Beach Blanket Babylon
The 'Beach Blanket Babylon' restaurant featured in 'The Rameses Connection' as the café at which Megabyte and Adam decipher the Rameses Cartouche. Meanwhile, on steps below, Ami watches
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An eclectic mixture of extravagant architecture and lush decoration,
the restaurant was established in 1990. Behind the relatively discrete
exterior are rooms decorated with mosaiced walls, open fireplaces and
elaborately decorated arabian-style spaces. Despite being on a
relatively quiet street, Beach Blanket Babylon is a high profile
location, and a table can be reserved
online for either the evening dinner or lunch sessions. The menu
is on the expensive side, but the food is of high quality. Despite its
popularity, it can still be a quiet retreat during the afternoons.
(Right) The Beach Blanket Babylon bar and restaurant, Notting Hill, seen in August 2006 |
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It is located in Ledbury Road, Notting Hill, and the closest underground station is Notting Hill Gate.
Camden Roundhouse
The sewers of Cairo, scene of Tate and Scully's pursuit of the fence Roach and the latter's eventual demise, were filmed in the Undercroft - a network of tunnels and brick chambers underlying the historic Camden Round House.
 (Above) The Roundhouse in April 2006 |
The Round House, in Chalk Farm Road, Camden, was constructed in 1847 from a design by Robert B Dockray as a repair shed for steam engines, and was notable for having a central turntable, allowing engines to be turned around or redirected along other lines. Around the 1860s, engines became too large to use the Round House and from 1869 the building used as a gin warehouse and then, from the 1960s, as a performance venue of some note (with appearances from Jimi Hendrix and The Rolling Stones amongst others). It has been largely unused since 1983, despite several renovation schemes, but is scheduled to reopen in 2006 as an arts venue.
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Duke's Avenue, Muswell Hill
Dukes Avenue in Muswell Hill, North London, appears on screen in `Slaves of Jedikiah' as Ginge and Lefty ride their motorcycles down a surburban street. Alexandra Palace is briefly visible in the background of the shot.The red-brick Victorian and Edwardian houses lining the street originated as part of a property development in the grounds of `The Elms' by James Edmonson. The avenue is tree-lined and contains both a school and an entrance to Alexandra Park. Original plans named the street as Station Avenue but it was renamed to be consistent with surrounding avenues.
Unfortunately, Dukes Avenue has been named as one of the nation's worst 'rat-runs' making it a traffic blackspot.
Heathrow Airport
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Heathrow Airport (and most likely Terminal 4) appeared in the Tomorrow People as the point of departure for Megabyte and Kevin's mission to rescue Lisa in the 'Origin Story', for the journey of Cobb and his lackeys between London and the USA, and also for the departure on holiday of Ami and her mother at the start of 'Living Stones'.
In fact, although Heathrow airport was used for filming in Monsoon Man and the Living Stones, scenes for the Origin Story were filmed in two different places. Footage for the original pilot episode was filmed in Florida, and some elements of it were reused for the broadcast episodes. Additional footage was filmed in and around London Victoria railway station. Victoria is one of the main rail termini serving London Gatwick airport - and several airlines, including Delta, maintain express check-in facilities at the station for customers using the Gatwick Express rail connection. (Right) The departure board at Heathrow Airport terminal 3 (January 2006)
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Heathrow Airport was opened officially on 31 April 1946, although the air field had been use both in a civilian and military capacity (for instance as home of the Royal Flying Corps in the First World War) since the dawn of flight. The airport has expanded dramatically over the years since its opening, with construction on the first three terminals starting in 1951 and continuing through the 1950s and 60s. The airport now serves 63 million passengers on more than 90 airlines.
(Left) The departure lounge at Heathrow Airport terminal 3 (January 2006)
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Terminal 4 is the newest of the four terminals at London's Heathrow Airport (although a fifth is currently under construction). It was opened by the Prince and Princess of Wales on 1st May 1986. The terminal reached from central London by the Piccadilly line of London Underground (with a bus replacement service until September 2006) although security at the airport is understandably tight and hence access is largely restricted to those in transit.
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The London Ark
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The Ark, an innovative office building beside the elevated A4 flyover in
Hammermith was used for both interior and exterior filming in `The
Culex Experiment'. Its airy and modernist spaces were used to
represent the base of the WorldEx organisation which employed
ex-General Bill Damon.
(right) The entrance to the Ark as seen on screen in the Culex Experiment |
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The
Ark was designed by architect Ralph
Erskine and was constructed between September 1989 and April
1992, at a cost of 33.5 million pounds. Its curved outer surface is
plated in copper-brown glass, while the interior remains brightly
lit and open plan. The 76 metre tall building has an atrium which
stretches from ground level to the ceiling. The 14,030 square metres
of office space were designed to be energy efficient and are
triple-glazed to keep our traffic noise. While the circular decks
and open atria are attractive, and designed to encourage
collaborative and community working, they also represent an
extremely inefficient use of office space.
(Left) The Ark in April 2007
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Consequently, the building has been ruinously-expensive difficult to let and, despite a tenancy by drinks company Seagram in the mid-nineties, has stood empty for much of its life. The Ark is currently (spring 2007) undergoing a major renovation project (known as ``the Arc v2'') in the process of which the interior spaces will be remodelled, the central atrium reduced in size to two storeys and new floors added. This project is designed to improve the utility of the building. (right) The entrance to the Ark as seen on screen in April 2007 |
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The London Forum
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The London Forum features in the climax of 'The Living Stones' as the venue for Byron Lucifer's planned rock concert (and not Wimbledon Stadium as Beaumont-Savage originally claimed!). Surrounded by Beaumont-Savage's forces, the Tomorrow People are forced to improvise to drive off the alien intruders.
The Forum is located in Highgate Road, Kentish Town, London. It can be reached by London Underground to Kentish Town Station.
(Right) The London Forum in January 2006. As this image shows, the impressive facade fronts an extensive, but more functional, building.
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More correctly known simply as 'The Forum' this building was first constructed as an art-deco style cinema in 1934. It was designed by J. S. Beard and W. R. Bennett and could seat more than 2000 people. Taken over by ABC (Associated British Cinemas) in 1935, the cinema remained open until 1970. It was converted first into a bingo hall, then a dance hall, and was renamed 'The Forum' in 1992. It is now a live music venue.
(Below) The ornate, stained glass and columned facade of the London Forum seen in January 2006, and as seen on screen in 'The Living Stones'. (Screenshot from NS DVD)
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Hornton Street Car Park
| The underground car park at Hornton Street in Kensington appeared on-screen as the location in which Dr Culex replaced a female police commander and left Megabyte locked in a car boot. Hornton Street Public Car Park is located under the town hall of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. The extensive red brick building houses the main local library, large meeting halls, civic reception areas and administrative offices. The car park comprises several levels of parking, situated directly underneath the building. Kensington and Chelsea Town Hall was designed by architect Sir Basil Spence to replace the seperate town halls of the boroughs (which were unified in 1965), and the foundation stone laid in 1973. In 1977, the building was completed and opened to the public, but unfortunately before Sir Basil Spence passed away. The site of the building was controversial as it was placed on one of the few remaining green spaces in the area. The modern design was also controversial, in a Royal Borough which houses both ancient buildings and a Royal palace. |  The entrance to Hornton Street Car Park, as seen in August 2006 |
Regals Night Club
Scenes in the Origin Story in which Megabyte gave his pursuers the slip by ducking into an under-18s disco were filmed at the Regals night club in Uxbridge, West London.
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The
Regal cinema, Uxbridge, was designed by E Norman Bailey and
opened on 26th December 1931. The straight lines of its art-deco
facade concealed a highly decorated, chinese-style interior. The
cinema seated an audience of well over a thousand. Originally an
independent cinema, it was purchased by Union cinemas in 1935 and
passed to Associated
British Cinemas in 1937. The Regal cinema
closed in 1977 and in 1984 it reopened as a nightclub called
Regal's.
The former Regals cinema/nightclub as seen (right) on screen in 1992 and (below) in April 2007.
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Since the filming of 'The Origin Story', the nightclub has closed and reopened as 'Discotheque Royales' with a new colourscheme on the distinctive and elegant facade. The building's grade II* listed status, and conditions placed upon the building require that many of the original features survive, if in a poor condition. The nightclub has recently undergone another refit and reopened in April 2007 as "Liquid Clubs". Liquid is located on Uxbridge High Street, and the nearest public transport is to Uxbridge Underground station, a few minutes walk away. |
Severndroog Castle
Severndroog Castle, near Shooters' Hill in the Borough of Greenwich, appears in the filming schedule of 'The Rameses Connection' as '7 Drew Castle' and on screen as Mr Tate's residence of Temple Hall.This gothic folly is unfortunately derelict, and has been the subject of recent renovation campaigns - most prominently the 2004 BBC television program 'Restoration'. It was erected in 1784 in memory of the chairman of the East India company, Sir William James. It was designed by the East India Company's leading architect Richard Jupp, on the orders of the widowed Lady James. The name commemorates the battle of Suvarnadurg in which Commadore James destroyed a pirate stronghold on 2nd April 1755.
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Severndroog Castle as seen on screen in 1995 (left) and in August 2006 (right)
The building has been used as a tea house, and as a WWII aircraft lookout. Now closed and considered unsafe, it is still attractive from the outside (Map). The nearest railway station is Eltham (approximately 1 miles away, trains from Charing Cross).
Springfield Hospital
Springfield Hospital in Wandsworth is the most likely site for filming of two different locations in `The Culex Experiment'. Different parts of the sprawling complex were used to represent `St Mary's Hospital' - where Kevin was taken after falling into a coma - and the police station at which the Tomorrow People tried to trace a motorcycle number plate. The hospital is still in use, although it suffered operating theatre and ward closures in the early 1990s (see article in The Independent, 31 March 1990, consistent with a description by Tessa and Deborah Vale Reinventing the Tomorrow People of filming in a disused wing or floor of a mental hospital).Springfield University Hospital, now part of South West London and St George's Mental Health NHS Trust, was originally built as a Surrey county asylum, part of an extensive network of county asylums built for the care of the destitute mentally ill following the 1808 Asylum Act. The Springfield Park estate in Wandsworth had been offered for sale by the owner, Henry Perkins, and its original 18th century mansion is now lost. The asylum was constructed to a design by William Moseley and opened on 15th June 1841 with 299 patients. The building is in a Tudor style and was considered architecturally impressive at the time. Additions including a hospital church, infirmary block and annexe for those with learning difficulties, were constructed throughout the 19th century.
Springfield's population peaked in the middle of the twentieth century with over 2000 in-patients, before improved treatment and new strategies for mental health care led to the devolution of treatment to a large number of smaller centres. The hospital now has 286 beds, and is one of 90 treatment centres serving Kingston, Richmond, Wandsworth, Merton and Sutton. Since 1967, it has been associated with the St George's hospital, which transferred its outpatient services from Hyde Park Corner out to a new establishment in Tooting. Springfield is now the headquarters of the NHS trust providing services to over 1 million people.
The hospital is located approximately 1 mile west of Tooting Bec underground station and Wandsworth Common main line station.
Three Mills Studios
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Evidence from the filming schedule for 'The Rameses Connection' suggests that most of the interior filming for this serial, and some outside shots including the location of Milicent's bus, were filmed at the Three Mills Studios in Bow, East London. (Right) Three Mills Studios in August 2006
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These studios cover an extensive 20 acre area, on the banks of the River Lea, and comprise Britain's largest studio complex. The studios are named for the two mills that survive on the site, and a third destroyed in 1838, as well as numerous others that are listed as far back as the Doomsday Book. First used as flour mills and then for making gunpowder and as a gin distillery, milling on the site stopped as a result of bombing in the Second World War. In the 1980s Bow Studios (where the Tomorrow People was filmed) was one of three companies founded on the site, which merged in the mid-1990s to form Three Mills Studios.
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The River Lea, and underground railway bridge, at Three Mills studios on screen in 1995 (left) and in August 2006 (right)
An additional link between the Tomorrow People and this site is given by '28 Days Later', filmed at Three Mills Studios, and staring the Tomorrow People's Naomie Harris. The closest underground station is Bromley-By-Bow. Click here for a location map. Other series filmed at Three Mills include 'Bugs', 'The Mighty Boosh' and 'Hogfather'.
Wimbledon Stadium
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Sent to Wimbledon Stadium by General Beaumont-Savage expecting to find Byron Lucifer's concert in `The Living Stones', the Tomorrow People instead find themselves emerging in the middle of a motorsport race. Interestingly, the novelisation of `The Living Stones' gives the location to which the Tomorrow People teleports as `Crystal Palace'. After correcting themselves, Adam, Jade and Megabyte make their way to the London Forum (see above).
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Photographs - Wimbledon greyhound and motor racing stadium as seen in April 2007. |
The stadium is an oval motor-racing stadium (an uncommon motor circuit shape in Europe) some 390 yards in length, and has an 8000 seater grandstand. Stock car racing takes place on Sunday evenings during the summer, while greyhound races take place on other evenings. The stadium was initially constructed as a greyhound track, after a protracted dispute over planning permission, and an appeal to the Ministry of Health. Greyhound racing began on 21st April 1928. At the same time, Speedway racing was being introduced from Australia and a track was built inside the greyhound circuit. Speedway racing at Wimbledon began on 28th May 1928 and continued until 2005.
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Greyhound races have continued unchecked, although these now also appear to be threatened, and the stadium is the host of the William Hill Greyhound Derby. The site is close to the planned 2012 Olympic Stadium.
The stadium is some distance from any nearby station, although Wimbledon, Earlsfield and Haydons Road are all in the area. Wimbledon is also noteworthy since Wimbledon Common was used as the location for the cover photograph of the Tomorrow People novel, The Visitor.
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Wembley Plaza Hotel
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The Wembley Plaza Hotel, formerly the Wembley Hilton, featured as Hotel Osiris, the Cairo hotel occupied by Tate and Scully in 'The Rameses Connection'.
The hotel is located next to Wembley Stadium, and close to Wembley Park and Wembley Stadium stations. Despite the redevelopment of the stadium and much of its surrounding area, the hotel seems little changed. In particular, the reception area is still recognisably that of the Hotel Osiris, as of spring 2007. Wembley Plaza hotel as seen in April 2007
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