Chariots on Camber Sands

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Camber Sands is in the spotlight once again, but this time there’s no mention of huge traffic jams, illegal parking, crowded beaches, over-flowing litter bins or Pontins holiday camp hitting the national headlines for all the wrong reasons.

No, this time there is a really positive spin as captured on camera by local resident Amanda English whose photographs, taken while walking her dog, appeared in a feature story by Mail Online on 22 and 23 November and who has kindly given Rye News permission to publish them here.

Cast getting ready to film a scene from Chariots of Fire.
Camber Sands is invaded but not by tourists this time

I contacted Amanda who also sent me a few lines which Rye News is delighted to be able to reproduce on her behalf. The following is an extract.

“It’s not unusual for locals to see filming taking place on Camber Sands. The unspoilt sand dunes leading to miles of golden sands offers the ideal filming location for films, TV series and adverts. So it was no surprise to recently see another film crew, actors and extras at work whilst taking my dog on his daily beach walk. However, this time it felt like something of an enormous operation being given the amount of cars, lorries, machinery, marques and security in Camber central car park.

The director’s chair

“The filming was for The Crown, Season 5 on Netflix which is due to be aired in November 2022.

“In these pictures the series appears to be recreating Dodi Fayed’s part in the making of the 1981 Oscar-winning Chariots of Fire. The filming took place for a day and then they were off again to film at the next location in Pall Mall. Whether true or not, I was informed by a member working in security on site that each episode of this series of The Crown can cost up to £10 million to produce!”

Camber Sands is no stranger to the big screen, it has featured in the original film, Dunkirk (1958), The Loneliness of The Long Distance Runner (1962), Carry On Follow That Camel (1967), Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2001), The Theory of Everything (2014), The Monuments Men (2014), Criminal (2016), After Life (2019) and now another potential blockbuster.

TV crew taking five while filming on Camber Sands

With all the negative press the area as a whole has endured over recent years it’s nice to report a positive story and it’s no wonder Camber Sands has been chosen so many times as a film location, it’s surely one of the most beautiful beaches in the UK and being only around an hour and a half drive from London, it’s hardly surprising it attracts so much interest.

Image Credits: Amanda English .

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