The Pantiles

Catastrophe Series 4 (2019)

Posted on by Kent Film Office
Sharon (Sharon Horgan) and Rob (Rob Delaney) cast from the series. The two are sitting on a rock by the side of the road, looking up to the sky.

Sharon Horgan and Rob Delaney ©Channel 4

Writers: Rob Delaney and Sharon Horgan
Director: Ben Taylor
Starring: Sharon Horgan, Rob Delaney, Mark Bonnar, Julie Hesmondhalgh, Chris Noth
Production Company: Avalon Television
Kent Locations Used: Whitstable, Royal Tunbridge Wells

Catastrophe (2015-2019), Channel 4’s popular comedy series,  follows the lives of American Rob (Rob Delaney) and Sharon (Sharon Horgan) his Irish wife from Ireland who first met on a business trip to London. The latest series catches up with them four years after they first met as Rob tackles his alcoholism and we see its impact on their relationship. It also includes the fictional funeral of Mia (Carrie Fisher), Rob’s mother as actress Carrie Fisher who sadly passed away after the filming of Series 3.

Starring Sharon Horgan (Game Night, Moone Boy) as Sharon Morris, Rob Delaney (Deadpool 2, Action Team) as Rob Norris, Mark Bonnar (Shetland, Take Down) as Chris, and guest starring Julie Hesmondhalgh (Coronation Street, Broadchurch) and Chris Noth (Sex and the City, Tyrant).

Filming for Mia’s funeral took place at Beacon House in the seaside town of Whitstable, which doubled as a house in Boston. The house is situated above a natural promontory, called The Street, which stretches out to sea for about half a mile. Another location used in Whitstable was The Lobster Shack, which is located at the edge of the harbour with stunning sea views.  Whitstable is a popular filming location and previous productions include Wayfaring Stranger (2008), The Things I Haven’t Told You (2008), and Mr Turner (2014).

The Pantiles in Royal Tunbridge Wells also featured in the new series and doubled as Boston. This area with shops, bars and live music offers a great shopping experience. The buildings, some of which are over 400 years old, still have some original features, though the overall impression is of a Georgian terrace that plays host to events from farmers markets to live Jazz and Christmas fairs. Royal Tunbridge Wells is credited in films and TV series such as The Royals Season 4 (2018).

Catastrophe began airing on Channel 4 on Monday 7th January 2019 .

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

Terry and Mason’s Great Food Trip (2015)

Posted on by Kent Film Office
Terry Wogan sat outside on a table with food in front of him, Mason McQueen is stood up next to him with his arm on his shoulder. Countryside can be seen in the background.

(L-R) Mason McQueen, Terry Wogan © BBC/Curve Media Ltd

Production Company: Curve Media

Kent Locations Used: Canterbury – Cathedral, The Goods Shed and Kent County Cricket ground, Whitstable, Tunbridge Wells – Penshurst Place, The Pantiles, Rosemary Shrager’s Cookery School,  Chiddingstone

Television royalty, Sir Terry Wogan, and London Cabbie, Mason McQueen (A Cabbie Abroad), join forces to embark on the foodie’s ultimate adventure around the UK. Along the way, they check out the weird and wonderful British cuisine and look at how tastes have changed.

The 20 part series has taken its inspiration from the 1963 book, British Bouquet: An Epicurean Tour of Britain, by Samuel Chamberlain. Wogan and McQueen set off in Chamberlain’s footstep in search of the great British foods of today and exploring their social history. Sampling the foods mentioned in the book, they compare ‘then and now’ and piece together their evolution from all the knowledge preserved by the local people they meet.

Episode five focuses on Canterbury when the pair visit Canterbury Cathedral, The Goods Shed and Kent County Cricket ground. They also head to Whitstable, to sample local Oysters and Whelks and soak up the atmosphere of the working harbour and fishery before heading to The Sportsman, Seasalter’s local gastropub with a Michelin Star.

Episode nine sees the duo visit the historic town of Chiddingstone, where they sample the local Kentish ales at Larkins Brewery and The Pantiles, Tunbridge Wells and Rosemary Shrager’s Cookery School before heading to Penshurst Place.

Mason McQueen, Rosemary Shrager, Terry Wogan at Rosemary's cooking school behind a counter of food

L-R – Mason McQueen, Rosemary Shrager, Terry Wogan at Rosemary’s cooking school © BBC/Curve Media Ltd

Mason McQueen, Philip Sidney and Terry Wogan at Penshurst Place sat on a round table with food

Mason McQueen, Philip Sidney and Terry Wogan at Penshurst Place © BBC/Curve Media Ltd

Canterbury is a vibrant City which boasts a Cathedral, busy shopping areas, parks and open spaces. Nearby is the seaside town of Whitstable which has a strong arts and culture scene and offers a harbour, shingle beach and busy high street.  The area has previously featured on productions such A Canterbury Tale (1944).

Chiddingstone is a one-street Tudor village and has previously been used as a film location by productions such as A Room With A View (1986) and Elizabeth R (1971).

Tunbridge Wells is a large town situated in West Kent with a busy town centre and a period shopping area, The Pantiles,  offering a fascinating variety of small specialist shops, antique shops, open-air cafés, restaurants and bars. Previous productions that have been filmed in Tunbridge Wells include Britain’s Best Bakery (2012).

Penshurst Place is a Medieval and Tudor style manor house set in gorgeous parkland with formal Elizabethan gardens. Penshurst Place is a popular film location, having previously welcomed productions such as Wolf Hall (2015), The Great Fire (2014) and The Other Boleyn Girl (2008).

Catch the Canterbury episode on Friday 4th September on BBC Two at 18:30 and the Tunbridge Wells episode on Thursday 10th September on BBC Two at 18:30.

 

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

Half A Sixpence (1967)

Posted on by Kent Film Office
a car driving along a road outside the Pantiles, people are walking along the side of the road

Screenshot from Half a Sixpence at The Pantiles © Paramount Pictures

Director: George Sidney
Starring: Tommy Steele, Julia Foster, Cyril Ritchard
Production Company: Ameran Films
Kent Locations Used: The Pantiles – Royal Tunbridge Wells, Aylesford

Based on the novel, Kipps: The Story of a Simple Soul by H.G. Wells, Half a Sixpence (1967) is a musical based on the themes of wealth and class. The film follows a draper’s assistant, Arthur Kipps (Tommy Steele), who falls in love with a chambermaid named Ann (Julia Foster). When Kipps inherits a fortune, he is torn between two worlds.

Golden Globe winning director George Sidney (Bye Bye Birdie, Viva Las Vegas) directs the film which stars Tommy Steele (The Happiest Millionaire, Tommy the Toreador), Julia Foster (Dad’s Army, The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner) and Cyril Ritchard (Peter Pan, Blackmail).

The Pantiles in Royal Tunbridge Wells is the set for Shalfords Emporium in the film, where Kipps apprenticed and the town of Aylesford was the setting of Kipps’ childhood home.

Situated in West Kent, Tunbridge Wells is a large town with a busy town centre and a period shopping area, The Pantiles, offering a fascinating variety of small specialist shops, antique shops, open-air cafés, restaurants and bars. Previous productions that have been filmed in Tunbridge Wells include Terry and Mason’s Great Food Trip (2015).

A shot of Aylesford Bridge, with the river and village in the background

Screenshot from Half a Sixpence of Aylesford Bridge © Paramount Pictures

Aylesford is a picturesque village located on the banks of the River Medway complete with a Norman Church and Victorian houses, pubs and open spaces.

Half a Sixpence (1967) was released on Thursday 21st December 1967 and is available to purchase on DVD.

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