Queens of Mystery (2020-2021)

Cast Julie Graham, Siobhan Redmond, and Sarah Woodward standing by a table full of books outside a church with bunting in the background.

Queens of Mystery (2019) © Sly Fox Productions

Directors: Ian Emes, Theresa Varga, Jamie Magnus Stone
Starring: Julie Graham, Siobhan Redmond, Sarah Woodward and Olivia Vinall (Series 1), Florence Hall (Series 2)
Production Company: Sly Fox Productions Limited
Kent Locations Used: Farningham, Cranbrook, Smarden, Lympne Castle, Woodchurch Windmill

Queens of Mystery (2020-2021) follows the adventures of detective Matilda Stone (Olivia Vinall – Series 1; Florence Hall – Series 2) and her three crime writing aunts Cat Stone (Julie Graham), Jane Stone (Siobhan Redmond), and Beth Stone (Sarah Woodward) as they attempt to solve crimes in the picturesque English village of Wildemarsh.

Created and written by Julian Unthank (Doc Martin, New Tricks), with Mathew Thomas (Marcella (2016)The Chameleon) writing four episodes, each series consists of three murder mysteries told in six episodes.

The principal cast includes Julie Graham (SurvivorsShetland), Siobhan Redmond (The Smoking RoomCaptives) and Sarah Woodward (The Merry Wives of Windsor) with Florence Hall (The Princess Switch: Switched Again, The Princess Switch 3: Romancing the Star) joining in Series 2 to take over from Olivia Vinall (The Woman in White, Where Hands Touch). Other regulars include Martin Trenaman (The Inbetweeners Movie, PhoneShop), Andrew Leung (Cruella, Lilting), Michael Elcock (The Grey Tarmac Road) and Rebecca Grant (Holby City, Showtrial). Juliet Stevenson (Bend it Like Beckham, Truly Madly Deeply) was Emmy-nominated as a narrator in Series 1 and reprises the role for Series 2.

Queens of Mystery‘s impressive guest cast have included Josette Simon (Wonder Woman (2017), The Witches), Nancy Carroll (The Crown (2016-2023), Stephen), Mark Heap (Friday Night Dinner, Stardust), Danny Webb (Humans (2016), Liar (2017-2020)), Michelle Collins (EastEnders, Death in Paradise), Omid Djalili (His Dark Materials, Lucky Man), Emma McDonald, Charlie Maher (The Titans That Built America, Black Narcissus), Rufus Hound (Trollied, Zapped), Sarah Hadland (Miranda, Horrible Histories (2019-2023)), Sara Stewart (Batman Begins, Doctor Foster) and Colin McFarlane (Outlander, Little Princess).

Behind the scenes photo from the set of Series 2 of Queens of Mystery. A man stands in the background of the photo wearing a police uniform and cap. In the foreground are the hands of someone from the crew holding a clapperboard open.

Behind the scenes of Series 2 of Queens of Mystery (2021) © Sly Fox Productions

Series 2 sees lead director Ian Emes return to direct two of the three murder mysteries, with Theresa Varga (Secret Life of Boys, Hetty Feather (2015-2020)) directing the middle block. Both series’ make use of multiple filming locations in Kent.

Production visited several locations in Farningham for the hero village of Wildemarsh. Beth’s cottage, which features throughout Series 1 and 2, was filmed on the Mill Estate. In Series 2, the exterior of the doctor’s surgery as well as of Victoria Durrell’s (Selina Griffiths) and Henry Wade’s (Aki Omoshaybi) houses and Rachel’s Papers shop were also filmed on the Mill Estate. Wadard Books on the High Street doubles as the Murder Ink bookshop and Jane’s house. Farningham Village Store also features as Wildemarsh Village store and the entrance to The Corn Exchange Theatre in Series 1. Farningham has previously been used as a filming location for Flesh and Blood (2020).

Production used Lympne Castle as Hiddledean Castle in the Series 1 episode entitled Murder in The Dark. Lympne Castle is an unspoiled 13th century Manor in the Folkestone & Hythe district of Kent that boasts stunning views of the Romney Marsh. It has previously been used as a filming location for The Honourable Woman (2014) and Great Expectations (2012).

In the Death By Vinyl episode in Series 1, Stoneydale craft shop in Cranbrook was converted into the The Sound and Fury record shop in Wildemarsh. Cranbrook also features as the High Street throughout both series. In the Series 2 episode Sparring with Death, Part 1, St Dunstan’s Church and graveyard in Cranbrook feature when Matilda and Beth visit the grave of Beth’s husband.

St Michael’s Churchyard in Smarden was used as the Wildemarsh churchyard, and a private residence in Water Lane featured as the village’s Embittered Hack Pub in Series 1. Productions that previously filmed in Smarden include The Mirror Crack’d (1980).

Woodchurch Windmill in Ashford features as the exterior of Wildemarsh Windmill throughout both series. The view from the mill to the village below also features throughout.

Series 1 launched on 29th April 2020 on Acorn TV and can be found here.

Series 2 of Queens of Mystery was released on AcornTV on Monday 29th November 2021.

Lead actress Florence Hall sits at a wooden desk in a bedroom with lime green walls. She has a platinum blonde bob haircut, and wears a blue shirt with black and grey flowers printed on it. On the desk are multiple files stacked on top of one another, and she holds a sheet of paper in her hand. She looks off to the right hand side of the frame, and on the left hand side a TV camera is pointed at her.

Behind the scenes of Queens of Mystery Series 2 (2021) ©Sly Fox Productions

 

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


Making Noise Quietly (2019)

Two young men walking through a field talking to each other. Both wearing period clothing and the one on the left is walking with his bike.

Making Noise Quietly ©Open Palm Films

Director: Dominic Dromgoole
Writers: Nick Drake, Mark Rosenblatt and based on the play by Robert Holman
Starring: Luke Thompson, Matthew Tennyson, Trystan Gravelle, Barbra Martin, Deborah Findlay
Production Company: Open Palm Films
Kent Locations Used: Hadlow College Farm Shop in Tonbridge & Malling and Ightham Mote, Sevenoaks

Making Noise Quietly (2019) is a trilogy showing the effects of war on the lives of ordinary people. The drama follows three main stories with the themes of friendship, grief and peace amid the ravages of war.

The first story is that of conscientious objector Oliver and painter Eric, meeting for a picnic in Kent in the summer of 1945. Over the course of the segment, the two begin to understand each other’s very different perspectives regarding the war.

Part two jumps forward in time to the Falklands war in 1982, when a naval officer visits a mother to tell her that her son has died in the conflict.

The third segment is centred on former soldier, Alan and his young son, Sam, as they meet concentration camp survivor Helene in the Black Forest of Germany in 1986.

This first-time feature film directed by Dominic Dromgoole (Shakespeare’s Globe: A Midsummer Night’s Dream). The Objector, Oliver, is played by Luke Thompson (Dunkirk, Kiss Me First (2018)) and his fried Eric is played by Matthew Tennyson (Pride, Shakespeare’s Globe: A Midsummer Night’s Dream). The naval officer played by Greggory Streatfield, (The Other Boleyn Girl, Kinky Boots) and the grieving mother May is played by Barbra Martin (Causality, Between Two Women). Helene, the concentration camp survivor is played by Deborah Findlay (Vanity Fair, Jane Eyre). The father is played by Trystan Gravelle (AnonymousMr Selfridge) and the film also introduces Orton O’Brien (Christopher Robin, MotherFatherSon) as his young son.

The production filmed in Kent for the first segment of the film and transformed Hadlow College Farm Shop into a 1940’s shop, where Oliver and Eric visit in the film. It is situated in the district of Tonbridge & Malling and was home to the UK’s leading land-based agricultural college. Past productions which filmed here include Horizon: My Amazing Brain – Richard’s War (2018) and Harry Potter: A History of Magic (2017).

Production also filmed at Ightham Mote which is a 14th century moated manor house located in Sevenoaks and was owned by medieval knights, courtiers to Henry VIII as well as high-society Victorians. Sevenoaks with its many stately homes is a popular filming location and hosted productions like Mary Queen of Scots (2019) and Vanity Fair (2018).

Making Noise Quietly first screened at the Lake’s Main House theatre on Sunday 1st July 2018 to raise money for the theatre’s work with young people. It was released in UK cinemas on Friday 19th July 2019.

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