Thanet cinema-goers might be in for a pleasant surprise if they go to see the new spy comedy film Johnny English Reborn, as parts of it could be fairly familiar to the eagle-eyed.

The film, which was released in cinemas last week, stars Rowan Atkinson as the incompetent but loveable spy Johnny English, who has to save the day when a plot to assassinate the Prime Minister is uncovered.

The crew filmed a high-speed car chase on the A299 Thanet Way, and also in parts of Ramsgate.

Gabrielle Lindemann, film officer at Kent County Council, said: "Kent Police provided them with a rolling road block all the way from one end of the Thanet Way to the other, which at night was quite dramatic.

"Kent residents could still use the road though and got to slide in behind the Bentley and the police escort!"

The county’s reputation for filming is growing fast, with a number of high-profile productions choosing to shoot here.

Kent is also one of the few places in the UK which has the power to close roads for filming purposes after the council fought to get the KCC (Filming on Highways) Act 2010 through Parliament.

Ms Lindemann, who used to be a location manager herself, added: "We’ve seen everything from English period dramas to vampire slashers from America. We’ll accommodate anything. We’re not choosy as we do it for the economic benefits."

On average, two crews film in the county every day. Figures show production companies contribute around £2.5 million to the Kent economy each year.

Ms Lindemann said: "This is purely the money spent by the film companies on the location – the crews, the accommodation and the catering when they are here. We haven’t even counted film tourism. The film trail for The Other Boleyn Girl alone brought in an additional £1 million."

The period drama set in Tudor times stars Natalie Portman, Scarlett Johansson and Eric Bana and was shot partly in Knole, near Sevenoaks – the same setting for scenes from the most recent Pirates of the Caribbean film, On Stranger Tides.

As if Captain Jack Sparrow was not enough, James McAvoy has also filmed on the beach at Littlestone and screen legend Sir Michael Caine shot scenes for the 2001 film Last Orders at Canterbury Cathedral, with more scenes in Margate featuring Bob Hoskins, Ray Winstone and Tom Courtenay. Kent also enjoys many links to some of the country’s finest writers.

Several adaptations of Jane Austen’s novels have been filmed in the county, including the latest version of Emma starring Atonement favourite Romola Garai, which used Squerryes Court in Westerham as the Woodhouse family home.

Another Austen adaptation filmed in the county was the big-screen version of Pride and Prejudice starring Keira Knightley, which used Groombridge Place in Tunbridge Wells as the home of Elizabeth and the rest of the Bennet family.

Ralph Fiennes, Helena Bonham Carter and Winstone again are the latest famous names to film in Kent. Scenes for an adaptation of Dickens’ classic Great Expectations have already been shot on the Isle of Sheppey, with the cast set to return to Kent next month.