Lights, camera, action! Bapchild goes on film

A VILLAGE on the edge of Sittingbourne found itself in the spotlight when a film crew arrived to shoot scenes for a TV drama.

A house in a quiet Bapchild cul-de-sac provided the backdrop for filming for Channel 4's edgy thriller Southcliffe this week.



The production team arrived in force on Monday and took over Bapchild Fruit Stall's yard to park their vehicles.

John Beaney, who works at the stall, said: "Their changing rooms, toilets, catering, the bus they eat on, it's all here.

"It's been no bother at all, they're good as gold."

The set, a house in the corner of Avent Walk, off Handle Way, was a 10-miinute walk from the fruit stall, but not for the cast.

"These are actors so they don't walk," said John. "They get a minibus."

Southcliffe, a Warp Films production, is a four-part drama written by Tony Grisoni and based in a fictional market town of the same name, which is torn apart by a spate of shootings.

The story is told through a journalist, who returns to the town where he grew up, and those affected by the tragedy.

It stars Sean Harris, who will be recognised by fans of the Alien prequel Prometheus; Bond actor Rory Kinnear, who is in Skyfall; and Anatol Yusef, previously in Sky Atlantic's hit Boardwalk Empire.
Southcliffe is due to be shown on Channel 4 next year.

As well as Bapchild, look out for glimpses of Faversham, the A299 Thanet Way, Whitstable and Chartham, which have all been used for shooting scenes this month.
 
Gabrielle Lindemann, Kent film officer, said the Kent County Council Film Office was delighted that Warp Films had chosen Kent and that it could generate between £500,000 and £1 million for the county's economy.

She added: "They will be based in the county for three months with an eight-week filming schedule and we have been working very closely with the production and local agencies to facilitate this." 

by Stephen Waite
Sittingbourne News Extra

back