tv factual

Great British Railway Journeys – Series 7 (2016)

Posted on by Kent Film Office
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. 

 

Antiques Roadshow (2015)

Posted on by Kent Film Office
Antiques Roadshow - Fiona Bruce standing in front of a painting and antiques

Antiques Roadshow – Fiona Bruce © BBC/Jeff Overs

Production Company: BBC

Kent Locations used: Walmer Castle and Gardens

The Antiques Roadshow, presented by Fiona Bruce, is the popular BBC One show where members of the public can bring antiques and collectables to various locations across the UK where experts will examine and value the items.

Now in its 38th series, the team visited Walmer Castle in Deal, Kent in July 2015, which will be shown over two episodes.

The public came along to recount the stories behind their antiques, find out more about their pieces and marvel at the castle itself. Treasures brought in for valuation included a remarkable prisoner of war diary, a show stopping collection of ceramic grotesque birds by Martin Brothers and a late 18th-century round revolving table with a secret compartment intrigues.

Walmer Castle and Gardens is a charming Tudor castle set by the sea which boasts eight acres of magnificent gardens, woodland, and sea views. Deal has previously featured on screen in Legacy (2013), Little Dorrit (2008) and Ruby Blue (2008).

The Walmer Castle episode of Antiques Roadshow will air on Sunday 15th and 22nd November 2015 at 20:00 on BBC One.

 

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

 

 

Restoring Britain’s Landmarks (2015)

Posted on by Kent Film Office
RESTORING BRITAIN'S LANDMARKS, Anna Keay, Alastair Dick-Cleland and John Evetts standing in front of a large building.

RESTORING BRITAIN’S LANDMARKS, Anna Keay, Director of the Landmark Trust, Alastair Dick-Cleland, Conservation Manager, John Evetts, Furnishings Manager © Channel 4

Production Company: Chocolate Media
Kent Locations Used: St Edward’s Presbytery, Ramsgate

Channel 4’s architectural documentary, Restoring Britain’s Landmarks, is about the restoration projects of The Landmark Trust buildings and locations across Wales and England and the rich histories behind each of them.

In episode five of the series, work is seen to be starting on St Edward’s Presbytery in Ramsgate. The Presbytery is a picturesque building and is one of Augustus Pugin’s masterpiece creations built as part of The Grange in Ramsgate for Pugin’s own family.

The Grange is a Grade I listed property and work to restore St Edward’s Presbytery was given the go ahead after The Landmark Trust acquired the rights back in 2010. Channel 4 visits the project as the restoration continues to progress on site in Ramsgate.

Ramsgate is a vivid coastal town situated in East Kent, home to one of the largest marinas on the south coast, museums and a glorious beach. Ramsgate has been chosen as a film location for productions such as The Apprentice (2015), EastEnders (2015) and Big Bad World (2013).

The restoration of St Edward’s Presbytery will be shown on Restoring Britain’s Landmarks on Wednesday 11th November 2015 at 20:00 on Channel 4.

 

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

George Clarke’s Amazing Spaces (2015)

Posted on by Kent Film Office
Presenter George Clarke standing on a bridge with metal railings

George Clarke’s Amazing Spaces © Channel 4

Production Company: Plum Pictures

Kent Locations Used: Margate

Channel 4 series George Clarke’s Amazing Spaces looks into the fascinating world of small spaces and builds. In each episode George meets different people who turn tiny spaces into amazing places to work, play and even live.

Now in its fifth series, episode four visits Kent’s very own Margate where George meets a man planning to build Margate’s first Victorian bathing machine in more than 100 years.

George Clarke's Amazing Spaces- Victorian bathing machine in Margate being pulled by a tractor in front of an industrial unit

George Clarke’s Amazing Spaces – Victorian bathing machine in Margate © Thanet District Council

Also in the episode, George meets a coma survivor who proves he has a sense of humour by transforming a hearse into a family camper van and visits a woman who has turned her narrow boat home into a floating bookshop.

Margate is a seaside town with a pleasant mix between a charming Old Town and modern architecture such as the Turner Contemporary. The town has also recently reopened traditional theme park Dreamland. Margate has been used as a film location in a number of productions including Coast (2015), Edge of Heaven (2014) and True Love (2012).

Catch George Clarke’s Amazing Spaces featuring Margate on Thursday 8th October 2015 at 20:00 on Channel 4.

 

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

Penelope Keith’s Hidden Villages (2015)

Posted on by Kent Film Office
Penelope Keith standing in a picturesque British village with the sea visable behind

Penelope Keiths Hidden Village © Reef Television Limited Channel 4

Production Company: Reef TV

Kent locations used: Upnor, Birchington, Biddenden and Tenterden.

Returning to More4 for a second series, Penelope Keith’s Hidden Villages explores quintessentially British villages to discover their hidden features and study rural traditions.

Actress Penelope Keith, best known from her roles in The Good Life (1975) and To The Manor Born (1979) uses travel guides which were published 80 years ago, to look at the locations from a different perspective and consider the effects urbanisation and tourism could have on their future.

In episode four, Penelope explores villages in Sussex and Kent and the production visited Upnor, Birchington, Biddenden and Tenterden between May and June 2015.

Upnor is a small picturesque village in Medway with many houses finished in Kentish weatherboard. The village is home to Upnor Castle and is backed by rolling, wooded hills. Previous productions that have filmed in the area include  Great Expectations (1989).

Birchington lies on the North Coast of Kent between Herne Bay and Margate and has a glorious beach, Minnis Bay. BBC Three drama The Things I Haven’t Told You (2008) has previously been filmed in the area.

Biddenden lies in the picturesque Weald of Kent countryside, has a cobbled high street with half-timbered medieval and Jacobean buildings and is the home of the famous Biddenden Cider. Nearby Tenterden has white-painted weatherboarding buildings and a market as well as quaint cafes and eateries. The area has been used as a film location for Mapp and Lucia (2014) and Last Passenger (2013).

You can catch the Kent and Sussex episode of Penelope Keith’s Hidden Villages on Tuesday 22nd September on More4 at 21:00.

 

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. 

Coast (2015)

Posted on by Kent Film Office
The Coast team on the sandy beach at Margate in front of a fold up table

The Coast team on the beach at Margate ©Thanet District Council

Production Company: BBC

Kent Location: Margate

Presenter Nick Crane and the team travel around the coast of the United Kingdom, uncovering fascinating stories, wildlife and history for popular BBC Two show, Coast.

Now in its tenth series, the Coast production team have once again chosen to visit Kent and filmed for two days in Margate, using a drone to get amazing aerial shots of the coastline.

The first episode of the tenth series sees Nick Crane follow a centuries-old tourist trail out of London to Southend on Sea then along Margate. During the visit to the Kent town, Nick discovers why the area saved lives and how it’s reinvented itself for the modern tourist by relying on some old traditions.

The coastal town of Margate boasts a sandy beach, popular gallery the Turner Contemporary, arcades, quirky shops, trendy cafes and the newly opened traditional amusement park, Dreamland. Margate has been chosen as a filming location for many productions including Free Speech (2014), ITV comedy Edge of Heaven (2014) and BBC One’s drama True Love (2012).

Don’t miss the Kent episode of Coast which will be shown on Thursday 9th July 2015 on BBC Two at 21:00.

 

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

Long Lost Family Series 5 (2015)

Posted on by Kent Film Office
Nicky Campbell and Davina McCall standing in front of a window

Nicky Campbell and Davina McCall © ITV

Production Company: Wall to Wall Media

Kent Location: Lympne, Hythe

ITV’s BAFTA award winning show Long Lost Family returns for its fifth series as presenter’s Davina McCall and Nicky Campbell continue to reunite relatives desperately seeking one another.

In episode five of the new series, the Long Lost Family team work with Elizabeth Wells and her daughter Janice from Somerset, who are searching for Elizabeth’s son Paul Meddelton who was reluctantly given up for adoption.

The production team of Long Lost Family visited Lympne, Hythe and Westenhanger Station for one day in February 2015 whilst trying to find Paul.

The area has also welcomed filming from productions such as The Only Way is Essexmas (2014), The Tunnel (2013) and Is Anybody There? (2009).

Don’t miss the Kent episode of Long Lost Family which will air on Wednesday 1st July 2015 at 21:00 on ITV1.

 

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

 

Sean Bean on Waterloo (2015)

Posted on by Kent Film Office
View from Fort Amherst- roofs of houses with the river Medway behind

View from Fort Amherst ©Kentfilmoffice

 

Starring: Sean Bean

Production Company: Wavelength Films

Kent Locations: Chatham, Fort Amherst

On the 18th June 1815, The Battle of Waterloo was fought between France and the Seventh Coalition; this year will mark the 200th anniversary of that Battle. To honour that anniversary, a two part documentary will air, presented by actor Sean Bean. The documentary will feature evidence from eye witness accounts, along with modern military experts to help tell the story of the conflict. Alongside military experts, Sean Bean will be testing tactics and weapons that were used during the battle and compare them with present day strategies. This documentary is hoping to “provide a ground level perspective” on the Battle.

The documentary has been produced by Independent company, Wavelength Films, and has been commissioned by A+E networks UK. Sean Bean has previously played fictional British soldier, Richard Sharpe on the historical war drama ‘Sharpe’ (5 May 1993 –9 November 2008). Bean himself said “I have always been interested in the story of Waterloo especially since I played the role of Richard”. He also stated that “[Sharpe’s] adventures were based on real events 200 years ago”. When this documentary was first announced Sean Bean stated “I am excited to be following the footsteps of Sharpe and those who fought in the Battle of Waterloo to tell the story of the iconic battle on history.”

Filming for this special documentary has taken place in Belgium and England, and has also included iconic locations like Fort Amherst in Chatham, Medway, Kent which has been used for weapons testing and re-enactments of the battle.

Fort Amherst has tunnels that have featured in many films, such as Sherlock Homles: A Game of Shadows (2011- the tunnels were used as the escape tunnels at the French Resistance in Paris) and The Mission (1986- Fort Amherst’s tunnels were used as part of the convent where Mendoza (Robert De Niro) is being held after he kills his brother).

The program will air on Sunday June 14th June at 10pm on the History UK channel, Sky: 529 and 530 (+1), Virgin Media: 234, BT: 327, TalkTalk: 327.

 

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

Armada: 12 Days to Save England (2015)

Posted on by Kent Film Office
Anita Dobson as Queen Elizabeth I sitting in a large dark room with her hand on a globe

Anita Dobson as Queen Elizabeth I – ©BBC

 

Presenter: Dan Snow

Historical Consultant: Geoffrey Parker

Starring: Anita Dobson

Production Company: BBC

Kent Locations Used: Penshurst Place and Gardens

Armada: 12 Days to Save England is three part docudrama focusing on Queen Elizabeth I and the attack of the Spanish Armada during the summer of 1588, when England was the closest it’s ever been to being conquered.

The show combines CGI and dramatic reconstruction with discussions from leading historians. The show hopes to bring a unique insight to the dramatic historical event, when King Philip II of Spain ordered the invasion of England. The programme benefits from historical analysis of previously unseen letters written by Spanish commanders regarding their military decisions on board the ships.

For four days in December 2014, the production team visited Penshurst Place, which they described as the ‘perfect location,’ to film in a variety of rooms, including The Crypt, Sunderland Room and the Italian Gardens.  These areas were used as Queen Elizabeth’s bedchamber, as well as King Philip’s office, bedroom and chapel. In addition, a prison cell was set up at the location.

Previously, Penshurst Place has also welcomed the productions of Wolf Hall (2015), The Hollow Crown – Henry V (2012) and The Other Boleyn Girl (2008).

Don’t miss episode 2 of Armada: 12 Days to Save England which airs on Sunday 31st May 2015 at 9.00pm on BBC2.

 

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