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First instalment of gritty police drama The Tunnel to be aired on Sky Atlantic tonight

It's set to grip us as we're glued to our TV screens tonight... and that's just the Kent locations for TV drama The Tunnel.

Over the past year film crews have been seen in several locations around Folkestone, including the old Silver Spring factory at Park Farm Industrial Estate and the harbour area.

The production crew, based at the Discovery Park in Sandwich, also filmed in various places across East Kent, including the Port of Dover and The Citadel, Western Heights, Dover, and in Shepway and Swale.

A fictional riot filmed for the drama at the Silver Spring soft drinks factory in Folkestone. Picture: @Kent_999s
A fictional riot filmed for the drama at the Silver Spring soft drinks factory in Folkestone. Picture: @Kent_999s

The first episode of the resulting cross-Channel TV drama, which follows detectives from the UK and France on the hunt for a serial killer, airs on Sky Atlantic at 9pm.

The drama, a remake of Nordic show The Bridge, unfolds after the body of a prominent French politician is found on the border between the UK and France.

Detectives Karl Roebuck (Stephen Dillane) and Elise Wassermann (Clémence Poésy) are sent to investigate on behalf of their respective countries, but the case takes a surreal turn when a shocking discovery is made at the crime scene, forcing the French and British police into an uneasy partnership.

Stills from Anglo-French TV drama The Tunnel
Stills from Anglo-French TV drama The Tunnel

As the serial killer uses ever more elaborate and ingenious methods to highlight the moral bankruptcy of modern society, Karl and Elise are drawn deeper into his increasingly personal agenda.

Meanwhile, in fear of his life, banker Alain Joubert (Mathieu Carrière) is in hiding in a hotel in Calais.

His devoted wife Charlotte (Jeanne Balibar) isn’t sure if his paranoia is justified but, taking no chances, arranges for him to flee the country.


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Back in Folkestone, enigmatic Stephen Beaumont (Joseph Mawle) runs a hostel for immigrants and failed asylum seeker Veronica seeks his help, but are his motives as altruistic as they seem?

Elise and Karl finally get a breakthrough when their investigation points them to egotistical tabloid journalist Danny Hillier (Tom Bateman). But, as they rush to interview him, they find him trapped in the middle of the killer’s latest deadly game.

Paul Barber, managing director at Discovery Park, said after the filming: “We were delighted to be able to provide a location for film producers Kudos, who were based here, and support the production of The Tunnel.

Stars Elise Wassermann (Clemence Poesy) and Karl Roebuck (Stephen Dillane) play detectives
Stars Elise Wassermann (Clemence Poesy) and Karl Roebuck (Stephen Dillane) play detectives

“Discovery Park is establishing its credentials and building a solid reputation as an ideal location for film and TV, following the success of Brad Pitt’s Hollywood blockbuster World War Z and Derren Brown’s The Specials.

"The office and laboratory space on site lends itself to filming and film production and we look forward to welcoming producers and actors alike in the near future.”

The Tunnel is a Sky Atlantic HD and CANAL+ co-production from Kudos Film and TV and Shine France Films in association with Filmlance.


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