Celebs on the Farm (2018)

 

Series poster of Celebs on the Farm cast- eight celebrities standing in a row with grass and trees behind.

Celebs on the Farm cast ©Goowoo Media

 

Writer: Sean Hancock

Starring: Bobby Norris, Megan McKenna, Louie Spence, Sandi Bogle, Gleb Savchenko, Lorraine Chase, Ashley McKenzie and Charlotte Dawson.

Production Company: Goowoo Media

Kent Locations Used: Romney Marsh and Faversham

The TV series previously known as The Farm is making a comeback for Channel 5 as Celebs on the Farm! This ‘city types go country’ reality show is presented by Stephen Bailey. It features eight celebrities who must live and work on a farm, whilst farmer Chris Jeffery shows them the ropes.

The celebrities take on various challenges such as handling cows, sheep and alpacas, cleaning out stables and general farm maintenance. Whoever impresses farmer Chris the most each day will then be awarded a ‘Best in Show’ rosette. However, after four days he’ll begin to send home the person who hasn’t come up to scratch.

The series stars Bobby Norris and Megan McKenna (The Only Way Is Essex), dancer Louie Spence (Swinging with the Finkles), and Sandi Bogle (Gogglebox). The cast is rounded up by Gleb Savchenko (Dancing with the Stars), actress Lorraine Chase (Emmerdale), British Judo Champion Ashley McKenzie, and Ex on the Beach star Charlotte Dawson.

The production filmed in Kent when the celebrities visited the alpacas for an afternoon in Haguelands Village on the Romney Marsh and Badlesmere Dairy Farm in Faversham for the day of milking cows.

Romney Marsh covers around 100 square miles from Rye to Hythe and is renowned for its unique natural beauty. It has previously been used as a film location for British Art at War: Paul Nash – The Ghosts of War (2014) and Books That Made Britain – Writers of Rye (2016).

Faversham is a beautiful historic market town in the Swale Borough of Kent. Previous productions which filmed there include Queen of Spain (2018) and Walks With My Dog (2017).

Celebs on the Farm airs on Monday 20th August 2018 on 5Star and will run Monday to Friday for two weeks at 10pm. It will also be available to watch on My5.

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


BBC’s Imagine (2018)

Artist Rose Wylie and presenter Alan Yentob pictured standing together in Rose's home against a messy painted wall.

Rose Wylie and Alan Yentob ©BBC One

 

Directors: Lindsey Hanlon and Katy Homan

Starring: Alan Yentob, Rose Wylie, and Tacita Dean

Production Company: BBC Studios

Kent Locations Used: Faversham and Romney Marsh

BBC’s series Imagine returns this weekend with presenter and executive producer Alan Yentob. Imagine is an arts series which was first broadcast in 2003. The latest series contains three episodes. Each episode is based on a different topic, and two episodes were filmed in Kent.

Rose Wylie: This is Blooming

This first episode of the series, produced by Lindsey Hanlon, tells the story of artist Rose Wylie, now at the prime of her profession at the age of 83. Her unlikely subjects are drawn from the world around her – from footballers and popular movies, to memories of her childhood during the London Blitz, to the stuff of everyday life. Alan Yentob meets Rose Wylie and delves into her colourful world to discover how her memories and experiences have helped shape the artist that she is today.

This episode was filmed in the home of Rose Wylie near Faversham. Faversham is a beautiful historic market town in the Swale Borough of Kent. Previous productions which filmed there include Hetty Feather Series 3 (2018) and Walks With My Dog (2017).

The Rose Wylie episode will air this Sunday 22nd July 2018 on BBC One at 10:30pm.

Tacita Dean: Looking to See

image of artist Tacita Dean smiling at the back of a mans head towards the camera wearing a grey jumper.

Image of artist Tacita Dean ©BBC One

The second episode, produced by Katy Homan, focuses on the life of internationally renowned British artist Tacita Dean, who is exhibited in three of London’s leading galleries, and is celebrated for her works on analogue film. Alan Yentob joins Tacita Dean in various locations throughout the episode to discuss her poetic and thought-provoking work, and the medium which inspires her – film.

Tacita Dean grew up in the county of Kent and production visited various locations on the Romney Marsh to illustrate this, inclusing Whitehall Farm.  Romeny Marsh covers around 100 square miles from Rye to Hythe and is renowned for its unique natural beauty. It has previously been used as a film location for British Art at War: Paul Nash – The Ghosts of War (2014) and Books That Made Britain – Writers of Rye (2016)

The Tacita Dean episode will air on Sunday 29th July 2018 on BBC One at 10:30pm.

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


Books That Made Britain – Writers of Rye (2016)

Writer sitting down with a book laughing away from the camera. Writers of Rye 16th Octover 15:45 BBC ONE South East written in white.

Writers of Rye © Factory Films

Production Company: Factory Films

Kent Locations Used: Romney Marsh

Books That Made Britain is a BBC series which explores how books have portrayed the different regions they are set in.

An upcoming episode explores the Writers of Rye and presenter Damian Barr discovers how the Sussex town has inspired many writers, and continues to have a literary influence to this day.

The production visited nearby Romney Marsh in Kent in July 2016 to film presenter pieces to camera and general views.

Romney Marsh covers around 100 square miles from Rye to Hythe and is renowned for its unique natural beauty, unspoiled countryside, diverse wildlife and extensive coastline. The Romney Marsh area has been used as a film location for The Honourable Woman (2014), Parade’s End (2012) and Dr Syn: The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh (1964).

Books That Made Britain – Writers of Rye will air on Sunday 16th October at 15:45 on BBC One South East.

BBC One South East can be found wherever you are in the country: Sky Channel 963, FreeSat 959, Freeview 858.

 

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

 


Great British Railway Journeys – Series 7 (2016)

Michael Portillo standing on a steam train in front of the control panel

Michael Portillo, Great British Railway Journeys © BBC/Boundless, part of FremantleMedia UK

 

Production company: Talkback Thames

Kent Locations used: Dover, Romney Marsh, Dungeness, Ashford, Sevenoaks, Knole Park

Series seven of Great British Railway returns to BBC Two, as presenter Michael Portillo travels on the great train routes of Europe and retraces the journeys featured in George Bradshaw’s 1913 Continental Railway Guide.

In episode six of the new series, Portillo embarks on a new railway journey along the south coast of England which starts at the port of Dover where he is inspired by a brave Victorian sea captain to plunge into the English Channel. Next he takes the spectacular Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch miniature steam railway through the Romney Marsh to Dungeness before heading to Eastbourne.

Episode 16 sees Michael Portillo journey from Ashford to Sevenoaks starting by lending a hand at a state-of-the-art train maintenance plant which is home to the High Speed 1 trains. Next he tracks east to Marden and is moved by music played on Queen Victoria’s personal piano before ending his journey in Sevenoaks where he ends the journey at Knole Park, seat of the Sackville-West family.

Dover is home to Europe’s busiest ferry port as well as the iconic White Cliffs of Dover and Dover Castle. Productions which have previously filmed in the Dover area include Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), Mr Selfridge Series 3 (2015) and Poirot – The Clocks (2009).

Romney Marsh is renowned for its unique natural beauty, diverse wild life and extensive coastline. The Romney Marshes have been used as a film location for The Honourable Woman (2014), Parade’s End (2012) and Dr Syn: The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh (1964).

The desolate landscape of Dungeness is largely made up of shingle with wooden houses, power station, lighthouses and extensive gravel pits. The Dungeness area has previously been seen on screen on Homes By The Sea (2014) and Eastenders (2007).

The market town of Ashford has shops, eateries, a designer outlet shopping centre and has great links with London and Europe which are just a train ride away through Ashford International train station. Ashford and surrounding areas has been used as a film location from visiting productions including The Apprentice (2015), The Monuments Men (2014) and Emma (2009).

Sevenoaks is a town in West Kent with vibrant shopping streets, architectural treats and historic buildings including Knole Park which is nestled in a medieval deer-park and full of hidden treasures.  The area has welcomed filming from productions such as Rush (2013) and Pirates of the Caribbean On Stranger Tides (2011)

The Dover to Lewes episode of Great British Railway aired on Monday 11th January 2016 at 18.30 on BBC Two and the Ashford to Sevenoaks episode is on Monday 25th January 2016 at 18.30 on BBC Two .

 

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

 


The Honourable Woman (2014)

The Honourable Woman - Nessa Stein (Maggie Gyllenhaal) wearing a headscarf standing in a desert

The Honourable Woman © BBC/Drama Republic

Director and writer: Hugo Blick 

Starring: Maggie Gyllenhaal, Lubna Azabal, Eve Best, Andrew Buchan, Janet McTeer, Tobias Menzies, Genevieve O’Reilly, Katherine Parkinson, Stephen Rea

Production company: BBC Worldwide, Drama Republic, Eight Rooks, SundanceTV

Kent Locations: Cottage in New Romney, Little Cheyne Court Wind Farm, Dengemarsh Road, Romney Marsh

This BBC Two political thriller focuses on Nessa Stein (Gyllenhaal), a young woman who inherits her Zionist father’s weaponry business and gradually changes its purpose to laying data cables between Israel and the West Bank. As she continues to promote reconciliation between the Israelis and the Palestinians, she inevitably finds herself in the middle of a political maelstrom.

The eight part drama was written and directed by BAFTA recipient Hugo Blick (Up in Town, Sensitive Skin, The Shadow Line) and stars an award winning cast, including Maggie Gyllenhaal (Donnie Darko, Secretary, The Dark Knight), Lubna Azabal (Incendies, Body of Lies), Eve Best (The King’s Speech, Much Ado About Nothing), Andrew Buchan (Broadchurch, Nowhere Boy), Janet McTeer (Parade’s End, Tumbleweeds), Tobias Menzies (Casino Royale, Game of Thrones), Genevieve O’Reilly (Episodes, Spooks), Katherine Parkinson (The IT Crowd, The Boat That Rocked) and Stephen Rea (V for Vendetta, The Shadow Line).

In the summer of 2013, The Honourable Woman crew spent 2 days filming at several locations in the Romney Marsh area, including a cottage in New Romney, Little Cheyne Court Wind Farm, and Dengemarsh Road.

Romney Marsh in East Kent is a unique landscape of over 100 square miles of woodland, wetlands as well as sand and shingle shores. Many productions have taken advantage of this stunning area including Ginger and Rosa (2012), Great Expectations (2011) and The Inspector Lynley Mysteries – Natural Causes (2006).

The Honourable Woman starts on BBC Two on Thursday July 3rd 2014 at 21:00. 

 

 

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


Parade’s End (2012)

 

Parade's End L-R Valentine Wannop (Adelaide Clemens), Christopher Tietjens (Benedict Cumberbatch) Sylvia Tietjens (Rebecca Hall) stood in a row looking into the camera

Parades End L-R Valentine Wannop (Adelaide Clemens), Christopher Tietjens (Benedict Cumberbatch), Sylvia Tietjens (Rebecca Hall) © BBC/Mammoth Screen

Directed By: Susanna White

Written By: Ford Madox Ford (Novel) & Sir Tom Stoppard (Adaptation)

Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, Rebecca Hall, Adelaide Clemens, Roger Allam, Rupert Everett, Miranda Richardson

Production company: Mammoth Screen in association with HBO miniseries

Kent Locations Used: St Thomas A Beckett Church, Fairfield in Romney Marsh, Dungeness, St Mary’s Bay and Dorton House in Sevenoaks.

Parade’s End is based on Ford Madox Ford’s novels written between 1924 and 1928, with the screenplay adapted by renowned English playwright and screenwriter Sir Tom Stoppard. The costume drama features a stellar cast and is set in the midst of the First World War with a love triangle threatening to question everything lead character Christopher Tietjens stands for.

Christopher Tietjens with wife Syliva leaning against his shoulder. A house can be seen in the background.

Christopher Tietjens with wife Syliva © BBC/Mammoth Screen

Shown in five parts, at the centre is English aristocrat Christopher Tietjens played by Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock, Warhorse, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy) who enters a turbulent relationship with socialite Sylvia played by Rebecca Hall (Vicky Cristina Barcelona, The Town, The Awakening). After Sylvia falls pregnant, Christopher decides to follow his morals and marry her, even though he is uncertain if the child is his.

The couple have a rocky relationship but Christopher vows to stay faithful to his wife, however when he meets strong willed suffragette Valentine Wannop (Adelaide Clemens – X-Men Origins: Wolverine) he finds himself falling in love with her. With his morals questioned, will he follow his heart, or stay with his wife?

The Parade’s End crew came to Kent last year to film scenes for the drama at the isolated and historic St Thomas A Becket Church in Fairfield, Romney Marsh, which also featured in the 2011 BBC adaptation Great Expectations (2011) starring Gillian Anderson and David Suchet.

Christopher Tietjens with lover Valentine Wannop on a hill

Christopher Tietjens with lover Valentine Wannop © BBC/Mammoth Screen

Dorton House is a school in Sevenoaks run by The Royal London Institute for the Blind and caters for pupils with visual impairments. The Grade-II listed building saw its dining room transformed into a gentleman’s club, with the library serving as the Cabinet War Office and the Wedgewood Room as the bedroom of Valentine Wannop.

Dungeness and St Mary’s Bay also briefly feature in the programme, in scenes with a girl cycling past. Dungeness is a unique expanse of shingle beach with cottages and lighthouses and is a popular filming location having previously welcomed Doctor Who, Countrywise Kitchen and photo shoots for Vogue and Harrods Magazine. St Mary’s Bay is a delightful coastal village between Dymchurch and south to Littlestone and this is its big screen debut.

Parade’s End was shown from Friday 24th August 2012 at 21:00 on BBC Two and is now available to buy on DVD.

 

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


Dr Syn: The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh (1963)

Dr Syn movie poster- a painting of a man standing next to a scarecrow, underneath are men riding horses, Walt Disney Dr Syn written underneath

Dr Syn © Walt Disney

Directed by: James Neilson
Starring: Patrick McGoohan, George Cole, Michael Hordern, Tony Britton, Sean Scully, Alan Dobie
Production Company: Walt Disney Productions
Kent Locations Used: Romney Marsh, St Clement’s Church Old Romney

In 18th Century England, the Vicar of Dymchurch (Patrick McGoohan) takes on the alias of The Scarecrow. Alongside his gang of smugglers, they turn against the King and his high taxes, by smuggling goods across the Romney Marshes. The Scarecrow comes under threat from the Kings army after they learn of his rebel gang, and he becomes a wanted man. Aided by the locals, the Scarecrow must come up with a plan to get rid of the Kings army whilst maintaining his successful smuggling operations that many locals have come to rely on.

St Clements Church and cemetery- horse are being walked along the path by cast in period costumes

St Clements Church © Walt Disney

The film was released as part of the Disney Treasures Collection in 1964. Walt Disney adapted the stories from the original DR Syn books written by Russell Thorndike, and the later book ‘Christopher Syn’ written by William Buchanan. Originally, the production was only intended to be aired in three parts on Disney’s weekly television show Wonderful World of Colour, but was later adapted for release on DVD.

The film stars Patrick McGoohan (Treasure Planet, Columbo), George Cole (Cleopatra, The Adventures of Quentin Durward),Michael Hordern (The Wind in the Willows, The Secret Garden), Tony Britton (The Day of the Jackal, The Way We Live Now), Sean Scully (Phoenix, Born to Sing) and Alan Dobie (Cribb, Kessler).

Romney Marshes were the background to the production and so featured throughout the film and consist of around 100 square miles of coastal marshlands located in South East Kent. It is a popular tourist destination due to its sandy beaches, historic buildings and diverse landscape which is perfect for walkers and cyclists. Romney Marsh has also featured in Parades End (2012), Great Expectations (2012) and The Inspector Lynley Mysteries – Natural Causes (2006).

St Clement’s Church in Old Romney doubled as Dr Syn’s Dymchurch parish church in the production. Walt Disney funded the repair of the building in order to use it as a filming location. The interior was painted pink by the crew and remains so to this day.

Dr Syn: The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh (1963) first aired in 1963 and is available to watch on DVD.

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


Green Grow the Rushes (1951)

Long shot of Romney Marsh

Green Grow the Rushes screenshot at Romney Marsh © A.C.T. Films Ltd

Director: Derek N. Twist
Writer: Howard Clewes
Starring: Roger Livesey, Honor Blackman, Richard Burton
Production Company: Association of Cinema Technicians (A.C.T.)
Kent Locations Used: New Romney, Romney Marsh

British comedy film Green Grow the Rushes (1951) is based on the 1949 novel of the same name by Howard Clewes. Captain Biddle (Roger Livesey) smuggles alcohol along with Robert (Richard Burton), who poses as a fisherman, but when a reporter, Meg (Honor Blackman), arrives in town as well as a group of Government officials investigating the lack of farming on the marshes, will their scheme be exposed?

The film is directed by Derek Twist (Police Dog, All Over the Town) and stars Roger Livesey (The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp, A Matter of Life and Death), Honor Blackman (Goldfinger, The Avengers) and a young Richard Burton (The Medusa Touch (1978), Anne of the Thousand Days (1969)).

Green Grow the Rushes was filmed in New Romney and on Romney Marsh which double as the town and marshland.

New Romney high street with a lady walking her bike on the pavement

Green Grow the Rushes screenshot at New Romney © A.C.T. Films Ltd

Romney Marsh is a unique landscape boasting over 100 square miles of woodland, wetlands plus sand and shingle shores. On the edge of Romney Marsh sits its principal town, New Romney. The area has been used as a filming location for projects such as The Honourable Woman (2014), Great Expectations (2011) and Dr Syn: The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh (1963).

Green Grow the Rushes (1951) was released on Tuesday 6th November 1951 and is now available to buy on DVD.

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


The Loves of Joanna Godden (1947)

Joanna Godden (Googie Withers) and Arthur Alce (John McCallum) stood next to each other in front of a tree

Joanna Godden (Googie Withers) and Arthur Alce (John McCallum) © Ealing Studios

Director: Charles Frend, Robert Hamer
Starring: Googie Withers, Jean Kent, John McCallum, Derek Bond, Henry Mollison, Chips Rafferty, Sonia Holm
Production Company: Ealing Studios
Kent Locations Used: Romney Marsh, St Clements Church, Dungeness beach, The New Inn, The Woolpack Inn

The Loves of Joanna Godden (1947) tells the story of Joanna Godden (Googie Withers) who inherits Little Baynham Sheep Farm after the death of her father and decides to defy tradition and run the farm herself. However, her resilient dedication to make the farm a success as well as stubbornness to accept help means she risks losing the man she truly loves.

Joanna Godden (Googie Withers) and Martin (Derek Bond) talking on Dungeness beach with the lighthouse behind

Joanna Godden (Googie Withers) and Martin (Derek Bond) on Dungeness beach © Ealing Studios

Starring Googie Withers (One of Our Aircraft is Missing, The Lady Vanishes), Jean Kent (Sleeping Car to Trieste, Caravan), John McCallum (Trent’s Last Case, Lady Godiva Rides Again (1951)), Derek Bond (Scott of the Antarctic, The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby), Henry Mollison (Whisky Galore, Drake of England), Chips Rafferty (Wake in Fright, Mutiny on the Bounty), and Sonia Holm (The Bad Lord Byron, Miranda).

A historical British drama largely filmed on location on the idyllic Romney Marsh. The Marsh covers an area of 100 square miles and is one of three great coastal marshlands of Southern England. Dungeness features as the setting for the romantic scenes where Joanna and her fiancé Martin (Derek Bond) take a trip to the beach. Romney Marsh and Dungeness have since welcomed productions such as Parades End (2012) and The Inspector Lynley Mysteries – Natural Causes (2006).

St Clement’s Church in Old Romney features in the film as the local church where a Christmas carol service is held for the villagers. It is one of the oldest churches in Kent, constructed in the 12th century. The same church later doubled as Dr Syn’s Dymchurch parish in Walt Disney’s production of Dr Syn: The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh (1964).

The No.3 train was hired out by the production team from the Kent and East Sussex Railway for the scene at Lydd Town Station, where Joanna greets her sister.  The train was disguised with plates reading ‘SE&CR’. Kent and East Sussex Railway has also featured in Last Passenger (2013).

Other Kent Locations include The New Inn, a grade II listed pub situated on New Romney High Street and The Woolpack Inn, a 600 year old Inn located in the heart of the marsh.

The Loves of Joanna Godden (1947) first premiered on Monday 9th June 1947 and is now available to buy on DVD.

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