Sister Pictures - Kent Film Office

Michelle de Swarte as Natasha stands in a field holding a baby. She wears a brown corduroy jacket, and the baby is wearing a white onesie with green, orange and yellow shapes on it. Natasha and the baby both looking nervously at someone to the right of the frame, who’s face is obscured from view.

Michelle de Swarte in The Baby (2022) © Ross Ferguson/HBO

Writer / Creator: Lucy Gaymer, Sian Robins-Grace
Starring: Michelle de Swarte, Sinéad Cusack, Isy Suttie, Shvorne Marks, Amber Grappy
Production Company: HBO, Proverbial Pictures, Sister Pictures, Sky
Kent Locations Used: Botany Bay, Acacia Sports Hall in Dartford, Nell’s Café, Ramsgate Harbour Approach Tunnel, St Andrew’s Lake and Watersports Centre in Halling, The Quadrangle in Sevenoaks

The Baby (2022) is a horror comedy series about 38-year-old Natasha who is furious that all her friends are having babies. When she is unexpectedly landed with one of her own, her life is thrown into turmoil. She doesn’t want a baby. But the baby definitely wants her.

Created by Lucy Gaymer and Sian Robins-Grace in their debut as TV writers, The Baby stars Michelle de Swarte (The Duchess) as Natasha, Sinéad Cusack (Waterland (1992), Marcella (2016)) as Barbara, Isy Suttie (Peep Show, Shameless) as Rita, Shvorne Marks (Breeders (2021), Endeavour) as Mags, and Amber Grappy (Wrecked) as Bobbi.

During filming, production visited various locations across Kent including Botany Bay, Nell’s Café in Gravesend, the Ramsgate Harbour Approach Tunnel, Acacia Sports Hall in Dartford, St Andrew’s Lake and Watersports Centre in Halling and The Quadrangle in Sevenoaks.

Botany Bay is a very popular filming location due to its sandy beach, rock pools, white cliffs and highly photographed white chalk stacks. Previous productions to have filmed at Botany Bay include Jhimma (2021), Sulphur and White (2020), and The Electrical Life of Louis Wain (2022).

Nell’s Café is a popular roadside café along the A2 in Gravesend. Situated on the southern bank of the River Thames, Gravesend boasts a cast iron pier, promenade and high street as well as international rail links at the nearby Ebbsfleet International station. Previous productions to have filmed at Nell’s Café include Series 1 of Killing Eve (2018-2022), Series 2 of Temple (2021) and Series 2 of In the Long Run (2019).

The Ramsgate Harbour Approach Tunnel is the approach road to Port of Ramsgate. The tunnel is over 800m long and about 9.5 metres wide. Because this is an alternative approach to the Harbour, this road and tunnel may be controlled during agreed periods. Previous productions to have made use of this include Hard Sun (2018) and The Tunnel: Sabotage (2016).

The Acacia Sports Hall in Dartford is a large sports hall and is part of a multi-use site that includes a manor and several outbuildings with ample parking. The Sports Hall is perfect for set building and storage with a ceiling height of over 20m. Recently opened as a build space for productions, The Baby is the first to make use of the facilities.

Situated between the River Medway and Pilgrims Way, St Andrews Lake in Halling is a unique 70-acre blue lake in a former chalk quarry with a total area of 122 acres of mixed woodland and a small lagoon area. From the Watersports Centre, you can hire a kayak, paddle board or a sailing boat.

The Quadrangle is a large Victorian farmstead built in 1870 in the Darent Valley, near Shoreham Village. The site features a grand lofty hay barn (15m x 8.5 m), converted Granary, stables, a holiday cottage, an orchard, and access to the River Darent for swimming and boating. Jamie and Jimmy’s Friday Night Feast (2016) used the location for filming a mini food festival.

The Baby was released on NowTV on Sunday 24^th April 2022.

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

Olivia Colman, as Susan Edwards, sits in a bed with an iron headboard. She is leaning on two frilly pillows and is wearing a blue shirt and cardigan. Reflected on the wall behind her is an image of a cowboy in a black hat.

Olivia Colman as Susan Edwards in Landscapers © Sky

Director: Will Sharpe
Starring: Olivia Colman, David Thewlis, Kate O’Flynn, Dipo Ola, Samuel Anderson, Felicity Montagu, Daniel Rigby
Production Company: Sister Productions
Kent Locations Used: Laredo Western Town in Dartford

Landscapers (2021) is a true-crime drama inspired by real events, which documents the unique transformation of a mild-mannered English couple into cold-blooded killers.

The four-part mini-series was created and written by Ed Sinclair (Screenshot) and directed by Will Sharpe (Flowers, The Electrical Life of Louis Wain (2022)). Olivia Colman (The Crown (2016-2023), The Favourite (2019)) stars as Susan Edwards with David Thewlis (Wonder Woman (2017), Fargo) playing her husband, Christopher. Colman and Thewlis are joined by Kate O’Flynn (Bridget Jones’s Baby) as DC Emma Lancing, Dipo Ola (We Hunt Together) as Douglas Hylton, Susan’s solicitor, Samuel Anderson (Another Life) as DC Paul Wilkie, Felicity Montagu (This Time with Alan Partridge Season 2 (2021)) as Patricia Wycherley, Susan’s mother and Daniel Rigby (The Electrical Life of Louis Wain (2022)) as DCI Geoff Collier.

David Thewlis, as Christopher Edwards, stands under a sheltered bus stop. He stands directly in the middle of the frame, looking off to the right. The bus stop is lit with a blue and green hue, and above the roof are the words ‘Victoria Coach Station’ in blue. On the left side of the bus stop sits a man wearing a black mask covering his face. He also wears a mauve polo shirt, a windbreaker jacket, suit trousers and black shoes. Christopher has short receding hair, and wears a grey windbreaker jacket zipped almost to the top, with a patterned jumper underneath, grey suit trousers, black shoes and wire-rimmed glasses.

During filming, production visited Kent to film at Laredo Western Town in Longfield near Dartford. The production filmed a dream sequence where Susan Edwards reimagines the events surrounding the murder of her parents and her subsequent arrest.

Laredo Western Town is situated just twenty miles from London. The town represents the American Wild West as it would have been in 1865 to 1889 featuring 24 buildings including a two-story Hotel with Saloon Bar, Marshals Office, working Blacksmiths, Livery Stables, Bank and many more. All the interiors are fully furnished and decorated to the period. Previous productions to film here include Finding Neverland (2004) and Blood Moon (2014).

Dartford is a historic market town with a rich industrial heritage and boasts Bluewater, one of the largest shopping centres in Europe. Recent productions to film here include Gangs of London (2020-2022) and The Corrupted (2019).

Landscapers was released on Sky Atlantic and NowTV on Tuesday 7^th December 2021.

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

Kent's Premier Film Commission