Reel London – Film Locations & Insider Stories, Led by Actors  New Walk!

Exit Barbican underground station, London. Guided by Andy or Jim
Tuesday 2 pm twice monthly, starting May 5 th .

Short read

London doesn’t just appear on screen – it steals the scene.

From Bond to Bridget Jones, from Sherlock to Batman, the City has played a starring role in some of the most memorable moments in film and television. And on this this walk, you don’t just recognised the locations – you walk into them.

And with actors as your guides, you get the inside story as well – what was filmed, how it was done, and why London keeps getting cast again and again.

Long read

Our journey begins at the Barbican, whose striking brutalist architecture serves as backdrop and HQ for the hit espionage series ‘Slow Horses’, perfectly capturing the gritty, off kilter world of Jackson Lamb and his misfits agents.

Vecchio Parola restaurant, underneath the fictional Slough House, ‘Slow Horses’ HQ – playing host to MI5’s misfit spies

A short stroll brings us to historic Charterhouse, a beautifully preserved complex that became a moody atmospheric backdrop in the acclaimed series ‘Taboo’.

The courtyards and cloisters feel like stepping into another century, the perfect canvas for television series such as ‘The Crown’, ‘Downtown Abbey’ and ‘Mr Selfridge’. While it’s genuine Tudor surroundings have appeared extensively as bustling London streets in ‘Hamnet’.

It’s hard to believe that the former lead and glass factory next door, in Clerkenwell, once doubled as the police headquarters in the batman trilogy. The Farmiloe building, now a luxury office and residential space was a firm favourite of director Christopher Nolan’s.

Not only did he use its atmospheric interior and industrial space for Gotham City but also for his mind bending film ‘Inception’. The Farmiloe Building became a firm favourite for Hollywood directors, with many film credits appearing in ‘Mission Impossible-Rogue Nation’, ‘Sherlock Holmes’, ‘Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy’ and many more.

It’s amazing how many films have been shot in the surrounding area, in Smithfield fans of ‘Sherlock’ will instantly recall Holmes’s unforgettable leap from the rooftop of St Bart’s hospital, we go there – take a photograph of the telephone box where he landed!

Sherlock’s leap from the roof of St Barts in ‘The Reichenbach Fall’

Whilst ‘Skyfall’ film fans will remember Bond being signed off by Judy (‘M’) having trained at a secret location – proof that not even 007 can’t resist the cinematic grit of London’s ancient market quarter.

Having left behind the busy streets of Smithfield we then enter the medieval tranquillity of St Bartholomew the Great, London’s oldest surviving priory church. The interior has been used in countless films, just a brief look up and around and you know why.

Over nine hundred years of history, why build a set when you already have it? From period films such as ‘Shakespeare in Love’, ‘Elizabeth – The Golden Age’ and ‘Robin Hood Prince of Thieves’ to blockbusters such as ‘Avengers- Age of Ultron’ and ‘Transformers’ to family favourites like ‘Four Weddings and a Funeral’ and ‘Sherlock Holmes’. A truly beloved film spot.

Next up, we also explore ‘Postman’s park’, a highlight for many London Walk regulars, a peaceful corner of the city known for its memorial to heroic self-sacrifice. Its quiet poignancy forms the emotional canvas for key scenes in the film ‘Closer’. The iconic Cathedral of St Pauls looms over the City and is a filmic mainstay, but nothing beats seeing the real thing, instantly recognisable from countless productions from Harry Potter to ‘Dr Who’ – The Cyborgs in 1968 (and again in 2014).

We get to visit a more less secret vantage point, high up above the City, we get there by way of glass elevator – the piece de resistance of the walk – a tell friends about (it’s free you don’t even have to book) breath taking panoramic view of St Paul’s and the City that would inspire any film maker. *

A short walk, and behind the columns of the Royal Exchange, another cinematic highlight – it’s snowing (of course), she’s barefoot, there’s a new diary, she’s wearing striped under wear, they kiss, the credits roll – yes it’s the final comic/romantic scene in ‘The Bridget Jones Diary’.

And we finish with a flourish, having weaved through Dickensian alleys (unless they are filming there which they often are) we arrive at the ornate arcade of Leadenhall market. It’s Victorian splendour not just instantly recognisable to Harry Potter fans as the entrance to the Leaky Cauldron but also to fans of ‘The Hereafter’, ‘The Mummy’, ‘Proof of Life’, ‘Johnny English’ and ‘Tomb Raider’.

Leadenhall Market – a 14th-century market in its 19th-century dress

A heads up, this walk isn’t just about spotting locations, did I mention ‘Poirot’ and Florin Court in Charterhouse? No, we talk actors, gossip, budgets, directors, feuds and stunts and as always the London Walks signature, we throw in a bit of history!

And that’s the thing about London. You think you know it –until you realise you’ve been watching it all along.

Come and see it properly.

* it has, remember the chase scene with Tom Cruise sprinting to the dome of St Paul’s in ‘Mission Impossible – Fall Out’.