howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
there was a small item in the mercury today about a series filmed in dover and maidstone featuring pauline quirke and some other actors about a missing persons unit.
it appears to be an afternoon show, so not that many viewers, however there will be panoramic shots of the castle, hills,cliffs and seafront.
a free advert at last, these things tend to attract coach parties that have seen the programme.
come on roger, get your thinking cap on, how do we take advantage of it.
a lot of coach parties park near to de braddellie wharf, do some shopping and eat and drink something, then go.
this may bring more opportunities.
Guest 653- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,540
It'll certainly help Howard - especially if it is a good series; if it doesn't show Dover off in a good light, it'll put people off.
All the filming has been done, so there's no input anyone can give.
We can always promote the "as seen in so and so series".
I'll wait and see what it's like.
Roger
Guest 651- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 5,673
Been nice knowing you :)
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
actually paul, a good opening shot would be victor on a throne in an ermine robe sitting aloft dover castle.
would add some gravitas to the programme.
Can I just mention my Damehood again......?
Guest 684- Registered: 26 Feb 2009
- Posts: 635
It doesn't matter whether it shows off Dover in a good light or bad - it's a drama - period. We've had The Brothers in the past, Telford's Change etc...it's just a dramatisation, nothing more or less. It's all good stuff. Glad they've done it. Let's be more proud and robust about our realities and move on. People are a lot brighter than being mere force-fed receptacles of cod tourist puffs, for pity's sake.
For example, er, think: London (yep, that big place up the road, can't miss it) is an astonishingly wonderful and often appalling city, with legion faults, but you can't say any of the many negative dramas about the Smoke do any major damage to its general perception, can you?
Let's be receptive, modern, forward-looking and open about Dover. Respect and cherish the past, but stop getting mired in it. And no - these aren't just cheap soundbites. They're what we need to be and need to do.
White Army.
Andy
Brian Dixon
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940
bern,what do you whant a dammhood for get a hat
Guest 664- Registered: 23 Mar 2008
- Posts: 1,039
The guys who run the production company live in Deal. I met them just before Xmas, along with some of the cast (PC Carver from 'The Bill', can't remember his real name).
I think they have picked Dover because of its "grittiness" - bearing in mind they are DFLs and clearly buy into the prejudice about this town, I'd be amazed if the programme portrays us positively.
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
trying to work out "DFL'S".
would it be down from london?
There can be no doubt that if a place presents well on TV, whether in a drama or factual programme, it will do it no harm at all. We have so much to present: Town Hall; Museum; painted house; St Edmunds chapel; the Pent; Castle; Kearsney Abbey; Connaught Park; the cliffs, Samphire Hoe, added to which Dover is teeming with history!! Where are the thousands of tourists? Do we really only have the odd visitor from a Cruise liner to rely on? We do not sell ourselves. Look at the thousands and thousands of people who flock to that village in Yorkshire where they film "Last of the Summer Wine" (can't think of the name). And they only go to see Nora Battey's house and the caff on the corner!
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
i think that is holmfirth, it is true that any town that gets a mention on the box is, in effect, getting much needed free promotion.
sadly, the tourism budget is not up to doing much about it.
Guest 653- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,540
Yes, that's right Howard - Holmfirth.
Jean and I went there for a few days, great to visit the cafe and other sites - just a short distance from the Peak-District too; there's a great pub there, good food and atmosphere.
We should be building-up the reputation of Dover and White Cliffs Country, not knocking it all the time - we have more than enough to offer for short-breaks, more than most other places.
Maybe promoting the Tudor period here, the Castle obviously, plus Moats Bulwark and the steps (can't remember the name, begins with "G" I think.) up.
Roger
Roger
Ross Miller
- Location: London Road, Dover
- Registered: 17 Sep 2008
- Posts: 3,696
Or how about the museum, the western heights, the grand shaft, langdon cliffs, samphire hoe, kearsney abbey etc etc
"Dream as if you'll live forever. Live as if you'll die today." - James Dean
"Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength,
While loving someone deeply gives you courage" - Laozi
We have so very much to offer, promoted so very little.
Guest 653- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,540
Every year, DDC spend many thousands of Pounds on tourism initiatives - printing new leaflets, promoting the historic sites and attractions across the District; from the Transport Museum and Crabble Corn Mill to the Museum and the various Castles; also various accommodation providers who pay to go into the publication.
The WhiteCliffsCountry website promotes all the various historic sites and attractions, as well as gardens etc. across the District.
We have more historic sites and attractions than any other (coastal) district, from Southend to Southampton, but the least successful.
There will be a launch of the 2009 initiatives soon, but somehow it never seems to be really successful.
All the various sites are worth promoting and of course visiting; getting into Group Travel in a meaningful way, promoting everything we have - pro-actively to coach companies, making Dover a destination.
Or do we leave it all, not promote anything until the regeneration is completed, until all the Town is smartened up, buildings refurbished and everything is just so ?
Can the Town and the businesses wait that long ?
Roger
Guest 673- Registered: 16 Jun 2008
- Posts: 1,388
Reminder.
"Missing" is just about to start on BBC1 at 1415.
Don't miss it!
Guest 675- Registered: 30 Jun 2008
- Posts: 1,610
I want to know where they are hiding all the good stuff from this programme. According to the script we have a new indoor shopping centre on two levels, a fully operating hospital, a big department store up the end of the High Street and a Dover Radio local station. The police station is multi-storey and if you look out from the fire escape there is not a hill in sight. The number of police wandering around the station is something we can only dream about. On the plus side there was a quick clip of stock footage of Market Square which has suddenly become part of a busy bus route.
If it does attract visitors (which from the corny script is unlikely but we can hope) they are going to be very disappointed when they can't find very many of the featured sites.
Politics, it seems to me, for years, or all too long, has been concerned with right or left instead of right or wrong.
Richard Armour
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
it is the corny old stuff that a lot of daytime viwers like.
we may get coachloads winging their way here to spend in our state of the art indoor shopping centre.
we may have some explaining to do.
Terry Nunn
- Location: London Road, Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 4,302
One word sums it up - risible.
Terry
Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?
Guest 640- Registered: 21 Apr 2007
- Posts: 7,819
Chris thats a very good post and really sums things up, it is similar in outlook to what I was trying to convey to Roger on the Open Page (frontpage). There is no point at all in putting too much of a gloss on things because it will lead to the inevitable disappointment. Its all based in an imaginary Dover with the suggestion of international buzz which we dont really have.
I saw the last three minutes as completely forgot about the thing. But saw the final shot of PQuirke walking on the pier with the ships in the background. That pier is only feet from my window as the crow flies but did I see any of this filming taking place???...not at all. Nothing like having a journalistic finger on the pulse eh!
I see today BlueWater celebrates 10 years...now and wow! thats shopping for the modern age!
