Probably the best fictional underground setting was in the Dr Who, The Web of Fear. The set, and it was a set, of the London Underground was so realistic that London Transport accused the BBC of recording the scenes with out their permission.
@@googleuser3163 I like most of them, I just didn't think the Web of Fear ones were very well done, like at all, and given we have 5 of the 6 episodes existing, I question the point of making 6 just about passable animations when they could have put all their focus into episode 3 and made a very good one
And anyone at LU with a working pair of ears would have heard them all walking on clunky wooden sets instead of steel rails, stone ballast and heavy wood sleepers! To this day I don't see how they could have thought it was real. Plus the fact the same piece of tunnel section and platform was used over and over just from different angles lol. My favourite Troughton story too btw
I was going to say, that bit about the fictional London sounds like a quip. But it's actual facts, truly is a fiction on the level of Hogwarts and Wizardry.
Maida Vale is my “home station” and I saw them filming the Westbourne Oak scenes from Paddington 2. I was very impressed by the attention to detail and the addition of a cute little market outside on the street. I was rather traumatised to watch them rehearse with Paddington being played by a tennis ball on a stick. I am sure they just couldn’t afford to keep the bear actor out of his cage for very long.
No! It wasn't Charles I that hid in an oak tree, but his son the future King Charles II of England who hid in the tree to escape the Roundheads following the Battle of Worcester in 1651.
Boscobel House in Shropshire is near the site of the oak tree that is said to be the one the future Charles II hid in. While that tree no longer exists there is a tree that is said to be from a cutting taken from the tree in question
Yes,I thought it was Charles II,who became King in 1660,restoring the Monarchy and ending the 11 years of the Cromwell father-and-son dynasty's Parliamentarian rule.
In one of the Michael Bond stories, Paddington and the Browns dine out at an expensive restaurant called the Porchester. Paddington orders a marmelade sandwich.
TFL has its own fictional station at Ashfield House (named after Lord Ashfield, who was another American heading London Transport until it was nationalised post-war). It is a mock up Tube station for training purposes and called 'West Ashfield'.
@@whyyoulidl I wondered if he had, but couldn't find it - any suggestions? West Ashfield is mentioned in passing in the comments to West Kensington station, but not I believe in the video itself.
Definitely agree about the animations! I don't like animals made to behave like humans so haven't seen the Paddington film, so this is the first time I've heard about the station!
@@whyyoulidl I'm from the same era as Jago and loved both the Michael Bond books and BBC animations, so was very wary of the films, but I thought they were brilliant. An amazing job was done to keep ' my' Paddington real, modernism him for today's audience and throw in a few in jokes for the grown ups. BTW there is a real Windsor Gardens in the Royal Oak/ Westbourne Park area
A film tidbit about Maida Vale - in the film About Time, despite the characters living in Ladbroke Grove, they use the tube from Maida Vale station. I spoke to the production designer in the film and the reasons for doing this are twofold. As you pointed out, it is gorgeous, and when filming that is definitely a priotiry. But also from a purely logistical point of view, Ladbroke Grove and other stations are in front of a busy street, making it really difficult to shut traffic down for the day or two it would take to film any scenes, but as Maida Vale is comparatively quieter, the surrounding roads can be shut down without causing much disruption :)
The facade of the Brown's house at 32 Windsor Gardens was actually 32 Chalcot Crescent where my grandmother lived in two rooms for many years until 1970
I think you'll find that it was the King's son Charles Stuart (future Charles II after the Restoration) who's supposed to have hidden from the Roundheads up an oak tree!
Charles had already been crowned king Charles II in Scotland before leading his army south to the last battle of the Civil War at Worcester in 1652. It was after his defeat there that he fled trying to make his way from safe house to safe house until he could get to the continent. The legend says on one occasion he had to hide up a tree when parliamentary supporters got too close.
So pleased to see my unmistakable old home, "Tiber No.1" at 4.00. (She's the black and white one, centre frame). Whoever owns her now, please look after her, we spent 10 delirously happy years together single handedly cruising the network between Tring (winter quarters!), exploring Birmingham, Ellesmere Port (summer 'sabbatical'), Macclesfield (visit to brother), Llangollen (working a restaurant boat for Ric and Jenny) and even craned out and shifted to Welshpool, (operating the only hire and trip boat business on the Montgomery canal) and many other points between together. Happy days! Worst move I ever made was allowing my ex to persuade me to sell her to finance another business.
@@highpath4776 The original TV Version looked like old Tenement Buildings around it, so it could have been either East End or over towards Shepherds Bush as the both shared similar Housing Styles although the background characters seem to be more East End.
As an American I too grew up with Paddington Bear... somehow. None of my friends had a clue what he was or anything but I sure loved him. My mother introduced me to the stories as a very small child. I've yet to see the more recent films and I'm afraid I may not care for them because I'm old and cynical now. I should check them out though. I need more happiness in my life. I miss demanding we get Marmalade all the time at the store as a toddler because the bear ate it so I had to too, damnit!
I got told off by my dear wife when going to see Paddington in the cinema. When the Brown family was leading the bear out through the station entrance arch, I said in too loud a voice, "That's Marylebone".
0:37 My enjoyment of the latest Dumbledore movie was perturbed a bit by the CGI rendering of trams in movie “Berlin”. The rails were all wrong, there were points/switches in the middle of a block, trailers with pantographs, those kinds of things. I suppose that makes me too a nerd. 😁
Sounds horrifying! But in line with the quality of those newer movies... As for Who Framed Roger Rabbit; at least that film overall had low-fantasy at its heart already.
I am still irritated by one of Craig's Bonds showing a deep-level style train on what is supposed to be a District/Circle line stations. And I'm neither from London, nor luving there anymore (and didn't live there long in the first place)
To be fair, when the stories were written, a middle class family probably would have been able to afford a house in that part of town. Notting Hill used to be run down. The film Performance (with Mick Jagger and James Fox, and decidedly NSFW) includes some interesting shots of street life around there in the 1960s.
In the 60's both my late uncles moved with their families from Maidstone in Kent to Buckinghamshire to take up new jobs. There is absolutely no way you would be able to afford to do this today as house prices have sky rocketed in places like Aylesbury and High Wycombe.
In 1977, when I was 8, my family visited England for the firat time, and Mom bought a stuffed Paddington Bear for herself, and a Paddington hand-puppet for my little brother. Two years later, we returned, and I got an Aunt Lucy. I still have all 3. During that 1979 trip, my brother and I rode the little carousel that was in Fortnum & Mason's toy department at the time. Does anyone remember that carousel? The only proof I have that it ever existed are 2 grainy photos of me and my brother riding it.
In 1960 a film noir was made about a fictitious heist involving digging a tunnel from a tube tunnel to the basement of an embassy where the safe was to be blown to steal £100,000. The film was called 'Piccadilly Third Stop' and the fictitious tube station was 'Belgravia'. Perhaps this is of interest to you? We'd be interested if you were to do a series about fictitious tube stations. By the way, we love watching your videos which as railway nerds, we find very entertaining.
The only "fictional" tube station I know about is 'Embankment' from Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150AD. I say fictional in quotation marks as at the time the film was made (1966) Embankment station hadn't existed since 1915 and wouldn't exist again until 1979! Location-wise there isn't anything of note as it was just a dummy building as part of Shepperton's street set and we don't actually get to see any interior besides the implied entrance hall
That reminds me of a tatty old appliance shop somewhere in east London some time ago; called themselves 'Sell Fridges'. Yep, you guessed it - The big boy's weren't having any of it and sent in the lawyers. The dispute went in the local papers. Then the London ITV news. Next thing the worldwide press and TV were on board. Needless to say, the old boy done handsomely well out of all the publicity.
@@whyyoulidl Harrods tried to take the proprietor of a fish and chip shop to court for calling it "Harrod's fish and chips" until they found out his name was Harrod!
I hope that 'Hobb's End', from the 1967 movie 'Quatermass And The Pit' is on your list. I remember seeing somewhere, and being very amused, that an LU training model for tube drivers, has, as one of it's stations, 'Hobb's End'.
Finally another contender for the “underground stations named after pubs” well-worn trivia - Maida Vale. Named after a suburb named after a pub. Thanks for updating the trivia with a mysterious extra Brucie Bonus
Flipping it round the other way, the fictional use of a real tube station (Russell Square) in the wonderfully grubby Death Line/Raw Meat from 1972, featuring a compellingly off beat performance from Donald Pleasence as a shabby London copper. "Mind the doors".
Likewise, a real-to-fictional 'Metro' station and train at Crémazie, Montréal, Canada featured in the 1977 horror film 'Rabid' as this clip shows: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-nYHLiN2EDHg.html ps, "MIND THE GORE"...
The history of Walford East would be fun. I mean, I can't stand Eastenders, but it looks like they did a decent job of creating a fake station, Leslie Green tiles and all.
On the line maps in the station it is in the location of Bromley by Bow, although Walford was created as a portmanteau of Walthamstow and Statford neither of which are, strictly speaking, East End being on the Essex side of the River Lee.
Douglas Adam's description of the near abandoned St Pancras Station in 'The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul' is one of the most authentic recreations of a real place in a fantasy novel I know. The place really did feel like it could house Valhalla in an abandoned bit.
I still remember his description of the 1980s King's Cross area as a place where in the small hours of the morning you could pay for drugs, sex, or (the gods help you!) food from a street vendor.
interesting idea for a series. The TV series 'London's Burning' had a fictional Blackwall tube station on the fictional Thames Line in an episode of its 4th series in 1991. I think they used Aldwych tube station, could be wrong.
I love all of your videos. You are absolutely right, it's your station, DO AS YOU WISH 🤞. Royal Oak, hmmmm. Here in Connecticut Colony, it was forbidden to cut down any tall straight oak tree. They were considered the King's property, for the Royal Navy. It would be very interesting to see the person behind this wonderful channel.
My favourite bit of the film ,was where the sign said please stand on the right... so he stood on his right paw. All the children that were watching were in fits of laughter. Another great video sir, thank you xx
The family is finally going to London after having to cancel for the last three years. We rented a flat between Maida Vale and St. John Wood. This past weekend we were watching Paddington. I was explaining to my son that we will visit these stations many times during our trip and get to see the bear statue in Paddington station. I figured this would build excitement for the trip. He didn’t care.
Was going to mention "Thor: The Dark World" as well! It would have been a much funnier gag if the person had to explain in full how to get to Greenwich from Charing Cross. (Probably would have got that scene if Taika Waititi had directed the movie!)
Fun video. Thanks for making it. If I could suggest one little thing for future ones on fictional stations, I think it'd be neat to see a few more side by side comparisons between the fictional station and the real one (or ones) used in the movie or show. Not a huge focus on it, obviously, but it would be fun to have a 'This is the ticket counter as it appears in the film and here's how it appears in real life at (whatever station they used). This is the platform as it appears in the film and...' That sort of thing. That was the only thing I felt like I wanted a bit more of in this video. Like the other two locations you mentioned I'd have loved to have seen even a brief side by side image of both. Other than that, a lot of fun and very interesting as always. I really enjoy your videos. As for fictional stations to cover. I don't really know of any big ones in London off the top of my head, not important ones anyway, just several throwaway stations filmed in Aldwych station. I think Hugo was filmed in London? But I don't know if it used any stations used for filming there. Anyway, thanks again.
It might be fun to find all the fictional tube stations and where they are supposed to be. With alternative history, many stations may have had different names. We could have lost at Waterloo and/ or Trafalgar and commemorated something else. We might have been better at preserving Roman remains and you might imagine a station called "Amphitheatre" or "Roman Baths" somewhere. We might have built some of those proposed lines and had a different set of London tube stations....which may have affected developments. Lyra's London (from His Dark Materials) might have had a station called "Magisterium". Maybe I should write the book ;-). Good fun Jago and maybe you've inspired writers to look closely at their fictional stations.
Walford East in Eastenders is interesting, till the recent rebuild of the sets it was a redress of the replica of Cannon St. used in Tobe Hoopers ‘Lifeforce’ although it was a Leslie Green Cannon St that was much closer to St. Paul’s in that film. It also played Grange Hill station in a 1986 episode of obviously’ Grange Hill’.
Lifeforce was shot at Elstree Studios. Do you know if they shot Walford East at Elstree, or moved the set across the road to BBC Elstree where Eastenders shoots?
I'd left a like, and was just about to see what else was new, when you said the magic words: Hobb's End (or Hob's End, take your pick). Hands down the best fictional tube station*. *Not for everyone involved, obviously, but stil...
Films and television series are littered fake places and geographical areas, but here's one you probably didn't think of. Not exactly fake, but a real disused tube station Cheapside or was it (?) was used as the hidden base in the original Tomorrow People in the Seventies ITV series of that name, the idea being used again, as a disused New York metro station in the modern American remake. I'd love to know where you think Hobb's End from Quatermass is. ❤️ Down Street the station Churchill used as a war room, was used as a location in Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere, and I was actually accidentally privileged to see them filming, because I'm one of those people who actually looks out of train windows, even on the Underground. There was silver foil on the chicken wire cage around the platform and I saw a flash of a purple cloak, worn by one of the actors. Another time I was on a train and passengers opposite me took a flash photograph of themselves, which showed up an old poster for Madame Tussauds Wax Museum Chamber of Horrors. Their photo later appeared in a magazine and I have the cutting somewhere. London Transport ( this was in the nineties, when people still had flash cameras, not phones ) said it was a poster on a disused station. There is a black and white thriller from the thirties that uses a real station, that is now disused in its plot. I think might also be in the title of the film, but if not I'm sure. I'm certain that the station was originally in Central London, so it may be a well known disused one, but watching the film now, on television, some people might think it was fictional.
I think the odd “Temple” arrangement from the James Bond film Skyfall deserves a mention, maybe not it’s own video, but it’s definitely not worthy. They obviously used Charing Cross Jubilee for it, although odd how they decided to still claim it as the Circle and District line despite anyone with any knowledge of London knowing it blatantly isn’t.
I just found the clip and posted it as a reply to my comment elsewhere on here. I couldn't identify the real station, but I could tell they were using a deep level train and not a District line train, despite the signage. I would never have been able to identify it as Charing Cross.
Is that the one which looked like a Hornby model (if Hornby modelled tube stock) falling through the "ceiling"? It looked far too rigid - IIRC the car body remained intact during the drop into the next level rather than flexing or crumpling at the corners like a real one? (It's a while since I've seen that movie but I do recall the scene being particularly unconvincing...) 🙂
Jago, what I absolutely love about your videos is I've been to many of these stations many times of my life. However, I was in such a hurry, I never could take the time to appreciate the surroundings. Now I live in Texas and and want to go back and just take weeks to follow the history. Bravo Jago!
This was yet another very interesting Vlog Jago I look forward to watching more of your fictional tube stories as I certainly did enjoy this fictional tale from the tube until your next Vlog keep up the good work my friend take care and stay safe
I loved it! Thank you for a video I didn't know needed making and yet as I was watching it I was wondering why no one had done it before. Please may we have a (mini) series on fictional tube stations! 🙏
In the Torchwood series, it was implied that the Torchwood hubs had underground railways connecting them (in Victorian times). The series showed the remains of the Cardiff station, complete with tiled walls, but the London station had apparently been lost! Perhaps Jago might discover its location
@@xr6lad The Torchwood hub there did have the perception filter to hide people coming and going, so perhaps that is how they kept it secret. There were lots of strange things in Torchwood, but I enjoyed the series partly because it was in my former home city- not everything happens in London.
With the caveat that the majority of my Tube knowledge comes from watching your channel, that is a delightfully plausible little piece of alt history! Well done indeed, sir!
I've watched enough of your videos now that part of my brain wanted to take the extrapolation one step further and come up with names Westbourne Oak _used_ to have. For example, perhaps there was an intermediate phase in the 1930s where it was Royal Oak (for Westbourne). :)
Having poured over some pretty geeky gaming marketing this week, I’m all for this nerdiness! A great job as always and Jago is clearly a really nice guy 👌🏻
I seriously mostly remember from Paddington that fact about middle class living in whole second zone townhouse. I guess that was the most mythical part for someone who lived at the time in Wembley/Harrow
I've never understood how Paddington got off a train at Charring Cross straight on to the escalators at St John's Wood. 😁 Perhaps he didn't want to meet James Bond sliding towards him.
There's also a McGyver film where Mac walks through the entrance of South Kensington and winds up on the platform at Aldwych, with the names of both stations clearly displayed.
My favourite tube-related cinematic gaffe is in 'Sliding Doors' (1998) -- rather a neat tale where the narrative proceeds on two parallel lines, determined by the two possible outcomes of a single incident. In the scene of that incident, one of the characters disembarks from a tube train that is in the very distinctive stock of the Waterloo & City line but exits from Embankment station.
Cheers Jago - another great video of Tube trivia, which still requires a great level of research. Thanks for putting this together and sharing this.👏🏾 I'm sure other listeners will be thinking about other fictional tube stations now. The ones that comes to mind for me are the those that have appeared in Daniel Craig's James Bond films, notably 'Temple', which was clearly filmed at the disused part of Charing Cross, and then what may be TfL's West Ashfield, which if I'm correct, was used for one of the Brosnan Bond films when John Cleese briefly played the role of 'Q'. Looking very much forward to the forthcoming videos. 👍🏾
It was the future Charles II who hid in an oak tree, in Boscobel Wood. He was restored to the throne on 29th May 1660, on his birthday. That day - 29th May - was declared a recurring public holiday, which became known as Oak Apple Day (it was abolished in 1859, but some celebrations do still occur). One of the regular tunes to which 'All Things Bright and Beautiful' is set is called 'Royal Oak'. It's based on a 17th-century 16-bar dance tune called '29th May'.
Sounds reasonable. Yes please do Hobb's End!!! Great story with fantastic actors, James Donald, Andrew Keir, Barbara Shelley and Julian Glover who also was in the Indiana Jones stories! My favourite was Sheila Steafel, she was so lovely in that!
thanks Jago - settling down to some toast & marmalade to watch this. perhaps sometime you'd like to solve the mystery of why there is such a long pedestrian tunnel between South Ken & the Victoria-and-Albert and all the other grand museums along Exhibition Road
As a child I remembered The Science Museum had it's Tube Station, with it exiting in the museum. Until I went back as an adult and seeing the long tunnel realised what I'd done.
There was a 1970s sketch which had a fictional tube map depicting the Metropolitan line East London branch extending down to Beckenham from New Cross via Lewisham, Ladywell, End of the World, Catford and Sydenham
"Paddington!", cried Judy, "You're going the wrong way!" But it was too late, by the time he'd realised his mistake, Paddington was at the top of the stairs again. "I'm sorry" said Paddington, "I'm not used to escalators, we don't have any in darkest Peru"
Hickory Road was what I was thinking about as well. Well, one step further way: Mutant 59 takes place in part in what the characters find out is a Tube station that''s no longer in service. So a station that is not only not in existence, but it's no longer in existence in the M59 world either. (I'm doing this from memory; does anyone have the book handy to find whether the name is mentioned?)
The original pub which gave its name to Maida Vale was called 'The Heroes of Maida' and was named for the British soldiers who won the Battle of Maida on 4 July 1806. It was an extremely short battle (about 15 minutes) in which Britain and Sicily easily defeated a slightly larger French and Polish force in southern Italy. The pub was on Edgware Road, probably at the Clifton Road junction. The reason lots of places round here are called Westbourne is that they are named after the now culverted River Westbourne. So it's also possible someone planted an oak by the river bank and that might have given its name to the area. Also I must defend the honour of the Brunel Estate south of Westbourne Park Station which is a really nice community and has a listed garden with a listed children's slide, and I really hope they vote to re-elect me as their councillor on 5 May.
Based on the time, guessing it was the mock up as South Ken for The Courier, starring Benedict Cumberbatch. Bonus Piccadilly line connection with RH Uren.
Not Charles the First, it was his son that hid in the tree while escaping after his defeat at the battle of Worchester in 1651. He would later become King Charles the Second after the Restoration in 1660. I thought everyone knew that it part of the "Life in the UK" test for all new citizens.
The Pub (The King Charles House 29 New Street - I guess it had a different name in 1651 cos it's not really much of a hiding place name is it?) he stayed in the night before is still there, I believe the rooms are slightly more comfortable than a tree. I was having a pint in the bar when a bunch of Roundheads turned up outside with a huge cannon, the Landlord told them he left early in the morning so they left firing the cannon off down the New Street as they went. I left soon after and had to step over dozens of dead Roundheads, according to one of the corpses this is a regular event for the Civil War Re-enactment Society, thank goodness for that I thought, I hadn't Time warped to the mid 17th Century again.
