tv entertainment

Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special (2019)

Posted on by Kent Film Office
15 celebrity contestants dressed in their ballroom outfits, posed in a row smiling at the camera in front of a gold background.

Strictly Come Dancing 2019 ©BBC /Ray Burmiston


Starring: Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse and Shirley Ballas
Production Company: BBC
Kent Locations Used: Leeds Castle

Strictly Come Dancing (2004-) is a dance competition where celebrities compete to be crowned the winner. Each week a dance couple is kicked out of the competition decided by the judges scores and viewer votes. For the Christmas Special the judges will share some yuletide joy, treating viewers to a host of group and paired performances.

The popular TV entertainment show, is produced by the BBC and has been running since 2004. The show stars judges Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse and Shirley Ballas featuring guest celebrity dancers Chizzy Akudolu, Debbie McGee, Gemma Atkinson, Mark Wright, Joe Sugg and Richard Arnold.

The 2019 Christmas Special was partly filmed at the 900 year old Leeds Castle located near Maidstone in Kent. Production visited Leeds Castle to film various exterior scenes on Castle Island and interior scenes in the Library. The dancers also visited the Christmas Market on the Cedar Lawn.

Leeds Castle is a 900 year old castle with medieval themed rooms, 1920’s style interiors and a 500 acre estate boasting beautiful gardens, a moat, woodlands, and a maze. The Castle is a popular film location for film and TV productions and has recently hosted De De Pyaar De (2019), Celebrity Antiques Road Show – Series 8 (2018) and The Hollow Crown: The Wars of the Roses (2016).

View the exclusive show preview via the BBC Strictly Come Dancing Facebook page.

The Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special (2019) airs on BBC One on Wednesday 25th December 2019 at 4:40pm

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

James Martin’s Great British Adventure (2019)

Posted on by Kent Film Office

 

James Martin pictured in a black jumper standing next to a red mini car as he leans on it. Grass and trees are in the background.

James Martin’s Great British Adventure Series ©ITV

Starring: James Martin
Production Company: ITV Studios
Kent Locations Used: Folkestone, Canterbury

The ITV series James Martin’s Great British Adventure stars James Martin (Saturday Kitchen) and follows his journey around the UK. Guests of the series include Nick Nairn, Tom Kitchin, Lisa Allen and Paul Rankin while talking to the locals and cooking food with them.

James’ culinary tour also takes him to the county of Kent, where he meets up with local chef and restaurateur Mark Sargeant, owner of the Rocksalt. The series also sees further cooking taking place with James cooking two recipes at Folkestone’s Harbour Arm . Folkestone is a popular filming location, some examples include Come Dine With Me (2012) and The Hotel Inspector (2018).

Additionally, production visited the Kentish Pip Cider Farm in Canterbury for some further filming. The City of Canterbury remains one of the largest tourism centres in England, known for its cobbled streets and wealth of historic buildings. Previous productions which filmed here were Terry and Mason’s Great Food Trip (2015) and A Taste of Britain (2014).

The series consists of twenty episodes, with one episode shown per day.

The first episode can be seen on ITV on Saturday 9th February 2019 at 2pm. The Kent episode will be episode 16 airing on Sunday 24th February 2019.

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

George Clarke’s Amazing Spaces – Series 8 (2019)

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George Clarke's Amazing Spaces Series 8 poster of acorn tree house hanging in the trees within a forest

George Clarke’s Amazing Spaces Series 8 ©Channel 4

Starring: George Clarke
Production Company: Plum Pictures
Kent Locations Used: Ramsgate

Channel 4’s George Clarke’s Amazing Spaces (2012-) returns for a new series this year. Architect and presenter George Clarke (Amazing Spaces Shed of the Year, The Restoration Man) explores the fascinating world of small builds, with an emphasis on the creative use of small spaces. The show follows people who turn the smallest of places, such as old boats, a tree house disguised as an acorn, and a mountain-top restaurant resembling a spaceship, into places to live.

George Clarke’s Amazing Spaces series 5 previously filmed in Margate, Thanet back in 2015. Here, George met a coma survivor who transformed a family camper van and also visited a woman who turned her narrow boat into a floating bookshop.

The Kent episode of series 8 was filmed in Ramsgate, Thanet. Production filmed at Port of Ramsgate, where George follows a new restoration.

Ramsgate is a thriving seaside town with beautiful Georgian terraced housing, Marina, Port and Promenade. Often doubling for London streets. Other previous TV productions which filmed here include Fantasy Homes by the Sea – Series 7 (2018), The Channel: The World’s Busiest Waterway (2017) and Coast Vs Country (2016).

Series 8 began airing on Sunday 30th December 2018 on Channel 4. Episode eight, which featured Ramsgate, aired on Sunday 24th February 2019 at 8pm.

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

Fantasy Homes by the Sea – Series 7 (2018)

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Image of presenter Michelle Ackerley in an orange top leaning against colourful sheds

Presenter Michelle Ackerley ©UKTV Really

Writer: Jayne Hibbitt-Smith
Starring: Michelle Ackerley
Production company: Hat Trick
Kent locations used: Broadstairs, Margate, Ramsgate, Kingsdown, Dungeness

The series originally ran for six seasons between 2007 and 2013 on UKTV’s Style channel.

Michelle Ackerley presents the reboot of Fantasy Homes by the Sea. Each 60-minute episode follows Michelle as she takes buyers around coastal locations in the UK in the quest to find their dream home by the sea.

Production filmed in Margate, Broadstairs and Ramsgate , Kent sea-side towns in Thanet that recently featured in shows such as Britain’s Favourite Walks: Top 100 (2018) and Landscape Artist of the Year (2018).

Further filming took place at Kingsdown near Deal. The town is situated on the South Coast of Kent and has a longstanding naval history as one of the major Cinque Ports and many period features remain. Productions such as Coast v Country (2017) and Antiques Roadshow (2015) also chose this as a prime film location.

Production also visited Dungeness. Dungeness is a unique location which includes ramshackle huts as well as two lighthouses, a historic railway station, two pubs and artist galleries along with a nuclear power station. Previous projects that have filmed there include Walks With My Dog (2017) and Great British Railway Journeys – Series 7 (2016).

Fantasy Homes by the Sea airs on 19th November 2018 on UKTV’s Really Channel (Freeview Channel 17, Sky Channel 142, and Virgin Media Channel 129) at 8pm. The Thanet episodes will air on 22nd November and 6th December, and the Kingsdown episode will air on 11th December 2018 on Really at 8pm.

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

Celebrity Antiques Road Show – Series 8 (2018)

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Cast of Celebrity Antiques Road Show - Series 8- Four celebritites standing in a row holding up various antiques.

Cast of Celebrity Antiques Road Show – Series 8 ©BBC Two

Starring: Kelly Brook, Denise Van Outen and Peter Andre
Production Company: STV productions
Kent Locations Used: Ramsgate, Margate, Whitstable, Faversham, Sittingbourne, Maidstone, and Ashford

A brand-new series of Celebrity Antiques Road Show (2011-) returns to BBC two.  In the programme each antique expert is paired up with a celebrity and they travel across the UK in vintage cars, in a quest to find worthy antiques to sell at auction.

The series producer for the upcoming show is John Redshaw, and the chosen stars for Series 8 include reality-star Peter Andre, actress Denise Van Outen and model Kelly Brook.

One of the episodes visited Kent where the celebrities played mini-golf in Margate, went antiques hunting in  the sea-side town of Ramsgate and paid a visit to Leeds Castle and Pleasant View Garden Centre in Maidstone, and Whitstable Harbour in Canterbury.

Filming also took place in Faversham and Sittingbourne, which are towns in the district of Swale, as well as further filming in villages Appledore and Chilham in Ashford.

Ramsgate, Margate and Whitstable are seaside towns in East-Kent.  Ramsgate has been a significant filming location for popular television shows such as Juliet, Naked(2018), EastEnders (2015) and The Apprentice (2015).

Faversham and Sittingbourne are both towns within the Swale borough of Kent. Previous productions which filmed there include Celebs on the Farm (2018) and Walks With My Dog (2017).

Ashford is a market town with many shops, eateries, and a designer outlet shopping centre with London and Europe are just a train ride away through Ashford International train station. Previous productions which filmed include The Apprentice (2015).

Maidstone has been a popular site for TV programmes, productions include Long Lost Family: Born Without Trace (2020). Tunbridge Wells has also been an attractive location for TV programmes like Question Time (2016) and Series Two of Hunted (2016).

The series will start on Monday 5th November on BBC Two at 7pm with the Kent episode.

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

Dark Heart Series 1 (2018)

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Actor Tom Riley from Dark Heart Series staring away from the camera in a suit and coat. City skyline in background.

Actor Tom Riley from Dark Heart Series ©ITV

Writer: Chris Lang
Director: Colin Teague
Starring: Miranda Raison, Anjli Mohindra, Tom Riley
Production Company: ITV Studios
Kent Locations Used: Shellness beach, Swale

ITV crime drama Dark Heart (2016-2018) will soon be hitting our screens, starring Tom Riley as DI Will Wagstaffe, who is haunted by his past after both his parents were murdered when he was just sixteen years old. Will and his team try to solve brutal crimes, whilst he also attempts to hold his own fractured life together.

Alongside Tom Riley (The Nevers (2021), Da Vinci’s Demons) are Miranda Raison (Spooks (2007), My Week with Marilyn) and Anjli Mohindra (The Lazarus Project, Bodyguard) and the series is written by Chris Lang (Unforgotten, Innocent) and directed by Colin Teague (Torchwood, Being Human).

Scenes were filmed at one of the beach chalets on Shellness Beach and included a drone shot of a car travelling along Shellness Road.

Shellness Beach has proved to be a popular filming location recently, with Netflix series End of the F***ing World (2017) and Channel 4’s Kiss Me First (2018) using the area as a filming location also.

Dark Heart can be seen on ITV on Wednesday 31st October 2018 at 9pm.

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

Four in a Bed – Series 12 (2018)

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Four in a bed series logo on a white sign hanging in a window

Four in a Bed Series ©1 RadioTimes

Starring: Mike Adams

Production Company: Studio Lambert

Kent Locations Used: Wortham, Maidstone, and Sheerness

A brand-new series of Four in a Bed returns to Channel 4, where a different B&B is visited each day of the week and owners take it in turns to stay with each other as they compete to be crowned Best Hosts. The final day at the end of the week is reserved for feedback debates and the announcement of the winner.

The series is narrated by Mike Adams (Emmerdale) and for this series production visited a B&B in Wrotham and one in Sheerness, as well as neighbouring areas like the county town of Maidstone.

Wrotham is located in Sevenoaks and has starred in other well-known series such as, Next of Kin directed by Justin Chadwick and Jamie Childs.  Maidstone in Kent has also been a key filming location used by popular Netflix show Black Mirror.

Isle of Sheppey is the largest town on the Isle of Sheppey. Sheppey regularly wins the blue flag for its clean beaches and has many pubs, restaurants, shops and other leisure attractions. The Hide (2009) has previously used The Isle of Sheppey as a film location.

The series will start on Monday 17th September on Channel 4 at 5.30pm and will air at the same time everyday till Monday 24th September 2018.

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

Bargain Hunt – Series 51 (2018)

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Bargain Hunt Series 51 poster- aerial shot of 15 cast members in a group kicking the air with their arms up and cheering faces.

Bargain Hunt Series 51 ©BBC One

 

Production Company: British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Kent Locations Used: Detling, Maidstone

This long-running, popular daytime show follows two amateur collector teams at an antique fair as they try to find the best bargains, to sell on at auction.

During the latest series production visited the Kent Event Centre  in Detling during the annual Antiques, Vintage and Collectors Fair. The location, which opened in 1964, offers several halls and over 200 acres of outdoor space alongside a private woodland organisers’ disposal. The venue hosts concerts as well as large scale exhibitions, trade fairs and the Kent County Show. Bargain Hunt has previously filmed at the venue, including one of their Christmas Specials (2016).

Bargain Hunt series 51 will air on BBC One on Friday 14th September 2018 at 12.15pm.

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

 

Celebs on the Farm (2018)

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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. 

Long Lost Family: What Happened Next – Series 8 (2018)

Posted on by Kent Film Office

 

 

Close up of presenters Davina McCall and Nicky Campbell smiling at the camera. Nicky wearing a blue suit and red jumper, Davina wearing a red jacket and shirt.

Davina McCall and Nicky Campbell ©DailyPost

 

 

Director: Rachel Ozers

Starring: Davinia McCall and Nicky Campbell.

Production Company: Wall to Wall Media Ltd (ITV)

Kent Locations Used: Ramsgate, Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells

Season 8 visits family members reunited on previous Long Lost Family series to see what happened after the initial reunion.

There will be three episodes catching up with Cathie Cutler Evans, John Ayton, and Maureen Charlton (episode 1); Marion Williams and James McDonnell, Ray Jones, and Laura Aker (episode 2); Deborah Ozturk, Mary Davies, and Vicki Haskell (episode 3).

Presented by Davinia McCall and Nicky Campbell the series visited Ramsgate for an update as well as recording presenter links with Davina McCall in and around Tonbridge and in Royal Tunbridge Wells throughout the series.

Ramsgate is a thriving seaside town with beautiful Georgian terraced housing, Marina, Port and Promenade. Often doubling for London streets. It has previously featured in TV productions such as The Tunnel: Sabotage (2016) and Hancock and Joan (2008).

Tonbridge is a riverside town with picturesque castle, churches and historic buildings. It was also featured in Long Lost Family Series 7 (2017) and other TV productions, including BBC’s Harry Potter: A History of Magic (2017) and Secret Britain (2016).

Royal Tunbridge Wells is a historic spa town that is renowned for the historic houses and gardens and has been a place of interest for over 400 years. It is popular in TV productions including Long Lost Family Series 7 (2017), The Royals (2016-2018) and Hunted Series 2 (2016).

The new season is released on 11th June 2018 at 9pm on ITV, the following episodes will broadcast on 18th and 25th June. 

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