Hythe and Hastings

[Rosina Rowantree]

I assume in the absence of any comment that Foyle is still based in Hastings.  The fight by the boats took place in Hythe (although the boat had a Rye registration number) as had the drinking in the bar, and I guess that Elsie, the widow with anthrax was taken to the local hospital.  

Sam and Joe walked around a building that looked very like the Leas Hall in Folkestone.  Where does Sam live?  I have always assumed that she was based in Hastings, whcih is about 33 miles from Hythe and 38 from Folkestone.  If not, her use of a car to commute is a serious use of a scarce resource for personal convenience.  If they drove to Folkestone from Hastings then ditto.

So how come she drags herself to the same local hospital as the widow?  There is a war-time restriction on travel, but people pop backwards and forwards between Sussex and Kent with no evidence that they are using the rare trains.  But private cars are barred, and the Home Guard is stopping all traffic.  It didn't stop the sister of the accused (who works in the hospital in Hythe) from buttonholing  the Sergeant in Hastings.  And  the other Hythe is even further from Hastings.

I lived around Hythe for many years.  I do not think that there were any areas out of bounds because of anthrax!  Perhaps this is a new remote island shipped down from Scotland and tethered off the beach.

I felt that this episode was disappointing.  The "British" are not only guilty of WMD but also too damned careless to cope with this safely, too arrogant to help sort the mess out, and haven't worked out that it is  safer to test such a lethal weapon on an uninhabited island than at the front line of our defence against the invader.  The Quakers (and the Welsh - Jones and Jenkins) seem to have taken over that part of the coast, and to have only one Christian principle - Martin was a conscientious objector who drank, fought and committed adultery.  This is not a Quaker's way.  And did you notice the Sergeant's rush to send someone to find out if Sam was OK.  He made absolutely no move, nor did the uniformed chap.  

And on a final point, I am almost certain the cows in Foxhall farm were bullocks!  As was the episode.  

Rosina

[Lynette]

I haven't seen this episode, Rosina, as I'm American and it hasn't been broadcast here yet, but you have to remind yourself that this is fiction. Television. The vast majority of the outdoor scenes are not shot in Hastings, sometimes not even in Sussex. For instance, there have been several key scenes in different episodes filmed at the Eastbourne Bandstand -- which obviously isn't in Hastings. This link spotlights some of the important locations which have been used in the various shows: http://www.foyleswar.com/locations.htm. They range across the South Coast and up to Surrey and even Hertfordshire.

Why would they do this? There are a few reasons, I think.

- availability. They need to use buildings or settings which can be made available to them for shooting. This means clearing away all modern cars, closing roads, avoiding modern air traffic, and heaven knows what else. The logistics must be very complex.

- historical accuracy. There is a great effort put into finding buildings or settings which can be made to look "period" accurate -- no new buildings in sight, no burglar alarms visible, no roof aerials, etc., etc. Not an easy thing to do! Did you know that Anthony Horowitz had initially planned to set these stories in London but abandoned the idea when he realized that there simply aren't enough old buildings left to make it logistically possible? Too many were destroyed by the Luftwaffe.

- money. I'm sure cost must play a role here, too. I remember AH saying in an interview that they had found a terrific setting for one scene (a disused mine in Wales) which they couldn't afford to use, so they "faked" it.

- artistry. A set like the promenade at the Eastbourne bandstand must be nearly irresistible. It's very picturesque. Visual appeal has to fit into the equation somewhere, don't you think?

What it comes down to is that if the director finds the perfect location in another town, he will of course use it even if it is fifty miles or more from Hastings. After all, most viewers will never know the difference -- only folks who, like you, know Sussex and the South Coast well.  Call it artistic license if you will, and try to make a game of spotting familiar settings.

I can empathize with your annoyance, though. I live just outside Washington, DC and am often amused by the license taken by film and TV about this town. They're always getting things wrong! I remember one television show in which a character referred to driving east from Washington toward the Blue Ridge mountains, when they in fact lie to the west. Head east far enough and you'll fall into the Chesapeake Bay!

[Rosina Rowantree]

The site about locations was interesting: we did wonder where the hospital was!  But I was more concerned about the distance between the real Hythe and Hastings, rather than where they filmed it.

A really good bit of stupidity is in Robin Hood Prince of Thieves when the characters land at Dover, claim they will be in Nottinghamshire by nightfall, and then proceed to go there by way of Hadrians Wall!  A round trip of over 600 miles, all done before nightfall.  They had better horses in those days, and no speed limits.