Eagle-eyed viewers will be able to spot some familiar Kent scenes in a Harry Potter star’s new Channel 4 show.
Dirty Business is based on a decade-long investigation into England’s water companies, telling the stories of whistleblowers and victims who believe their lives have been destroyed after encountering sewage-polluted water.
Dirty Business is set to air on Monday evening. Picture: Rob Baker Ashton / Channel 4
The Kent Film Office says production crews visited Kingsgate Bay and Louisa Bay in Broadstairs.
Filming also took place at the Castle Farm estate in Sevenoaks and on Riverside in Eynsford.
Describing the series, Channel 4 says: “Dirty Business is a major new factual drama investigating one of the biggest potential corporate scandals in British history.
“The series follows the story of two unlikely detectives who notice the fish in the river running through their idyllic Oxfordshire hamlet are dying.
“They contact their water company to find out why, and the company’s strange and evasive reply sparks an investigation that remains ongoing to this day.”
The series, set to air next week, stars David Thewlis, of Harry Potter fame, as Ash, a concerned citizen and former police detective from a small town in Oxfordshire, who notices his local river becoming increasingly polluted.
The Preen family on Louisa Bay in Broadstairs. Picture: Rob Baker Ashton / Channel 4
He teams up with neighbour Peter, played by Jason Watkins, a professor of computational biology, and establishes that the local sewage works is not treating the sewage properly.
Asim Chaudhry, of People Just Do Nothing, also features as the whistleblowing sewage worker “Mickey” who partners with Ash and Peter to supply information on critical failures from the inside.
Dirty Business also follows the true story of the Preen Family, whose eight year old daughter dies after contracting E. coli 0157.
Heather had been playing on a beach where days earlier, a nearby storm pipe had discharged into the sea, which the Preens believe resulted in her coming into contact with the raw sewage.
Speaking on the show, David Thewlis said: “What shocked me about this story was just how much has been allowed to go unchecked.
Louisa Bay in Broadstairs
“Two ordinary men uncovering negligence, illegal pollution, and corporate indifference that should never have been tolerated.
“Being a part of this series has been a chance to channel the anger and frustration so many feel about what’s been done to our rivers and communities, and to show the courage it takes to stand up and demand accountability.”
The series will begin airing on Channel 4 on Monday, February 23, at 9pm.
Broadstairs has been a popular site for filming in recent years.
Previously, an advert starring Dua Lipa was filmed in Viking Bay in Broadstairs before showing the 28-year-old singer strutting through the sand towards Victoria Parade.
Viking Bay is Broadstairs’ busiest beach, close to the town centre
The town’s colourful beach huts and RNLI station can be seen as the camera moves across the faces of awe-struck beach-goers.
In 2024, comedian Tim Vine posed for pictures with fans while filming at nearby Dumpton Gap.
The Not Going Out star, who is known for his puns and one-liners, was spotted wearing a striking ensemble, including an Elvis-style quiff.