Tag: documentary

Watch The London Perambulator – Walking In London Documentary

The London Perambulator is a wonderful short documentary about walking in London’s fringes. Although it was made in 2009, I’ve only just come across it. Directed and shot by John Rogers it focuses on Nick Papadimitriou and his walks on the edges of London.

It includes interviews with Will Self, Iain Sinclair and bizarrely Russell Brand. A lot of the discussion focuses on the psychogeography and deep topography of London; two terms I’ve never heard of before, but something I can certainly relate to on my tube walks.

I won’t spoil any more of it here, you’ll just have to watch it.

For more visit The London Perambulator website.

100 Years Underground (1963) – London Underground Documentary

This is a great 40 minute film about the Tube at 100. Made in 1963 it provides a brief history of the Underground network up to that point. It’s interesting to see that while many things have changed in the last 50 years, many haven’t. For example, the Tube in 1963 looks about as crowded as it is today. Moreover, they were still trying to explain to people to stand right and not crowd the doors. If people haven’t learned these lessons in the past 50, I don’t think there’s a lot of hope in the next.

Some highlights include footage of the yet to be opened Victoria line (next up in my Tube Challenge) being built and the building of what become known as Millbank Tower (originally named Vickers Tower), the Shard of it’s day. There is even mention of driverless trains, something that’s still being talked about 50 years on.

If you have 40 minutes I highly recommend giving it a watch, a great slice of history.

London: A Guide for the Naive

London: A Guide for the Naive from SamGould on Vimeo.

I came across this spoof documentary or mockumentary about London from the Londonist blog. Essentially, it tells you everything you ever wanted to know about London’s history, if you don’t care about things like facts or accuracy. As a spoof it works fairly well and is certainly worth a watch.

Some highlights include the secret order of the black cab which controls London, the fact that the Thames was a gift from Egypt and that the rich don’t bother with regular Oyster cards, but instead have their own special payment system. There are plenty of other amusing bits as well, that will get you sounding like a true Londoner in no time.

While not the fumiest thing I’ve ever seen, it will make you chuckle, especially if you know a thing or two about London’s history and landmarks.