Written by Tom Deehan on Nov 23, 2016. Posted in On Location / Production News

BBC comedy Quacks shoots Victorian humour on location in Kent

Filming has commenced on the new BBC Two comedy Quacks, with the production currently on location at the Historic Dockyard Chatham in Kent. The series will poke fun at the early days of medical science in 1840s Britain, when surgical mishaps were aplenty and some procedures came down to guesswork.

The Historic Dockyard Chatham is one of Kent’s most popular filming locations. Aside from being used for both interior and exterior shots in Stephen Poliakoff’s Close to the Enemy, the area was also featured in Call the Midwife and Downton Abbey.

Written by James Wood and produced by Lucky Giant, Quacks will star Matthew Baynton (The Wrong Mans), Rory Kinnear (Spectre) and Rupert Everett (A Royal Night Out).

Upon its announcement in March, Shane Allen, Controller of Comedy Commissioning for BBC TV detailed: “this is a dream comedy cast allied to a very dynamic period in British social history which lends itself well to raucous high adventure and inappropriate behaviour, all in the name of progress. We follow the often maverick doctors from one misguided cock-up to the next with the very occasional (and mostly accidental) success. It’s a timely comedy flag in the often po-faced world of period settings.”

Justin Davies, Managing Director of Lucky Giant adds: “James Wood has done a masterful job of mining our gory medical past to create wonderful characters for this story. These are the would-be rock stars of the medical world, and while their intentions are sincere, the results are often brilliantly deranged and funny. We can’t wait to bring this to life and there will be plenty of treats in store.”

The domestic television industry in the UK thrives as a result of the country’s tax relief incentive. High-end shows that spend a minimum of GBP1 million per broadcast hour can receive a 25% tax rebate.

The UK’s potential for period programmes was exemplified earlier this month with the release of Netflix’s The Crown, which shot in London and Scotland amongst other locations.

The Kent Film Office, along with a number of UK-based film offices will be attending FOCUS – the meeting place for international production in December. Register your attendance today for free.