Prejudice, Atonement), Jamie Sives (Clash of the Titans, Get Him to the Greek), Billy Boyd (The Lord of the Rings Trilogy The, Forger), Sean McGinley (Braveheart, Love/Hate), Ron Cook (Chocolat, Hot Fuzz), Jodhi May (Defiance, Ginger and Rosa) and Benedict Wong (Prometheus, Kick Ass 2).

Frank (Peter Mullan) at the foot of the White Cliffs of Dover with his friends preparing for the swim

On A Clear Day © Icon Film Distribution

The production visited Kent to shoot at the foot of the White Cliffs of Dover where Frank (Peter Mullan) starts his swim of the English Channel and the famous cliffs can also be seen in the background throughout his challenge.

The Port of Dover was used for the scenes where Frank’s family and friends race to meet him in France at the end of his swim.

Dover is a busy town that boasts the historic Dover Castle as well as the famous White Cliffs of Dover. It is also home to Europe’s busiest passenger port, facing France across the narrowest part of the English Channel.

Productions that have previously filmed in the Dover area include Sherlock Holmes – A Game of Shadows (2011), The Other Boleyn Girl (2008) and Johnny English (2003).

On Clear Day was released in cinemas in September 2005 and is now available on DVD.

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