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Railways in Pop Culture

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Southern

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Just noticed this thread and it reminded me of an ITV drama from the 90's, can't think what it was called but a 455/456 combo featured in it. The location, I believe, was either Kenley or Whyteleafe.

A show called "Dempsey and Makepeace" apparently filmed in the local area as well, believe they used a station on the Oxted line though.
 
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sarahj

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Some euro connections:

ABBA. The day before you came. Shot on SJ trains.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1HnOFwqpLRQ

Others: Mr Caine liked the odd railway theme:

While the opening shots of Get Carter, there was also the scene in the scrap yard and some nice shots of trains crossing the King Edwards bridge behind. Plus some nice wagons on the staiths for the big chase scene at the end. (Blyth i think).

Ipcress File
Night ferry from London to Paris

The Forth Protocol.
Some nice tube shots. Plus some later train scenes filmed possibly at St pancakes, (or Liverpool St) and later possibly Colchester. Some nice EMU action.

Someone mentioned the Likely lads: Loved those shots for the titles. Takes me right back to my childhood of the coastal diesel services (and a great shot of the Swan house fountain.)


Music videos:
Heaven 17. Let me go. Not sure where it was shot, but since the rest are City shots, poss Broad St. Spot the old style red weight machine in the background
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJrU9RIurFE
 
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MedwayValiant

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"Mr Brown goes orf to town on the eight twenty-one"

If you're over 40, you know that line from the theme tune to Dad's Army. It was written especially for the show, and was performed by Bud Flanagan.

But Walmington on Sea was supposed to be somewhere near Eastbourne, while "location" filming there - including, on a couple of occasions, the railway station - was actually done in Thetford.

It would have been gone 10.00 by the time Mr Brown got to his office in the City. Were City types not expected at their desks as early back then as they are now?
 

Cowley

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Don't think we had the film starring Paul Mcartney yet - Give my regards to Broad Street.
Also Silver Streak?
 

Groningen

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Video already mentioned; Nena (Germany) had a videoclip with a signal turning to green, but can not find number back. We have by the way Zoo Station by U2.
 
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Russonomics

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Surprised nobody has mentioned this brilliant example of ignoring the "please keep your head inside the train" sign yet.
headless-viv.jpg
 

theageofthetra

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Going back a long time how about that episode of Hancocks Half Hour where the council resurface Railway Cuttings so the road is now higher & the lad'im selfs car is in range of drivers and fireman throwing lumps of coal at it.
 

David Sinnett

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On the Likely Lads, apart from the titles, the first episode of Whatever happened to the Likely Lads was filmed, supposedly, on the KX to NCL service but did have footage at presumably Doncaster and Newcastle stations.
There was also footage at another station in the episode involving the cycle race.
 

90sWereBetter

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The music video to "Saturday Night" by Suede is filmed in and around Holborn tube station, using the old Aldwych branch platform and tunnels, plus unrefurbished 1973 stock (though one refurbished train does appear for a few seconds). I wonder if they got inspiration from The Prodigy for the video, given this was filmed only a few months after Firestarter was released.

Much more recently, Stereophonics released a song called "Indian Summer", with most of the music video filmed in heritage carriages. The album it's on is "Graffiti on the Train", and the title track is about a lad who graffitied the train his girlfriend caught to work each day with "marry me I love you", only to be killed after running to catch another train, and slipping over the platform.

In fact, it's not the only Phonics song about a one-under, as their breakthrough hit "Local Boy In The Photograph" is about a boy who committed suicide on a line in North Wales.
 

ChiefPlanner

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On the Likely Lads, apart from the titles, the first episode of Whatever happened to the Likely Lads was filmed, supposedly, on the KX to NCL service but did have footage at presumably Doncaster and Newcastle stations.
There was also footage at another station in the episode involving the cycle race.

Also the sublime "Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads" shows a pair of Met Cam DMU's in the opening sequence notching out of NC.
 

AJM580

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"Mr Brown goes orf to town on the eight twenty-one"

If you're over 40, you know that line from the theme tune to Dad's Army. It was written especially for the show, and was performed by Bud Flanagan.

But Walmington on Sea was supposed to be somewhere near Eastbourne, while "location" filming there - including, on a couple of occasions, the railway station - was actually done in Thetford.

It would have been gone 10.00 by the time Mr Brown got to his office in the City. Were City types not expected at their desks as early back then as they are now?

The filming for the episode "The Royal Train" was done at Weybourne on the North Norfolk Railway. Artistic licence clearly prevailed as a clip of an A4 on the ECML north of Newcastle was also inserted.
 

2HAP

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50039 - you're thinking of The Changes, produced by the BBC in 1975.

"The Changes is a British children's science fiction television serial filmed in 1973 and first broadcast in 1975 by the BBC. It was directed by John Prowse and is based on the trilogy written by Peter Dickinson: The Weathermonger (1968), Heartsease (1969), and The Devil's Children (1970)"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Changes_(TV_series)
 

Ianno87

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Not real life, but CGI...

The film "Minions" (set in 1969) briefly features a fictionalised version of Westminster tube station. A train pulls into a deep level tube platform*, the doors open and dozens of Minions pour off shouting "MIND THE GAAAAP!" repeatedly. One is wearing a bowler hat (which made me laugh at least).

*A sign visible on the platform points to "District and Circle lines", implying (along with the deep level tube) the Minions are alighting from the Jubilee line, which of course didn't open at Westminster until 1999. The architecture visivle is consistent with an older line such as the Bakerloo.

Also, my wife has been watching "To the Manor Born" of late. One episode is themed around opposition to BR proposing to close the railway serving the fictional village. But the station used for filming is Maiden Newton (a station sign is briefly visible in one scene)
 
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50039

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50039 - you're thinking of The Changes, produced by the BBC in 1975.

"The Changes is a British children's science fiction television serial filmed in 1973 and first broadcast in 1975 by the BBC. It was directed by John Prowse and is based on the trilogy written by Peter Dickinson: The Weathermonger (1968), Heartsease (1969), and The Devil's Children (1970)"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Changes_(TV_series)

Brilliant - thanks, off to look it up.... seem to recall it being a bit disturbing for afternoon kids tv!
 

Morris Dancer

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How about practically everything by Blyth Power (including the name) and their old gig mates Eastfield?
Video wise I can think of Ego by Elton John and stuff to give the HSE nightmares, Iron Horse by Christie.
 

mrcheek

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOAz4nPNvLI

This episode was briefly mentioned above. The Young Ones. Motorhead. Bristol Temple Meads station.

No mention yet of one of the greatest movies of all time, The Ladykillers, featuring St Pancras and Kings Cross stations.

There was an episode of "The Thick of It" set largely on a Grand Central West Riding service.

Other great movies set on trains include The Cassandra Crossing, and Narrow Margin.
 

EM2

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Surprised that we've so far not seen mention of the seemingly inexhaustible list of excuses as to why Reginald Perrin was always eleven (then seventeen, then twenty-two) minutes late:

"Eleven minutes late, staff difficulties, Hampton Wick."
"Eleven minutes late, signal failure at Vauxhall."
"Eleven minutes late, staff shortages, Nine Elms."
"Eleven minutes late, derailment of container truck, Raynes Park."
"Eleven minutes late, seasonal manpower shortages, Clapham Junction."
"Eleven minutes late, defective junction box, New Malden."
"Eleven minutes late, overheated axle at Berrylands."
"Eleven minutes late, defective axle at Wandsworth."
"Eleven minutes late, somebody had stolen the lines at Surbiton."

"Seventeen minutes late, defective bogie at Earlsfield."
"Seventeen minutes late, water seeping through the cables at Effingham Junction - there was a lot of Effingham and a good deal of Blindingham!"

"Twenty-two minutes late, black ice at Norbiton."
"Twenty-two minutes late, obstacles on the line at Berrylands."
"Twenty-two minutes late, badger ate a junction box at New Malden."
"Twenty-two minutes late, fed up by train delays, came by bike. Slow puncture at Peckham."
"Twenty-two minutes late, escaped puma, Chessington North."
 

Ianno87

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Porridge - St Pancras in the opening titles..

Wasn't there an episode of Mr Bean set at old St Pancras? He loses his ticket, and in his efforts to bypass the ticket inspector at the barrier accidentally ends up in a mail sack bound for "Moscow" placed on board an HST power car.
 

RichmondCommu

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Six pages in and no mention of Trainspotting at Corrour?

I had the same wallpaper when I was a child! I can remember the 'tuts' in the cinema when I excitedly told my wife!
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
A St Trinians film featured the girls boarding a DMU at Paddington and a short while later showing a HST flashing past.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Surprised nobody has mentioned this brilliant example of ignoring the "please keep your head inside the train" sign yet.
headless-viv.jpg

Oh how I loved the Young One's :) Does anyone know where it was filmed?
 

plcd1

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Slightly at a tangent but the video to Climie Fisher's "Love Changes Everything" alludes to being partly show in an american freight box car and at a freight station.

Also The Prodigy's video for Firestarter involves Keith Flint and the rest of the bank cavorting about in disused tube tunnels.

Didn't one of the recent Star Wars films use Canary Wharf LU station as a backdrop for a spaceship?

The Bomfunk MC's "Freestyler" video is set on the Helsinki Metro.
 
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Cowley

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Surprised that we've so far not seen mention of the seemingly inexhaustible list of excuses as to why Reginald Perrin was always eleven (then seventeen, then twenty-two) minutes late:

"Eleven minutes late, staff difficulties, Hampton Wick."
"Eleven minutes late, signal failure at Vauxhall."
"Eleven minutes late, staff shortages, Nine Elms."
"Eleven minutes late, derailment of container truck, Raynes Park."
"Eleven minutes late, seasonal manpower shortages, Clapham Junction."
"Eleven minutes late, defective junction box, New Malden."
"Eleven minutes late, overheated axle at Berrylands."
"Eleven minutes late, defective axle at Wandsworth."
"Eleven minutes late, somebody had stolen the lines at Surbiton."

"Seventeen minutes late, defective bogie at Earlsfield."
"Seventeen minutes late, water seeping through the cables at Effingham Junction - there was a lot of Effingham and a good deal of Blindingham!"

"Twenty-two minutes late, black ice at Norbiton."
"Twenty-two minutes late, obstacles on the line at Berrylands."
"Twenty-two minutes late, badger ate a junction box at New Malden."
"Twenty-two minutes late, fed up by train delays, came by bike. Slow puncture at Peckham."
"Twenty-two minutes late, escaped puma, Chessington North."

I loved Reggie Perrin. Did you remember all of those!?
 

Statto

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Newcastle Central in the second series of Auf Wiedersehen, Pet, when the lads visit Newcastle before going to Spain, plus a couple of shots of the newly opened TW Metro in the first episode of series 2.

Going Straight, first episode exclusively on a Carlisle-Euston train as Fletcher heads home after his release from HMP Slade.

Nottingham in Boon

One of the walkways at Moorfields in the dreadful movie 51st State.
 

theageofthetra

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Another great railway movie is The Train with Burt Lancaster. About the French resistance trying to destroy a train full of looted Nazi art. Some supurb scenes including the sacrifices made by French railway workers during the occupation.
 
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