Before John Logie Baird made his famous public demonstration of television in London, he spent crucial years experimenting on the south coast. Hastings has long held a celebrated place in that story – but what was Baird doing in Kent?
A newly-rediscovered plaque on Guildhall Street in Folkestone records that the Scottish inventor of television conducted early experiments there in the early 1920s, before he moved on to Hastings. Beginning with that plaque, local filmmaker and writer Ben Barton has spent years following the evidence, archive material and local memories surrounding Baird’s curious connection with the town – and asking where Kent really belongs in the story of TV and the invention that changed the world.
Ben is an award-winning filmmaker and writer based in Folkestone, and Co-Director of Folkestone Film Festival. His films have screened internationally, including at Cannes. Is Folkestone the Birthplace of Television? had its world premiere at the Ramsgate International Film & TV Festival in 2026 and has since screened at film festivals around the UK and Europe, winning Best Documentary at the London Film Club.
Exclusively for Kent MOMI, this special 75-minute programme combines archive film and television material with Ben’s new short documentary Is Folkestone the Birthplace of Television?, followed by an illustrated talk exploring the research, discoveries and unanswered questions behind the film.
The event concludes with an open Q&A and a chance to consider one tantalising question – just how important was Kent’s role in the birth of television, and do the history books need to be rewritten?
📽️ Doors open 5.30pm , for drinks & nibbles.
📽️ Event starts 6.00pm.
📽️ Further info at benbarton.co.uk