South Essex has been visited various times this year by celebrities and film and TV crews.

In March, EastEnders visited Southend and Shoebury to film scenes with Jean Slater, played by actress Gillian Wright, Stacey Slater, actress Lacey Turner and Martin Fowler, played by James Bye.

Large crews teams and set ups were on and around the beach and Jean Slater dressed in a wedding dress was seen twice walking in the sea.

She was quickly followed by Stacey who collected and brought her out. The stars and cast were in Southend all week.

Jean Slater’s trip to the south Essex coast while in the grip of her bipolar disorder won best showstopper, the prize awarded to a significant episode, at the Inside Soap Awards.

The programme is in its 11th serious with Paul Brunson and Anna Williamson currently the dating agents on the show, Tom Wilson the client coordinator, and Rob Beckett the narrator.

Dating agent Anna Williamson posted on her social media an image with a number of cameras at Adventure Island.

  • Then in December Netflix drama The Crown dropped into Southend for filming. A board was seen which read “The Crown, Derek Richard Strand and Ben Wilson, scene 51, take 1”.

Various United Nations Land Rovers, military vehicles, tents and a press conference, with actors portraying press photographers, were spotted for the filming.

Witnesses also snapped people with blankets on them holding placards with ‘Kosovo thanks you” on them, as well as a burnt-out car for a war scene.

They said the Civic Centre, in Victoria Avenue, was protected with a false front to show the war damage scenes.
It is thought Netflix may be recreating Tony Blair’s welcome on the streets of Kosovo in 1999.
Blair, who is being played by Bertie Carvel in the show, supported NATO’s decision to launch a 78-day air war against Serbian forces in 1999.