Absolute Beginners

London 1958, as depicted by a suitably dated shot of Piccadilly Circus in W1.

Looking towards Coventry Street. SJ

The cast dance their way through a studio version of Soho which includes the 2Is Coffee Bar that stood on Old Compton Street.

Not quite a comparison view, the site of the real 2Is Coffee Bar is indicated by the green plaque to the right. PW

The Coach & Horses at the corner of Greek Street and Romilly Street. The set was constructed at Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire.

Colin (Eddie O'Connell) takes time out. The Blue Bridge in St James's Park SW1 which features in 'The IPCRESS File', 'Joanna', 'The Deadly Affair' and, in its previous incarnation, 'Britannia Mews', while the view is seen in 'The Breaking of Bumbo'.

A different season. SJ

The sun rises on another day. One could say that the location soon dawned on Dave W, for as the sun rose features of the scene became apparent and he was able to identify the skyline church as S Mary of the Angels, Moorhouse Road, London W2 and the house bottom right of centre with the white painted addition as 81 Ledbury Road. That said, the houses to the left of the capture have to be 19 et seq Colville Terrace. (RL)

Well, looking east down Colville Terrace, I have a white house on Ledbury Road, bottom left centre, but the rest is tricky to reconcile. SJ

Dilapidated properties line the streets in White City, West 11 as the studio set springs into life.

The respectable part of town, where a fashion show is taking place at Henley of Mayfair. The corner of New Bond Street and Grafton Street in W1. The street appears in 'The Lady is a Square', 'The Stud', 'Appointment with Crime', 'Nothing But the Best', 'The Mine and the Minotaur', ‘I Don't Want to Be Born’ and, appropriately, ‘Bond Street’.

And the Beatles were here in "Help!". SJ

Colin begins to sing 'Have you ever had it blue'. Chelsea Bridge crossing the River Thames between Chelsea and Battersea. The structure appears in many productions including 'The Day the Earth Caught Fire', 'Soapbox Derby', 'Col cuore in gola', 'The Mutations', 'Emil and the Detectives', 'Up the Junction' and 'Panic'.

Taken from just a little higher than the original camera shot. Access below Grosvenor Road requires a key to a gate. SJ

The song continues on Albert Bridge, also crossing the River Thames between Chelsea and Battersea. The bridge is also seen in 'Soapbox Derby', 'The Man Who Was Nobody', 'The Mutations', 'Touch and Go', 'The Party's Over', 'The Optimists of Nine Elms', 'I Don't Want to Be Born' and 'That Kind of Girl' amongst many other productions.

I am quite surprised that there was no traffic when I took this. (RL)

Not having seen Suzette makes five hot days seem like a year to Colin. Memories of being taken to the dentist at No 21 as a child prompted Dave W to tell us that this is Churton Street, London SW1 and here we are looking at No 26. (RL) The street also appears in 'Innocent Sinners' and, as noted by Michael Bradley who watched filming take place, the 2022 ITV drama 'A Spy Among Friends'. Michael adds that a number of the properties had sets built over the facades.

I was so embarrassed to miss this (five minutes away from work) that my comparison is swift upon Dave's identification. This front was also recently seen in 'The Foreigner': indeed I watched Jackie Chan filming it. SJ

The photographer returns to his dark room in a shelter at his parent's house in dreary Pimlico. Dave's identification of the previous capture provided the natural link to Churton Place looking back into Churton Street. (RL) Michael Bradley advises that, coincidentally, actress Eve Ferret who played Big Jill was born in Pimlico.

This is taken at the foot of the lamppost, still there. The original must have been taken from the first floor window of number 8 Churton Place. SJ

The sky brightens on the morning after Colin attended a party where he discovered that Suzette is engaged to marry Henley.

Vendice (David Bowie) brings his car to a stand after almost colliding with Colin. Carlton House Terrace in W1. This and the adjoining streets are also seen in 'That Riviera Touch', 'Man On the Run', ‘Defence of the Realm’, ‘'Wings of the Dove', The Primitives', 'The Sandwich Man’, 'Only When I Larf', ‘O Lucky Man!’, 'Kingsman: The Golden Circle', 'Murder Without Crime’ and ‘The Man Who Haunted Himself’.

And here's number 8 now. SJ

The advertising executive's Bristol 405 Drophead Coupé takes Colin past Buckingham Palace in SW1.

Traffic-free and almost pedestrain-free on this misty morning. SJ

A pan starts on the riverbank. Walking the Thames Path between Marlow and Bourne End, Malcolm Tinnelly recognised the garden of a property off Quarry Wood in Cookham, Berkshire.

The shot moves to the house where Colin asks the now married Suzette what she knows about Henley's proposed redevelopment of White City. Willow House on Quarry Wood, Cookham located by Malcolm Tinnelly.

The same riverside property captured from the Buckinghamshire bank of the Thames by Malcolm.