insideKENT Magazine Issue 24 - March 2014 | Page 106

COVERSTORY

filmed in kent
WITH ITS RICH HERITAGE, BEAUTIFUL ROLLING PARKLAND AND MAJESTIC ESTATES, IT'S LITTLE WONDER
OUR HOME COUNTY OF KENT REMAINS THE LOCATION OF CHOICE FOR MANY A PRODUCTION CREW.
FROM HUGE HOLLYWOOD BLOCKBUSTERS AND PERIOD TELEVISION DRAMAS, TO LOW-BUDGET
FEATURES AND COMMERCIALS, YOU NAME IT, FILM-FRIENDLY KENT HAS EMBRACED IT. AND IT SEEMS
THERE IS ONLY ONE PORT OF CALL FOR THOSE WHO WANT TO FILM HERE: THE KENT FILM OFFICE,
A FIRST-CLASS FILM COMMISSIONING SERVICE THAT HAS FACILITATED A HUGE RANGE OF TITLES OVER
THE YEARS – INCLUDING THIS IMPRESSIVE LOT. CAMERAS READY! SET! ACTION!

Battle of Britain (1969)

Only Fools and Horses:
The Jolly Boys’ Outing
(1989)

Directed by: Guy Hamilton
Written by: James Kennaway,
Wilfred Greatorex, Derek Dempster
and Derek Wood
Starring: Sir Michael Caine,
Trevor Howard, Harry Andrews and
Christopher Plummer
Kent locations used: Denton,
The Jackdaw Inn (Denton), Chilham and
RAF Hawkinge

Directed by: Tony Dow
Written by: John Sullivan
Starring: David Jason,
Nicholas Lyndhurst, Buster Merryfield,
Paul Barber, John Challis,
Sue Holderness, Roger Lloyd-Pack,
Kenneth MacDonald, Gwyneth Strong
and Tessa Peake-Jones
Kent locations used: Margate,
Dreamland, Broadstairs and
Bay

Set in 1940, the film tells the tale of the
epic Battle of Britain. Nazi Germany is
attacking the airfields of the South East
as part of Operation Sea Lion, and in
order to stop the enemy from achieving
their goals for invasion, the British Royal Air Force must fight a desperate
battle for control of the skies.
Starring Sir Michael Caine, Battle of Britain features some of the best
Kent locations. The village of Chilham became the base of operations, while
Denton and the local pub, The Jackdaw Inn, had a cameo. RAF Hawkinge
was the obvious location choice for this such film, as with its rich military
history the site is now a museum with the largest collection of Battle of
Britain artefacts on show in the country.

The Jolly Boys’ Outing is the 1989
Christmas special of the popular BBC series Only Fools and Horses and
sees the Trotter brothers go on their annual coach trip to Margate,
accompanied by the Nag’s Head regulars.
Margate was the main destination in the episode, as the boys visit
theme park Dreamland. The former Broadstairs Police Station also features
in the episode, as well as the now-closed Roman Galley Pub in Herne Bay.

Hamlet (1990)
Directed by: Franco Zeffirelli
Written by: William Shakespeare
(play), Christopher De Vore and
Zeffirelli (screenplay)
Starring: Mel Gibson, Glenn Close,
Alan Bates and Helena Bonham Carter
Kent locations used: Dover Castle

Diamonds Are Forever (1971)
Directed by: Guy Hamilton
Written by: Ian Fleming (novel),
Maibaum and Tom Mankiewicz
(screenplay)
Starring: Sean Connery, Jill St. John,
Charles Gray and Lana Wood
Kent locations used: The Port of Dover

When Prince Hamlet returns to
Denmark following the death of his
father, he discovers his mother has
already married his uncle Claudius,
who has now been crowned king.
They encourage Hamlet to marry his
only love, the young Ophelia, but
Hamlet remains troubled over his
mother’s new husband. When the
ghost of his father appears before him and reveals that he was murdered,
Hamlet becomes dangerous to those around him.
Dover Castle makes its first appearance in the title credits of this film.
Used to portray the Danish Castle of Elsinore, the castle’s battlements
feature in one of the most dramatic scenes of the film. At the heart of the
site stands the Great Tower at 83ft – it is here that many of the scenes for
Hamlet were shot.

Diamonds Are Forever was the seventh
spy film in the popular James Bond
series, whereby Bond impersonates a
diamond smuggler to uncove