00:15Hello and welcome to Made in Kent live on KMTV. I'm Alia Pritchard and this is the show where we
00:21explore the world of businesses and creators throughout the county. This week we're examining
00:26businesses centred around literature and drama in Kent. From the big screen to books you read,
00:30storytelling is an art form beloved across the county and many supported by many local businesses.
00:36First up this week, our reporters Lottie Mason and Leo Devanna visited Harbour Books in Whitstable
00:42to explore how modern bookshops continue to thrive in the digital age. Let's take a look.
00:47At the end of 2024, there were 1,052 independent bookshops in the UK and Ireland.
00:54But that was two years ago and on a national level, we wanted a more up-to-date and local
01:00insight.
01:00Oh hi, we didn't see that. We're here at Harbour Books in Whitstable to find out what it's like
01:07running an independent bookshop on the high street. Owning an independent business is very challenging
01:13on the British high street right now. I think it's been a very unusual time to kind of be doing
01:21that,
01:21be in business at all. First COVID and then I think the kind of, you know, crunch really for
01:27people, the financial crunch, cost of living crisis has made it really tricky. We've got a very loyal,
01:33book-loving customer base here in Whitstable and Canterbury and beyond, you know, people come back
01:41to us time and time again. I think that people are desperate for just real experiences that they are
01:50having that are tangible. So coming into a bookshop, smelling the books, holding them, taking them home,
01:59putting your phone away, putting some music on, creating that moment for yourself, I feel like,
02:05for a lot of people is more essential and more needed than it's ever been. As you can see,
02:11the employees here are also extremely hardworking. And really help customers find the book for them.
02:17The kind of fantasy and romanticcy and romance genres have seen kind of, I'd say, just in the five
02:25years that I've been here, went from not doing a huge amount five years ago to being pretty big
02:34now. But I think that's one of the genres that is a lot more people buying e-books and stuff
02:42like that.
02:43What are you reading, Lottie?
02:44Cat Lover by Dan Spencer. What are you reading, Leo?
02:48How to understand yourself.
02:49While themes and genres such as fantasy, horror, romance or science fiction may each have their
02:56own fans and readership, the romanticcy genre has taken over bookshelves across the county.
03:02You know, we've got a whole town worth of people to kind of cover. We try to have something really
03:11interesting in every genre. So there's people buying from every section.
03:16Leo Daverna. And Lottie Mason for KMTV in Whitstable.
03:20Next, we'll shed light on the world of independent cinemas at a time when nearly a third are facing
03:25pressure to close according to the Independent Cinema Office.
03:28Jay Blakeslee went behind the scenes of the Palace Cinema in Broadstairs to find out more.
03:34Here in Broadstairs, right by the sea, you can find the Palace Cinema, an independent venue
03:39established in 1965 that boasts 111 seats.
03:42It has been owned by Simon Ward and his wife for 10 years and in that time has been given
03:47a spot in the 50 best cinemas in the UK.
03:49We spoke to Simon about what it takes to garner an audience in spite of the advent of multiplex
03:54cinemas.
03:55In my experience, I used to program about 30 different cinemas around the UK at one point
03:59through the Independent Cinema Office.
04:01And so I kind of knew it takes a long time to establish an audience. And when I say a
04:07long
04:07time, it can probably take three to five years for people to realise that you don't just show
04:12what the next very other cinema is showing.
04:14Our first independent subtitle film was a film called Deepan, which had won the Palme d'Or
04:20that year, about 10 years ago. I think we got 15 people in for it across two shows and we
04:25were
04:26so excited. We were like, 15 people, that's amazing. I mean, you know, at this point you're
04:29hemorrhaging money and you're losing your shirt. So you still are showing the Disney films and
04:35that pays for you to slowly build this audience. Otherwise, we would have been out of business
04:40in a year.
04:41In today's climate, brought about by the rise of streaming, it's gotten even harder to
04:45run a business like this.
04:46Since the pandemic, the UK film sector is down about 20% in terms of admissions and income.
04:54Film distributors at a high end, so the studios keep buying each other. So Disney,
04:59bought Fox a little while back. And what that meant was there were less films.
05:05When Netflix, as you know, release films in cinemas, usually for two weeks, three weeks,
05:10in order to qualify for the awards, I never show them because nobody comes.
05:15Because they know in three weeks, I can save myself a tenner, because in three weeks it'll
05:20be on TV.
05:21So we tend to show stuff that no one else shows. And we get people travelling quite far and wide
05:27to see some of the more interesting stuff that you wouldn't see anywhere else.
05:31Some of the nicest things I've had said to me is, I had a gay couple came up to me
05:35and
05:35said, we love coming to your cinema because we can hold hands in it. And we feel safe.
05:42And that was, you know, not something I'd really thought about. I just showed the films because
05:46I thought they were good films. And, but I was so touched. And it just, that sort of stuff just
05:52makes you think, oh yeah, this is kind of why we do what we do.
05:56Jay Blakesley for KMTV.
05:59Earlier, I spoke with Christy Hinchliffe from the Playhouse Theatre in Whitstable about the
06:04importance of local theatre to our Kent communities. Can you tell us a bit about what your, what
06:11you do at the Playhouse Theatre and what your role is?
06:14Yeah, my name's Christy Hinchliffe. I'm the drama coordinator at the Playhouse Theatre for
06:22the Lindley Players, who are the resident group at the Playhouse.
06:26And for those of us who are unfamiliar, can you tell us about what the Lindley Players
06:29are and just about the Playhouse Theatre in general?
06:33Yeah, sure. So to start off with the Lindley Players, they're an amateur theatre group that
06:40was started in 1946. So this is their 80th year. They operate in the heart of Whitstable.
06:49The Playhouse Theatre is on Whitstable High Street.
06:52And why do you think it's so important to have independent theatres like yours in Kent?
06:59Ooh, I think, I think there's always a risk with professional theatre of people being priced
07:08out. You know, it's very expensive to go to see London theatre, so you're saving up for something
07:16that's a guaranteed win. You can't see the riskier productions without having those independent
07:24local theatres that are putting on affordable, high quality theatre.
07:30And what do you personally like and love about theatre yourself?
07:37It's huge for me in many ways. I wouldn't be here without theatre. My parents met in a play,
07:48and then my mum's parents had met due to a play. And I think it went back a generation beyond
07:54that.
07:54It's been a huge part of my life and my family's life all the way through. Not just as a
08:01sort of
08:01meeting place, as a social group. That's the thing with amateur theatre, is once you're a member,
08:07you've got all these people that you're, in my case, sort of growing up around and
08:13meeting all kinds of different people. Not all your age, not all your exact demographics.
08:20And what does theatre offer audiences compared to digital entertainment?
08:27There's a lot to be said for live performance. Being there in the moment when it's actually happening
08:34is, it definitely offers something else. The liveness of theatre is a huge thing, just the idea of it.
08:45It's something which you're all experiencing at once. If you've not seen theatre before,
08:51it's an experience that you won't have had before. If you want to join a theatre in order to act,
08:59put on a show as part of the backstage crew. If you want to do front of house work, it's
09:04a fantastic
09:05social scene. It's always worthwhile getting involved in theatre and particularly local
09:09theatres always need more people involved in order to keep it going. So support local theatre is a huge
09:16point worth making. Thank you so much, Christy. That was great.
09:21No problem at all. Thank you for having me.
09:24Now, let's take a moment to delve into how businesses surrounding drama and literature affect
09:28Kent's entertainment industry. Joining me this week to bring us the deep dive is Foray Adeoye.
09:39So, Foray, we know that theatre is an important part of Canterbury's entertainment sector. What can
09:44you tell us about its history? Well, the theatre industry has had a place in Kent for generations.
09:49The history of the theatre in Canterbury dates back to the Roman times, evidenced in St Margaret
09:54Street, where the remains of Roman amphitheatre still exist in the cellars. A small theatre also
10:00opened up in St Margaret Street before World War One. However, in 1949, the City Council bought the
10:07building, becoming Canterbury's first Marlow Theatre. And theatre is a longstanding cultural
10:11establishment in Kent. How is it holding up in the modern day? Well, across the county, the theatre industry
10:17has been under threat facing closure due to financial crisis and under-usage, especially
10:22around COVID. However, things are beginning to look up. January of this year, the Thanet District
10:27Council, TDC, approved an additional £1 million in funding for UK's second oldest theatre,
10:34the Theatre Royal in Margit, after securing £5 million from Margit Town Deal to preserve the establishment.
10:41And why have we seen a decline in attendance at in-person entertainment businesses?
10:45Well, in-person entertainment businesses like cinemas and bookstores are struggling to maintain their
10:49relevance as shifting consumer habits and the rise of digital alternatives permanently reshape the
10:55cultural landscape. The COVID-19 pandemic served as a catalyst for this trend, pushing audiences
11:00towards convenience and affordability of streaming services and e-books, which offer vast libraries
11:07for a fraction of the cost of physical outings. And how are cinemas and bookstores reinventing themselves
11:12to attract new audiences and remain viable in the digital age?
11:15Well, cinemas and bookstores are transforming into social experience hubs by prioritising luxury
11:20community and exclusive events that digital platforms cannot replicate. These venues are adapting premium
11:27models such as dive-in services and subscription-based memberships. Thank you so much.
11:33Well, that's all we have time for today. Goodbye, and we'll see you next week.
Comments