Miss Havisham (Gillian Anderson), in Great Expectations

by Jess Banham

Dickens is still raking in cash for our county... exactly 200 years after his birth!

It's been revealed the TV and film adaptations of his work shot in Kent have added almost £2m to the economy.

All week we’ve been taking a look at the wordsmith's life and his many connections to our county.

Dickens lived in several Kent towns and was inspired by much of the landscape, making it the perfect place for film crews looking for shooting locations.

Gabrielle

Rosa Bud (Tamzin Merchant) in The Mystery of Edwin Drood

Lindemann, head of Kent County Council’s film office, said: "Most of the versions of Great Expectations are made in Kent as so much of the story is set on the Kent marshes and it’s such a unique landscape.

"There are very few areas in Britain where you have a lot of salt marsh expanse with creeks and things, just like you have at the opening of the novel."

Often crews use local caterers and stay in the area for several months which provides a much needed boost to local businesses.

It all started with the 1946 film of Great Expectations, starring John Mills, which shot both on St Mary’s marshes and made use of buildings such as Restoration House, which was the actual inspiration behind the dilapidated Satis House where Miss Havisham lives.

Several other adaptations for both the small and silver screen have also filmed here over the years.

Arthur in Little Dorrit played by Matthew Macfadyen

In 2007, the crew behind the television adaptation of Oliver used Tarred Yarn Store at Chatham Dockyard as the children’s workhouse.

A year later, Deal Castle was also used for scenes in Little Dorrit.

Most recently, both the latest version of Great Expectations and The Mystery of Edwin Drood, which were shown on television over Christmas and the New Year, shot scenes around the county, including at Rochester Cathedral and St Thomas a Becket Church.

The feature-film adaptation of Great Expectations, starring Ralph Fiennes and Helena Bonham Carter, which is out later this year, was also shot in Kent on the marshes surrounding the Swale Estuary.

Now, the council is hoping to make the most of the current buzz surrounding Dickens by creating a movie trail for interested tourists coming to the area.

Ms Lindeman said the map should bring in even more money to the county: "We have one for The Other Boleyn Girl, Ian Fleming and the Darling Buds of May which have all been very successful. The Other Boleyn Girl brought in more than a million pounds just in one season."

see our special report.For more on Dickens' connections to Kent,