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Film Locations in London

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(3 votes, average 5.00 out of 5)

There's no denying that London makes a handsome backdrop. Not just to photographs, but also to lend movies an atmosphere that's woven into the fabric of the story. Many's the time a movie gets remade, the location is changed and consequently it falls flat. It can be down to weak scripts, poor acting and a slew of other reasons, but the location is frequently critical to the appeal of the film, even if it wasn't considered significant at the time. Alfie, Get Carter, The Wicker Man, are a few which tanked, once their locations were changed.

The following are a hand-picked selection of films, which didn't necessarily set out to be London films, but over the years have become more so. They contain many London location shots, some parts of which have changed beyond recognition. Here's a summary of locations, with a few choice quotes along the way.

(If you haven't seen some of these films, skip through - there are spoilers).

Withnail and I

Set in Camden, but filmed in Notting Hill, "Withnail" is often regarded as Britain's most quotable film. Half the movie is set in the Lake District, but it's the scuzzy existence of the two leads that strikes a familiar chord with London audiences. I saw it on release, at the Lumiere, St. Martin's Lane and the audience were cackling and snorting throughout. It was a hit when it launched and it's probably even more so now.

The cafe where Marwood panics his way through the headlines, during breakfast at the beginning of the film, is on the corner of Ladbroke Grove and Lancaster Road.

Marwood: Even a stopped clock gives the right time twice a day.

Stop to Smell the Noses - 7 Noses of Soho

Author: Miss Thropist |

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(5 votes, average 5.00 out of 5)

Miss Thropist of Pop Culture Playpen

When I first read about the seven noses of Soho I was immediately intrigued. Not only did sniffing them out sound like a fun (and free!) way to spend an afternoon, the fact that no one's quite sure why they're there, means there's a mystery that needs solving.

Plus the promise of eternal wealth didn't sound half bad either. So I did what any sensible person would do when trying to crack an enigma and gain unspeakable riches: I put together a posse. We filled up on food first- searching can be hungry work- and then set off into the heart of Soho.

We started on Meard Street, the nose presence here being pretty well established, and almost immediately found the object. It's fairly large and flesh coloured, and therefore easy to spot, although it's also quite high on the wall so you might not notice it immediately if you weren't on the lookout. Its obvious existence silenced the mutinous rumblings of the more disbelieving members of my crew, and even had us incredulously pointing it out to random members of the public as they passed.

Advanced Twitter

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(3 votes, average 5.00 out of 5)

This is intended to cover intermediate to more advanced Twitter topics. For advice if you've just started using Twitter, see the other article - Twitter Explained, which covers the basics.

Firstly, who should I follow and why?

The Anatomy of a Twitter Follow

Either looking at the stream of a potential follow, or looking at the profile of a new follower.

Ask some of the following questions:

1. Are they saying the same thing over and over?
2. Do they pump out dozens of similar sounding tweets per day?
3. Is their twitter stream empty?
4. Did they last say something months ago?
5. Is their stream empty of retweets? (i.e. all content is about themselves or their organisation).

If the answer to any of the above is yes - I'll move on. There's no point in starting a dialogue with anyone if they only talk and don't listen. It doesn't matter to me if they're the Library of Congress, The Prime Minister or a Hollywood Star. Social Media is essentially about interaction, even if it's brief or occasional. There are plenty of platforms for people in elevated positions to talk, be broadcast and heard, without having to suffer the indignity of proles answering back. Twitter isn't one of them. Its value is in its interactivity.

StreetPianos - City of London Festival

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History of 'Play Me I'm Yours'

The idea possibly germinated from a piano being left outside by an owner in Sheffield, when they couldn't get it up the steps. A sign was left inviting people to play and the news spread, with the piano rapidly becoming part of the local community. The red-tape brigade descended, lines were drawn and the community dug in. The council changed their mind in the face of protesters' determination and the piano stayed, but eventually had to be removed several years later due to weather damage.

British artist Luke Jerram installed 15 pianos across Birmingham in 2007, each with the instruction "Play me I'm yours" stencilled across them. Nearly 150,000 people had played, listened to, or interacted with them by the end of their short run. In 2009, the idea was brought to London. Sing London and the City of London Festival were the original producers of the event which has since gone global with pianos appearing in, amongst other cities: New York, Sydney and São Paulo.

Each city has a portion of the StreetPianos website showing where the pianos are located and allowing the public to upload their films, photos and stories about how they were affected by the event. The pianos are donated to local schools and communities after the festival has ended.

Its purpose is to disrupt peoples' everyday navigation across the city. Lets them make an unscheduled stop, linger a while, take in music and enjoy some welcome spontaneity, in lives often too full with routine. It also enable musicians, or anyone, to stop and play music on the streets which is usually only permissible by licence.

Royal Weddings in History

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(3 votes, average 5.00 out of 5)

As London and the UK builds up to William and Kates' Royal Wedding on Friday 29 April 2011, the World's press have been descending on the capital. There are many noisy detractors to the Royal Wedding in the UK. Especially opposed to the tax-payer footing the security bill, during belt-tightening-times and never have so many previously had a platform to express it, quite like they do at present. Every news item on the Internet is accompanied by hundreds of comments - thumbs up and thumbs down and I admit to chortling through them every so often. Whatever your view, it's going ahead anyway and if I had to straw-poll opinion - I'd say it's strictly middle ground: most wish them well in married life and another long weekend is no hardship. Here are a few interesting royal weddings from English and British history, some ended tragically but they were big news in their day.

Charles and Diana - 1981.

When Charles married Diana 30 years ago, it was a different era and [sadly] I remember it well. The build-up was slower and more pro-wedding; my local butchers had Charles and Di mugs for sale in the window. In fact just having a butcher consigns it to the past (sawdust on the floor, trays of meat with mini green, plastic 'hedges' surrounding the cuts). If you weren't in London it was a day which featured a packed TV schedule. The weather was grey and dull, but by the time they left on honeymoon the sun had come out to play and all-day drinking had reached the loud chanting stage.

Although he'd known her for many years, Prince Charles only took serious interest in Diana the year before the wedding. An invite to Balmoral to meet the folks followed and after creating a positive first impression, marriage was on the cards. Charles proposed on 3 February 1981 at an intimate Buckingham Palace dinner for two. Diana accepted, and the engagement was announced. Diana selected a ring from the Queen's collection (originally a gift from the president of Sri Lanka.) A blue sapphire surrounded by 14 diamonds, the same ring which Kate Middleton accepted from Prince William.

The Royal Wedding was held at St. Paul's Cathedral rather than Westminster Abbey, because St Paul's offered more seating and allowed a longer procession through the streets of London. That's the official version, but I remember it differently. Charles specifically wanted to celebrate St. Paul's and had long held an interest in Wren and the building (supported by his comment about the surrounding Paternoster Square - "...You have to give this much to the Luftwaffe. When it knocked down our buildings, it didn't replace them with anything more offensive than rubble...") The service was traditional and conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury, and the Dean of St. Paul's. 750 million people watched the ceremony worldwide, making it the most popular programme ever broadcast, and the figure rose to a billion when the radio audience was added. Two million spectators lined the route of Diana's procession from Clarence House.

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