Viewers across the nation will get a glimpse of Deal when they tune into ITV's new Sunday prime time series.

Vanity Fair, which was partly filmed on the town's beach and promenade last September, will hit screens from tonight.

The seven-part drama has been written by Gwyneth Hughes, of Dark Angel, The Girl and Miss Austen Regrets, and stars Olivia Cooke as timeless heroine Becky Sharp.

She is joined by a star-studded cast, including musician and actor Johnny Flynn as Dobbin, Martin Clunes of Doc Martin as Sir Pitt Crawley, Frances de la Tour from The History Boys as Miss Matilda Crawley, Doctor Foster's Suranne Jones as Miss Pinkerton and Michael Palin as Thackeray himself.

Aside from Deal's unrecognisable pebbles which make up port scenes, Ms Cooke has shed light on other scenes around London and Budapest which are set to wow viewers.

In a cast interview, she said: “Scenes set at Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens were filmed at Syon Park. It was beautiful.

"They transformed the gardens into this fair with fire-breathers, tightrope walkers, different booths for people to eat in, with a band and a hot air balloon. It was really fantastical. Very magical to film.

"We filmed on a fairground carousel - we were on that carousel for a few hours.

"There’s so many pictures of us crying with laughter – it made the time fly by. That was one of the best days on Vanity Fair because it was so much fun. We felt a bit sick but it was counterbalanced with the joy of being together.

“We filmed the Brussels Opera House interiors at Hackney Empire and Lancaster House. All of these locations are so beautiful and exquisite. They really enhance the way Vanity Fair was shot. They bring an extra layer of opulence.”

Hughes’ adaptation of Thackeray’s literary classic is set against the backdrop of the Napoleonic Wars, and follows Becky Sharp as she attempts to claw her way out of poverty and scale the heights of English Society.

Her story of “villainy, crime, merriment, lovemaking, jilting, laughing, cheating, fighting and dancing”, takes her all the way to the court of King George IV, via the Battle of Waterloo, breaking hearts and losing fortunes as she goes.

Head of Drama at ITV, Polly Hill, said: “Vanity Fair feels like the perfect classic to adapt for ITV, and Gwyneth Hughes’ stunning scripts bring the novel to life in a way that will really connect with a modern audience."

During their time in the town a base was set up at Walmer gravel car park in Kingsdown Road - which has been used by TV crews in the past.

The town was also used for filming of ITV's Liar in 2016 and again, this week, for the upcoming spin off of The Missing, Baptiste.

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