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Two historical landmarks are set to feature as a backdrop for a new TV series.
Filming is taking place at Fort Amherst in Chatham and Penshurst Place near Tonbridge for the historical drama, The Witch Trials.
It is based on true events and follows the lives of four women across Scotland, England and Germany in the 16th and 17th centuries.
Each of them will face the harsh reality affecting many innocent women at the time: being accused of witchcraft.
The project aims to explore the lives of those accused of such an “undefendable” crime and the consequences of their own existence and those of generations to come.
On Monday (July 22), production company Disauthority spent a day filming at Chatham’s Fort Amhurst.
Since yesterday they have been at Penshurst Place, a medieval stately home with 11 acres of formal gardens.
The location has also been used as a backdrop in the Hollywood blockbuster Mary Queen of Scots starring Saoirse Ronan, and most recently in period drama Renegade Nell on Disney+.
The Witch Trials was written by Andrea Cano Molina, who also stars in it alongside Gemma Laurie (BBC’s Shetland), Eilidh Loan (How to Have Sex), Zainab Jiwa and Safiyya Ingar (The Witcher, Summer of Rockets).
Disauthority will be pitching the “proof of concept” to producers, distributors and broadcasters to develop the full series.
The company is headed up by lead creative producer Maria Shevtsova.
The 22-year-old has already been a part of several festival-selected fiction and documentary short films, as well as music videos.
“We’re keen to highlight the real-life stories of the needless suffering women endured at the hands of patriarchy, both in the past and as a harrowing echo in the present day,” she said.
“It has been a delight to work with our wonderful writer and story originator Andrea Cano Molina and director Livvy Edwards on bringing this proof of concept to life.
“We are excited to find partners to develop the project so that wider audiences can see this all-important and visceral story unfold on their TV screens in the near future.”