This Week In London - Xmas Shout Out Podcast

Full shownotes to follow but here's a link

http://media.libsyn.com/media/parkylondon/TWIL_Xmas_-_Xmas_Shout_Out.mp3


And a special video link to my favourite Christmas song. Evar!!!!!

Free Copy of London Nobody Knows and Les Bicyclettes de Belsize DVD

Folks

Here's a quick one for you. Send me an @parkylondon message on Twitter and give me a 140 letter or less reason why you should have it. The best Tweet (IMHO) will get a copy of the above DVD which has two films on it. "The London Nobody Knows" is particularly interesting as it shows London in the early sixties. It's a Region 2 (Europe) DVD but that shouldn't stop anyone with skillz from watching it! I'll let the competition run for 3 days from today so get cracking.

I was going to set up a competition in the show but have something else in mind - so here's a freebie.

Here's a review of the disk from Amazon. I couldn't say it better:

"This DVD consists of two films, 'The London Nobody Knows' and 'Les Bicyclettes De Belsize'. There are similarities in both films: both are short, the first 45 minutes, the second 30. Both were filmed in London, in colour, in the 1960's. And both are collector's items.

'The London Nobody Knows' is, as the title suggests, a look at some lesser known sights of London and is narrated by James Mason. We begin in an old music hall in Camden which is almost literally falling down. There is a sense of eery seediness here; one of the singers who performed here was the wife of the notorious Dr. Crippen. It was clearly a beautiful hall in its heyday, but was caught on film just before the very final curtain fell. We move through some street markets, and to an extraordinary sight in Holborn. Here we see a gas-lit gent's toilet, with, above the urinals, a fish tank- complete with living fish! Apparently some goldfish suffered the indignity of being moved into this tank (which really did house fish once) for the cameras, and were then safely taken back to a better place afterwards. Another old gents' toilet is shown down an alleyway, and it's in the style of the classic French pissoir- completely unexpected in London. We see an ornate gas lamp near the Savoy theatre which acts as a ventilation system for the sewer underneath. Is that still there I wonder? But this film is about people more than things, and we see a number of, mostly, men who are down on their luck. The Salvation Army Hostel provides a home for many, and Mason is seen chatting with a number of the men, all of whom seem quietly resigned to their lot. But this is not a film where the presenter intercedes too often; most of the time the director allows the camera itself to tell the tale. We can let our own minds decide what life journeys these men have experienced. There are true London characters too, the sort who seem to have disappeared off the streets altogether now. A couple of true street entertainers are shown, flamboyantly dressed. And one of the delights is seeing little incidentals; these entertainers take a break in the pub, and a pump on the bar is clearly visible- the dreaded Watney's Red Barrel! The Salvation Army band is seen marching the car-free streets, children in tow; remember that sight? And there is a really moving moment where a man, poor but obviously proud, sings a sad lament (in Hebrew or Yiddish, I think) whilst the demolition ball is seen crashing into walls, bringing them crumbling down. This is not a morose film though, far from it. A sense of community was just about hanging on in there in the sixties, and we see crowds of people everywhere. In the streets, in a huge family shop where all the staff wear white coats, in markets. And children actually lark around in the streets. This is all wonderful stuff, and is professionally filmed and edited.

The second film, 'Les Bicyclettes De Belsize', is a real oddity. It is more in the French style than the British, from the very opening which features a long continuous pan across the roofs of Hampstead Village. A very French-sounding song plays in the background. A man in underpants is seen escaping through an open window. Another man in underpants is seen, through a window, shaving. Then we see another chap, not in underpants, cycling across the roofs. As you do. This ultimately leads to him chasing a blonde beauty. Will there be a happy ending? Watch it and see. This film was photographed by Wolfgang Suschitsky, the father of the distinguished cinematographer Peter Suschitsky, incidentally, so again we are seeing a high quality production. It may not be your cup of tea, but you must see it.

Two outstanding and original films then. The picture and sound quality is excellent in both. There are no extras. You don't need them. I had just read that day's listings in Radio Times and seen what dross was on T.V, watched this DVD, then watched it all over again.

This is a collector's item; buy it while you can. "

I am sending emails!

To : Jennifer

I am sending replies - I sent a quick one today. Can you check your spam bin and see if my emails are in there? Could you let me know via email (so I know it's okay)

And yes, if it's possible I'd be happy to do that!

Thanks

Paul

This Week In London #37 HMS Belfast

Hi everyone

Thanks for visiting me again - it's always good to see you here! I've got another show for you today. It's the long-awaited HMS Belfast show. I've been going on about it for a while so here it is. Discover some history, some visiting information and a "special guest" take on the ship.

Remember you can contact me on Twitter and Facebook as well as here or by mail. I am "parkylondon" on Twitter and you can search for This Week In London on Facebook.

You can listen by pressing the player button at the top or by pressing play or by pressing this here. See? It's easy!




Finally, if you like you can subscribe by email. Just pop your email addy in the box above and we'll make sure you never miss an update. If you're "au fait" with RSS you can use that too!

If you haven't already done it can I ask you to complete the survey? Just click the multi-colored box above!

Music in this show is from Jamie Cullum, Adrienne Pierce and Ehren Stark - links below!

The piece at the end is from Diamond Geezer - you can check his site out here but the piece he wrote about HMS Belfast is here

Ehren Starks can be found here and on Magnatunes here

Jamie Cullum
"I Want To Be A Popstar" (mp3)
from "Pointless Nostalgic"
(Candid Productions)
Amazingly it's exactly a year since I played this track last. To the day... Weird.

And finally, Adrienne Pierce can be found here


There you have it. Another show is in the can.. Have fun and keep in touch.

TWiL #36 - How Many Rivers?

Greetings one and all and thank you for sticking with me.

Before I get into the show notes proper I completely forgot to mention the survey up there on the top left of the web site. If you have already completed it thank you - I really appreciate the feedback. What I am trying to do is understand how I can improve the show, what I can do to make it better for you my loyal listeners! I have no idea who says what (it's totally anonymous) but it does tell me what you think is good and bad. SO thanks if you can find the time to fill it in.

Right.

This show is about the rivers of London. Most people know that the Thames flows through London. But what about The Lea? Or The Quaggy? Or the Ravensbourne? Listen and join in!

You can listen to the show from the player below or by clicking here




All the music in this show is from Ingrid Michaelson. You can get her album from Amazon here or from her website here

How to ride a London Bus - 1950's style

This is interesting from an historical perspective but quite horrifying to these 21st Century eyes and ears. The film was designed to "educate" newly arrived foreigners in London in the intricacies of bus-riding. The films unravels the mysteries with helpful advice like, "Be sure to board a bus headed to your destination," and explaining that drivers aren't allowed to run over school-children.

1950 was a long time ago...

TWiL 36 How Many Rivers?

In preparation. How many London rivers do you know?