revenge

Bull (2021)

Posted on by Kent Film Office
Neil Maskell as Bull, holds his 11-year-old son Aiden, played by Henri Charles. In the background is a fence and bushes. The two are smiling at something off-screen. Neil has brown hair, a beard and moustache and wears a purple and navy-blue striped polo shirt. Aiden wears an oversized blue hoody and has brown hair.

Bull (2021) © Signature Entertainment

Writer: Paul Andrew Williams
Director: Paul Andrew Williams
Starring: Neil Maskell, David Hayman, Tamzin Outhwaite
Production Company: Giant Productions, Tea Shop Productions, Signature Films, Signature Entertainment, Particular Crowd
Kent Locations Used: Dartford, Dartford Working Men’s Club, Holy Trinity Church, Temple Hill, Forge Farm Meats in Tunbridge Wells, Gravesend

Bull (2021) depicts the story of ex-gang member Bull, who, after mysteriously disappearing 10 years ago, has now returned to his old hunting ground with only one thing on his mind: Revenge. Embarking on a search for his missing son, Bull will stop at nothing to ensure that those who double-crossed him pay for their sins. A brutal and suspenseful revenge thriller, at its core, Bull (2021) is the story of a father’s eternal love for his son.

Written and directed by Paul Andrew Williams (London to Brighton), Bull (2021) stars Neil Maskell (Kill List, Happy New Year, Colin Burstead) as the titular character Bull, David Hayman (Fisherman’s Friends, The Boy in the Striped Pajamas) as Norm, and Tamzin Outhwaite of Eastenders-fame as Sharon.

The production visited several locations across Kent for their shoot. The Temple Hill housing estate in Dartford appears throughout the film, as the location of Gemma’s (Lois Brabin-Platt) house and Dave’s (Jay Simpson) flat. Dartford Working Men’s Club also features as the pub where Norm (David Hayman) warns Bull (Neil Maskell) to stay away from Gemma. Holy Trinity Church in Dartford features at the end of the film, as Bull carries a teenage Aiden (Matthew Castle) into the church for salvation. Various roads in Dartford also appear, including an M25 underpass which features as the homeless camp Bull finds Aiden living in.

A private house in Gravesend doubles as the home of Bull’s mother Marge (Elizabeth Counsell). Forge Farm Meats in Tunbridge Wells appears as an abattoir, where Bull and Norm torture the owner.

Located on the border of Kent, Dartford is a historic market town which boasts one of the largest shopping centres in Europe. Perhaps best known for the Dartford Crossing and Bluewater Shopping Centre, Dartford’s combination of industrial and historical landscapes makes for a popular filming location. Previous productions that have filmed in Dartford include the SKY series Gangs of London (2020-2022), and The Escape (2018).

Set in the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, Tunbridge Wells is a historic spa town that offers a mix of independent shops and restaurants set alongside the colonnaded Pantiles and the picturesque High Street.  The area is renowned for its historic houses and gardens and has been a place of interest for over 400 years. Previous productions to shoot in Tunbridge Wells include the BBC sitcom The Cleaner (2021), Rupert, Rupert & Rupert (2019), and series 3 of Britannia (2021).

The maritime town of Gravesend is a popular filming location, due to its picturesque setting and rich history, including an unspoilt promenade, high street and two shopping centres. Other productions that have filmed here include the BBC TV spy thriller Killing Eve (2018-2022), which featured Nell’s Café in the first Series and the popular Netflix anthology TV series Black Mirror (2018), which used several locations across Gravesend for the hostage sequences in Series 5, Smithereens.

Bull was released in UK cinemas on Friday 5th November 2021.

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

Piggy (2012)

Posted on by Kent Film Office
Paul Anderson as Piggy stands in front of a torn, dirty white sheet. He is wearing a black hoody with the hood up and a pig nose mask. He is staring straight at the camera.

Piggy (2012) © DP Films

Writer / Director: Kieron Hawkes
Starring: Martin Compston, Paul Anderson, Neil Maskell
Production Company: DP Films, Fulwell 73
Kent Locations Used: Invicta House, The Hive, Manor Way Business Park, Darenth Valley Hospital

Piggy (2012) follows Joe, a mild-mannered anxious man whose life is thrown into turmoil after the violent murder of his brother. He finds an unusual friendship in the brash, hot-tempered Piggy who soon drags Joe into a world of danger, violence and revenge.

Written and directed by Kieron Hawkes (Intergalactic, Fortitude) in his debut, Piggy stars Martin Compston (Our House (2022), Line of Duty) as Joe, Paul Anderson (Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011), Legend) as Piggy and Neil Maskell (Bull (2021), Klokkenluider (2023)) as Joe’s brother John.

The film was shot in various locations across Kent. Joe’s office was filmed in the Post Room of Invicta House in Maidstone. Joe and Piggy attack a mugger at The Hive in Gravesend, and later drive through Manor Way Business Park in Swanscombe. After his brother is attacked, Joe visits him in Darenth Valley Hospital in Dartford.

As the county town of Kent and seat of local governance, Maidstone plays an important part in Kent’s history. The River Medway runs through Maidstone’s town centre, linking it with nearby towns Rochester and Chatham. The town has many shops, restaurants, bars, churches and a museum. Maidstone has also featured in They Came from Somewhere Else (1984), Missing (2009-2010) and Rustom (2016).

Gravesend is a town in northwest Kent on the south bank of the Thames. The towns pier is the oldest remaining cast-iron pier in the world, and the town also features an unspoilt promenade, high street and two shopping centres. Island (2011), The Interceptor (2015) and The Escape (2018) also filmed in Gravesend.

Piggy (2012) was released on Friday 4th May 2012 and is available to purchase on Amazon.

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

Pirates of the Caribbean On Stranger Tides (2011)

Posted on by Kent Film Office
Movie poster. Johnny Depp as Jack Sparrow holding smoking guns in each hand with burning ships behind him.. Pirates of the Caribbean on stranger tides is written in a white panel in front,

Pirates of the Caribbean on Stranger Tides Poster © Disney

Directed by: Rob Marshall

Produced by: Jerry Bruckheimer

Starring: Johnny Depp, Penélope Cruz, Ian McShane, Kevin R. McNally, Geoffrey Rush

Production companies: Walt Disney Pictures, Jerry Bruckheimer Films

Kent Filming Locations: Knole

In the fourth instalment of the blockbuster Pirates of the Caribbean series, Johnny Depp returns as the lovable rogue Captain Jack Sparrow. On a quest to find the fabled Fountain of Youth, he is joined by veteran pirates Geoffrey Rush (returning as Captain Barbossa) and Kevin R. McNally as Captain Jack’s long time comrade, Joshamee Gibbs. Ian McShane makes his pirate debut as the murderous Blackbeard.

In this action packed tale, Jack is lured on board the ship of the notorious Blackbeard by the mysterious Penelope Cruz, a long lost love from his distant past. Racing against the Spanish and English Naval fleets to reach the Fountain of Youth; Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides is a whirlwind story of adventure, revenge and dangerous mermaids.

Directed by Rob Marshall (Chicago, Into the Woods), the film stars a host of acting talent including Johnny Depp (Sleepy Hollow, Alice in Wonderland), Penélope Cruz (Volver, Vicky Cristina Barcelona), Ian McShane (Lovejoy, Hercules), Kevin R. McNally (Legend, Dad) and Geoffrey Rush (Shakespeare in Love, The King’s Speech).

Knole Park near Sevenoaks was the Kent location used in the film. The large inner courtyard was filled with gallows intended for Gibbs.

Set in the heart of the only remaining medieval deer park in Kent, the beautiful 18th Century house has been shown off to visitors for the past 500 years. Family home to the Sackvilles’, the house was also the setting for Virginia Woolf’s novel Orlando. Within its thirteen rooms, the stately home, it contains the world renowned Stuart furniture, paintings by Gainsborough and Many 17th Century Tapestries.

Pirates of the Caribbean is not the only Hollywood film to recognise the beauty of Knole as a filming location. Costume Drama The Other Boleyn Girl (2008) was filmed there in 2006; it was the setting for many of the London night scenes. The inner courtyard was used to replicate the famous Whitehall Palace where grand arrivals and departures were depicted. The courtyard was also transformed for 2010 film Burke and Hare (2010) into a crowded market square complete with extras and stars Simon Pegg and Isla Fisher.

The film was released in cinemas in May 2011 and is now available to buy on DVD.

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

Island (2011)

Posted on by Kent Film Office
Natalie Press sitting on a rock with sea and hills behind her.

Natalie Press in The Island sitting on a rock © Hopscotch Films

Director: Elizabeth Mitchell, Brek Taylor
Starring: Natalie Press, Colin Morgan, Janet McTeer
Production Company: Finite Films and TV, Hopscotch Films, Tailor-Made Films, Tailormade Productions
Kent Locations Used: Gravesend, Somerhill Independent School

Island (2011) is a psychological drama based on the acclaimed novel of the same name by Jane Rogers. Incapable of love and desperate for revenge, Nikki Black embarks on a journey to a remote island to seek out the mother who abandoned her at birth.

Directed by Elizabeth Mitchell and Brek Taylor, the film stars Natalie Press (Wasp (2003), Suffragette) as Nikki Black, Colin Morgan (Merlin (2008), Humans – Series 2 (2016)) as Calum and Janet McTeer (The Honourable Woman (2014), Me Before You) as Phyllis.

Filming took place at a private house in Gravesend, which doubled for Nikki’s old house, and at Somerhill Independent School in Tonbridge. A scene was also filmed on Gravesend Promenade however this did not make the final cut.

Gravesend is a town in northwest Kent on the south bank of the Thames. The town’s pier is the oldest remaining cast iron pier in the world, with an unspoilt promenade, high street and two shopping centres. Other projects to have filmed in Gravesend include Canterbury Tales – The Seacaptain’s Tale (2003), The Interceptor (2015) and The Escape (2018).

The Schools at Somerhill are a family of schools within the Tonbridge and Malling district of Kent. Features include a sports hall, swimming pool, spacious dining hall, treehouse complex and a state-of-the-art music building with a large performance area.

Island (2011) debuted in UK cinemas on Friday 22nd April 2011 and is currently available to stream on Amazon Prime.

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

Canterbury Tales (2003)

Posted on by Kent Film Office
Canterbury Tales DVD cover- montage of images from the film, with canterbury tales written in black above

Canterbury Tales DVD cover © BBC

Starring: Julie Walters, James Nesbitt, Billie Piper, John Simm, Keeley Hawes, Dennis Waterman

Production Company: Ziji Productions, BBC

Kent Locations: Rochester – Castle, Cathedral, Chertsey Gate, the High Street and Esplanade, River Medway, Stangate Creek, Gravesend

Canterbury Tales is a BBC adaptation of a handful of Geoffrey Chaucer’s 14th century stories of the same name which are still set along the traditional Pilgrims’ route to Canterbury, but in the 21st century.

The stories include themes such as love, adultery, jealousy and revenge.

The six single dramas feature an all-star cast including Julie Walters (Mamma Mia!, Calendar Girls Billy Elliot), James Nesbitt (The Missing, Murphy’s Law, Cold Feet), Billie Piper (Doctor Who, Secret Diary of a Call Girl, Penny Dreadful), John Simm (Human Traffic, Life on Mars, The Village), Keeley Hawes (Death at a Funeral, The Bank Job, The Avengers) and Dennis Waterman (New Tricks, The Sweeney, Back in Business).

Rochester is the principal setting for The Pardoner’s Tale with the castle, Cathedral, Chertsey Gate, the High Street, Esplanade and various streets, pubs and restaurants featuring.

The river scenes in The Man of Laws’ Tale were filmed on the River Medway and The Medway Estuary.

Gravesend is the setting in The Seacaptain’s Tale where old waterfront warehouses, the pier and Town Pier Square feature.

Rochester is a historic city set on the River Medway offering a Medieval Cathedral and castle and cobbled streets with shops, pubs and restaurants. Rochester has previously featured in productions such as Jekyll and Hyde (2015), The Mystery of Edwin Drood (2012) and Great Expectations (1989).

The River Medway starts in Sussex and runs through Tonbridge, Maidstone and Medway before flowing into the Thames Estuary near Sheerness. Stangate Creek is part of the River Medway and has been used as a film location by productions such as Mr Turner (2014), Great Expectations (2012) and The Long Memory (1953).

On the south bank of the River Thames, Gravesend has a cast iron pier, promenade and high street as well as international links at the nearby Ebbsfleet International station. The area has previously been used as a film location in productions such as The Interceptor (2015) and Age of Heroes (2011).

The Canterbury Tales aired in 2003 and is now available for DVD purchase.

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