Police drama

Trigger Point – Series 1 (2022)

Posted on by Kent Film Office
Vicky McClure and Adrian Lester stand on a London street in front of a block of flats. They are both wearing bomb disposal uniforms, including a black bulletproof vest, black helmet with goggles on top and black fingerless gloves. They both look nervously off to the right-hand side of the screen.

Vicky McClure as Lana Washington and Adrian Lester as Joel Nutkins © ITV

Writer: Daniel Brierley
Starring: Vicky McClure, Adrian Lester, Warren Brown, Kerry Godliman, Mark Stanley
Production Company: HTM Productions
Kent Locations: Dartford Marshes, Joyce Green Lane

Set in contemporary London, Trigger Point (2022) depicts the dangerous lives of the members of a Bomb Disposal Squad known as Expo, led by veteran operative Lana Washington. When a series of improvised explosive devices begin to detonate across London, Lana suspects that Expo is the bomber’s true target.

The six-part series was written by Daniel Brierly and stars Vicky McClure (Line of Duty, This Is England) as leading lady Lana Washington, Adrian Lester (Hustle, Life) as her colleague Joel Nutkins, Warren Brown (Liar (2017-2020), Luther) as Karl Maguire, Kerry Godliman (Whitstable Pearl (2021-2022), Derek (2013)) as Sonya Reeves and Mark Stanley (Sulphur and White (2020), The Bay) as DI Thom Youngblood.

A section of the Dartford Marshes owned by the Dartford Clay Shooting Club is featured in Series 1 Episodes 3 and 4, when the unnamed bomber blows up a car and the police conduct a forensic examination. The nearby Joyce Green Lane features later in Episode 6 as the police drive on their blues and twos to MOD Steepholme.

Located on the border of Kent, Dartford is a historic market town and perhaps best known for the Dartford Crossing and Bluewater Shopping Centre. Its combination of industrial and historical landscapes makes for a popular filming location. The Dartford Marshes border the River Thames and mark the boundary between Kent and the London borough of Bexley. Previous productions to have shot on the marshes include the Sky crime-drama Gangs of London (2020-2022) and The Corrupted (2019).

Trigger Point began airing on ITV on Sunday 23rd January 2022 at 9pm.

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

Baptiste (2019)

Posted on by Kent Film Office
Actor Tchéky Karyo starring as investigator Julien Baptiste wearing a brown jacket pictured standing in a street looking around with people blurred behind him.

Tchéky Karyo as Julien Baptiste in Baptiste Series ©BBC

Writers: Harry Williams and Jack Williams
Director: Börkur Sigþörsson and Jan Mattys
Starring: Tchéky Karyo, Anastasia Hille, Tom Hollander, Camille Schotte, Trystan Gravelle
Production Company: Two Brothers Pictures for BBC One
Kent Locations used: Discovery Park, Dover, Kingsdown, Deal, Ramsgate

The highly anticipated new six-part BBC drama Baptiste (2019-2021) will be airing next week! From the creators of The Missing, this spin-off stars Tchéky Karyo as the insightful, yet stubborn investigator Julien Baptiste. Now retired and trying his best to enjoy his retirement with his family,  the investigator is contacted by Police Commissioner and former girlfriend Martha Horchner (Barbara Sarafian), who brings him a missing person’s case he can’t refuse.

The series is directed by Börkur Sigþörsson (BlackBoxTV, Trapped) and Jan Mattys (The Last Kingdom, Shetland). It was written by Harry Williams (The Missing, Liar) and Jack Williams (The Missing, Liar). Starring are Tchéky Karyo (Section Zéro, The Missing), Anastasia Hille (Prey, The Missing), Tom Hollander (American Dad, The Night Manager), Camille Schotte (The Missing, Belgian Disaster), Trystan Gravelle (The Aliens, A Discovery of Witches).

Production visited numerous Kent locations during filming for the series. These included a scene on Deal seafront, also showing Deal Pier, which features Edward Stratton (Tom Hollander) arriving by boat. A small scene also features a Co-op store in Deal where Edward shops for groceries. Further filming took place in neighbouring Kingsdown, again using the sea road and beachfronts. These include an establishing shot of a seafront house, a drone shot of Undercliffe and Sutton Vale Road of a black taxi and Sutton Vale Country Park where Edward Stratton (Tom Hollander) visits his family and meets with Baptiste (Tchéky Karyo). Kingsdown Beach is also featured for a conversation scene between Edward and Baptiste in the final episode.

Discovery Park in Sandwich was also used in the filming, doubling as a Japanese airport.  A tool store on Manston Industrial Estate in Ramsgate is featured as Baptiste (Tchéky Karyo) shops while talking on the phone.

A dangerous smuggler’s haunt in the 1800s, Deal town boasts a wonderful collection of colourful Georgian buildings, complemented by a long shingle beach with huts, fishing boats and pier restores in the 1950’s. It is a popular filming location and has previously featured in productions such as The Tunnel: Sabotage (2016) and Liar (2017). Kingsdown village is situated south of Deal and features in the James Bond trail.

Sandwich is a town north of Deal on the Stour Estuary and was once one of the Cinque Ports. It still has many original medieval buildings, including churches, almshouses and the White Mill. This location was the base for all three series of Kudos’  The Tunnel (2013), The Tunnel: Vengeance and The Tunnel: Sabotage (2016).

Ramsgate, located in the district of Thanet, is a thriving seaside town with beautiful Georgian terraced housing, Marina, Port and Promenade. Previous TV productions which filmed here include Eastenders (2015), The Tunnel: Vengeance (2017) and Hancock and Joan (2008).

Baptiste is set to air on BBC One on Sunday 17th February at 9pm.

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

New Blood (2016)

Posted on by Kent Film Office
New Blood written in balck, Stefan (MARK STREPAN) and Rash (BEN TAVASSOLI) headshots in front of a derelict landscape

New Blood Stefan (MARK STREPAN), Rash (BEN TAVASSOLI) © BBC / 11th Hour Films

Director: Anthony Philipson

Starring: Mark Strepan, Ben Tavassoli, Ariyon Bakare, Dorian Lough, Rachel Palmer, Aiysha Hart, Matt Bardock, Mark Bonnar, Mandana Jones

Production company: Eleventh Hour Films

Kent Locations Used: the M2 and Medway Services

New Blood is a new, seven part investigative drama, created and written by bestselling author Anthony Horowitz (Foyle’s War, Collision). The story follows Stefan (Mark Strepan) and Rash (Ben Tavassoli) who are junior investigators for the Serious Fraud Office and the police respectively, brought together by two seemingly unrelated cases.

The duo comes up against the rich and powerful as well as criminals who hide behind legitimate facades and are guarded by lawyers. As their friendship grows, they understand that they make a formidable crime-solving team.

The series stars Mark Strepan (The Mill, Northmen – A Viking Saga), Ben Tavassoli (Tomorrow, Healey’s House), Ariyon Bakare (Doctors, The Dark Knight), Dorian Lough (Notting Hill, Far from the Madding Crowd), Aiysha Hart (Atlantis, Honour), Matt Bardock (Casualty, Sixty Six), Mark Bonnar (Casualty, Catastrophe) and Mandana Jones (Bad Girls Random Quest).

The production visited Kent in September 2015 to film driving sequences the M2 motorway as well as Medway services.

Medway is a group of towns set along the River Medway, steeped in history, particularly with Charles Dickens connections. Rochester City offers beautiful cobbled streets, parks as well as a Cathedral and castle. The Medway area has previously been used for filming by projects including Secret Britain (2016), Black Sea (2014) and The Mystery of Edwin Drood (2012).

New Blood will start Thursday June 9th 2016 at 21:00 on BBC One.

 

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

Marcella (2016)

Posted on by Kent Film Office
Anna Friel as Marcella sitting on a bed hugging her knees

Anna Friel as Marcella © ITV

Director: Charles Martin, Andrew Woodhead

Writer: Hans Rosenfeldt

Starring: Anna Friel, Laura Carmichael, Nicholas Pinnock, Ian Puleston-Davies, Nina Sosanya, Ray Panthaki, Jamie Bamber, Sinead Cusack, Patrick Baladi, Harry Lloyd

Production Company: Buccaneer Media

Kent Locations Used: The Port of Dover

This brand new eight part ITV noir thriller centres around Marcella (Anna Friel), who finds herself heartbroken when her husband leaves her unexpectedly and isolated from her children. After deciding to return to the Metropolitan Police following a 10 year break, she instantly becomes involved with a serial killer case she worked on in 2005. Marcella finds herself looking for answers to both her work and personal life, but will she find what she is seeking?

The series is written by internationally renowned screenwriter and novelist Hans Rosenfeldt (Rederiet, The Bridge) and directed by Charles Martin (Skins, The Returned) and Andrew Woodhead (Fortitude, Law & Order: UK).

Marcellacast reading their scripts

Marcella Readthrough © BUCCANEER MEDIA FOR ITV

Starring alongside Anna Friel (Limitless, Land of the Lost, London Boulevard) as Marcella is Laura Carmichael (Downton Abbey, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy), Nicholas Pinnock (Fortitude, Captain America), Ian Puleston-Davies (Coronation Street, Being Human), Nina Sosanya (W1A, Last Tango in Halifax), Ray Panthaki (Eastenders, Convenience), Jamie Bamber (Law & Order: UK, Battlestar Galactica), Sinead Cusack (Jekyll and Hyde, Eastern Promises), Patrick Baladi (The Office, Mistresses) and Harry Lloyd (Game of Thrones, The Theory of Everything).

The production visited Kent for one day to film at The Port of Dover where a police officer finds an abandoned car.

The Port of Dover is the UK’s busiest passenger port, with the town also boasting Dover Castle and the infamous White Cliffs of Dover. The Dover area has previously featured on screen in The Tunnel: Sabotage (2016), Wolf Hall (2015) and Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows (2011).

Don’t miss Marcella aired from Monday 4th April 2016 at 21:00 on ITV1.

 

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

 

The Sweeney (2012)

Posted on by Kent Film Office

 

Sweeney written in the centre of the poster on top of an image of the two main actors with guns. London skyline can be seen in background,.

The Sweeney Movie Poster © Vertigo Films / Embargo Films Production

Writers: Nick Love, John Hodges

Director: Nick Love

Producer: Allan Niblo

Starring: Ray Winstone, Ben Drew (aka Plan B), Damien Lewis and Hayley Atwell

Production company: Vertigo Films

Kent Locations used: Isle of Sheppey, Queenborough, Sheerness

The popular 70’s British police drama series The Sweeney has been remade into a star-studded must see feature! Expect an action packed thrill ride with car chases, fight scenes and a bit of comedy thrown in for good measure!

Ray Winstone and Ben Drew walking besides a boat yard with guns

Ray Winstone as Detective Inspector Jack Regan and Ben Drew aka Plan B as George Carter © Vertigo Films / Embargo Films Production

The movie follows two hardened Flying Squad detectives in London’s Metropolitan police. Ray Winstone (The Departed, Last Orders) plays Detective Inspector  Jack Regan and singer and actor Ben Drew aka Plan B (Adulthood, Harry Brown) plays his loyal partner George Carter. Armed and dangerous, the pair tackle a bank heist and with the re-appearance of an old enemy will do whatever it takes to get the job done – even if it means defying orders of no nonsense ‘Guv’ Damian Lewis (The Escapist, Homeland).

Directed by Nick Love (Outlaw, Football Factory), the film has many familiar faces including Hayley Atwell (Captain America: The First Avengers, The Duchess), Alan Ford (Snatch), Kara Tointon (Eastenders), and Allen Leech (Downton Abbey).

four actors crouched to the side of a black car with guns,

The Sweeney team in action © Vertigo Films / Embargo Films Production

The production visited the Isle of Sheppey  to film a dramatic high-speed car chase using the Kent Film Office’s legal powers to close roads for filming. The chase also features a caravan park near the Minster Cliffs in Queenborough.  The Top Gear team assisted with filming the car chase scenes, which was featured in an episode earlier this year.

The Isle of Sheppey is in North Kent and boasts beautiful landscapes and coastlines as well as harbour towns and wildlife reserves.  The island is a popular destination for tourists as it has many holiday parks surrounding the beaches. The Isle of Sheppey has been seen on screen before on The Hide (2009) and Strawberry Fields (2012).

 

 

Don’t miss The Sweeney which is set for cinema release on September 12th 2012.

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

The Bill (2000)

Posted on by Kent Film Office
The Bill Poster- headshots of all the cast members in a row with the bill written on top

The Bill Poster © ITV

Creator: Geoff McQueen

Starring: Graham Cole, Trudie Goodwin, Jeff Stewart, Russell Boulter, Tony O’Callaghan, Peter Ellis, Lisa Geoghan, Mark Wingett

Production Company: Thames Television

Kent Locations: Allhallows, Rochester

The Bill is an ITV police drama about the trials and tribulations faced by the officers working at Sun Hill Police Station in the fictional East London area of Canley.

Created by Geoff McQueen (Big Deal, Stay Lucky, Bureau Kruislaan), The Bill ran from 1984 – 2010 and won a number of awards including a BAFTA.

Throughout the years, the series starred Graham Cole (Doctor Who, Sooty), Trudie Goodwin (Emmerdale, Heartbeat), Jeff Stewart (Crossroads, The Mr. Men Show), Russell Boulter (Casualty, Isaac), Tony O’Callaghan (EastEnders, The Coven), Peter Ellis (Emmerdale, Acorn Antiques), Lisa Geoghan (Desmond’s, Honeymoon) and Mark Wingett (Snow White and the Huntsman, Far from the Madding Crowd).

bottle of Chardonnay with The Bill written on it

The Bill Chardonnay © Mike & Jacky Davies

The production visited Kent in 2000, to film a high speed car chase on Ratcliffe Highway in Allhallows Marshes and local residents were presented with their very own bottle of ‘The Bill Chardonnay’ as a thank you from the team.

Allhallows is a village set on the Hoo Peninsula in Medway with a church, creek, farmland and caravan park. The Medway area has featured on screen in productions including Jekyll and Hyde (2015), Great British Railway Journeys (2014) and Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows (2011).

The Bill aired on ITV between 1984 and 2010.

 

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