1970s Paddington on The Professionals

superjohn · 21 Jan 2020

I’m currently watching an episode of The Professionals on ITV4. The episode is called „Rogue“ and the opening ten minutes are mostly set at Paddington station. There are scenes showing an unrefurbished class 50, Mark 1 sleepers and new HST coaches. You also see a lot of general station activity which is fascinating. Most old videos on YouTube seem to concentrate on the trains rather than everything else going on.

The copyright is 1978 so I guess it was filmed in 1977/8. It will be available on ITV‘s online player for a few weeks and is well worth a look.

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Cricketer8for9 · 29 Jan 2020

The Professionals did seem to show quite a lot of London, and late 70s London was incredibly different to now. Can’t say whether the continuity is perfect. Thanks for the heads up.

malc-c · 29 Jan 2020

Between the Professionals and The Sweeny a lot of old railway nostalga can be had

One youtube channel has put together a video featuring the locations used in each clip

malc-c · 29 Jan 2020

And for the sweeny

Cricketer8for9 · 29 Jan 2020

Even captured the bouncy ride in a 4CIG! And getting permission to film on a live railway at Stratford!

malc-c · 29 Jan 2020

You couldn't see that happening today.... it would have to be recreated on a private preserved line and then with stunt doubles.... TV was more "real" in them days

Merle Haggard · 29 Jan 2020

Another location favoured for chases by at least one of these series was Kensal Green gasworks alongside the main line a couple of miles west of Paddington.

It was usually easy to predict which car would come to grief after a chase in these series - always the old one, never the new Ford...

Cricketer8for9 · 29 Jan 2020

By this time I almost wonder whether BR got more money from filming in Battersea Park sidings than it did from goods revenue.

nlogax · 31 Jan 2020

On a general note when watching The Sweeney or The Professionals I'm still taken aback by just how quiet London appeared to be back in the 1970s. Much of the filming was done without resorting to closing entire streets or roads - pretty cheap for Euston Films and Avenger Mk1 way back when but very hard to imagine to achieving now without risking dozens of eyes all gawping straight into the lens.

Cricketer8for9 · 31 Jan 2020

The population was still falling (rock bottom 1982). The first London Underground passenger increase sine 1948 was in the late 80s and surprised everyone, not least those who opposed zone based fares and travel cards.

malc-c · 1 Feb 2020

I remember watching a "behind the scenes" program on The Sweeny and when it came to filming the chases they just had the minimum cameras, and drove down open public roads at speeds and then dealt with the visit from the police following the resulting phone calls from the public.

Must admit when Cowley was walking through the station with public behind, they did well not to interrupt the filming for autographs or to look into the camera (although a few were smiling at the thought of being on TV no doubt )

Busaholic · 2 Feb 2020

malc-c said:
I remember watching a "behind the scenes" program on The Sweeny and when it came to filming the chases they just had the minimum cameras, and drove down open public roads at speeds and then dealt with the visit from the police following the resulting phone calls from the public.

Must admit when Cowley was walking through the station with public behind, they did well not to interrupt the filming for autographs or to look into the camera (although a few were smiling at the thought of being on TV no doubt )

People generally were a lot more reserved in those days. We've gone from one extreme to the other now. By way of example, when a bomb exploded on a rush hour train just outside London Bridge in, I think, 1975 (happily without death or even injury, as the train was returning from Cannon Street empty stock) and our much delayed service to Charing Cross passed on an adjacent track, I expressed audible horror at seeing the roof of a carriage peeled back like a sardine can, and was tut tutted at by other passengers! None of us, by the way, had any way of knowing that this event had occurred, as even at London Bridge there was only an 'apology for the delay due to an incident'. Incredible! Actually, the most incredible thing was that services were only held up for about ninety minutes and then everything went back to normal, other than one track being closed, with virtually no mention of it by B.R. or the public. Stiff upper lip, old boy, and all that really was the order of things.

superjohn · 24 May 2020

I’m currently binge watching the early series of The Bill on UKTV. I’ve just watched an episode called “In the cold” where the story concerns the discovery of a body in a railway yard. It was filmed in 1988/89 at Old Oak Common and shows the old carriage depot and the lines of withdrawn stock that were dumped there at the time.

It is available in Dailymotion here:

The Bill - S05E86 - In The Cold - video Dailymotion

A woman's body is found in a railway yard; Burnside hopes to obtain a quick confession.

www.dailymotion.com

or via UKTV play:

UKTV Play - Stream FREE On Demand

UKTV Play is the on demand home of Dave, Drama, W & Yesterday channels. Watch live TV, stream box sets and catch up on your favourite shows. A brilliant mix, just like you.

uktvplay.uktv.co.uk

The railway scenes are all within the first ten minutes.

I’m really enjoying these old episodes. They do a good job of presenting a whole story within half an hour.

LAX54 · 30 May 2020

nlogax said:
On a general note when watching The Sweeney or The Professionals I'm still taken aback by just how quiet London appeared to be back in the 1970s. Much of the filming was done without resorting to closing entire streets or roads - pretty cheap for Euston Films and Avenger Mk1 way back when but very hard to imagine to achieving now without risking dozens of eyes all gawping straight into the lens.

At least where 'The Sweeney' is concerned, they did not even ask if they could film in the streets, just turned up and got on with it, they also used to use 'lookouts' at various corners & junctions

the Rat · 5 Jun 2020

As well as the Sweeney and the Professionals, don't forget that other classic, London'-based programme Minder. Predominantly filmed in the 80s rather than the 70s, there is one episode in particular, series 4 episode 5 called 'Sorry Pal, Wrong Number', which filmed at South Acton station for a number of scenes. Wonderful stuff. Now where did I leave my time machine...

C J Snarzell · 19 Jun 2020

Another interesting TV drama featuring trains was the 1st Cracker story 'The Mad Woman in the Attic' in which a youthful Adrian Dunbar plays a monk accused of murdering a young woman on a train.

The first series was shot on location in Manchester in 1993, so it's very interesting seeing the railways as they were prior to privatisation. Victoria Station also appears where Christopher Eccleston does the press conference and it hardly looks any different to how it is now.

The Metrolink also features quite a few times (especially when a drunken Robbie Coltrane is challenged for having no ticket) - the trams only went live the year before so its a blast from the past seeing the original carriages how they were.

CJ

C J Snarzell · 19 Jun 2020

LAX54 said:
At least where 'The Sweeney' is concerned, they did not even ask if they could film in the streets, just turned up and got on with it, they also used to use 'lookouts' at various corners & junctions

Apparently during the filming of the very first episode of the Sweeney, which was shot in Peckham, the cast & crew were getting loads of hassle from the local kids. and had to abandon filming several times.

The first series was generally easy to film as the show wasn't broadcast until it was all in the can. Dennis Waterman has said that the problems came doing the second series because it was an instant hit with viewers and the cast & crew were being stopped and recognised everywhere they went.

CJ

edwin_m · 19 Jun 2020

the Rat said:
As well as the Sweeney and the Professionals, don't forget that other classic, London'-based programme Minder. Predominantly filmed in the 80s rather than the 70s, there is one episode in particular, series 4 episode 5 called 'Sorry Pal, Wrong Number', which filmed at South Acton station for a number of scenes. Wonderful stuff. Now where did I leave my time machine...

Do you happen to know if there ever were three (four?) phone boxes at South Acton or were they props for the filming? I've tried a few web searches without success.

I recently saw a film "The Bank Job" on Film 4, which was set in the 70s but apparently came out in 2008. Quite impressed that the scene quoted as being platform 1 at Paddington was clearly shot there, with various period posters up although the attempt at BR Corporate signage wasn't quite right. They even managed to get a set of Mk2s parked alongside, unfortunately maroon not blue/grey though.

AY1975 · 18 Oct 2020

Cricketer8for9 said:
Even captured the bouncy ride in a 4CIG!

If you mean the scene at Dover Western Docks, that's a 4-CEP (or possibly BEP) rather than a CIG. The pre-refurbishment CEP interiors were very similar to the Phase 1 CIGs, though.

1970s Paddington on The Professionals

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