Breaking Glass

After being ejected from a backstage party, Danny Price (Phil Daniels) persuades Kate (Hazel O'Connor) to sing for him. Identified by Simon James in his book, London Movie Guide, as outside the Rainbow Theatre, Seven Sisters Road in London N4.

Kate makes her way home after her latest gig ends badly. Jamie M. identifies the background public house as the Twelve Pins on Seven Sisters Road N4.

Jamie also provides this picture of the location. Image copyright Google Streetview.

The start of a long panning shot showing the area in which Kate lives. London W11.

Panning further over W11.

The pan continues with the Westway running across the shot. Tavistock Road is seen in the bottom right of the image. London W11.

The radio plays and announces that unemployment has risen to its highest point since the war. Flats on Tavistock Crescent stand in the foreground with Westway behind. London W11.

The camera tilts down to show the roof of Kate's bedsit home on Tavistock Road W11.

From ground level, the same dormer window.

The shot settles on Kate's window as the phone rings, waking her. The building stands at the corner of Tavistock Road and St Lukes Road, London W11.

Different angle, same window.

After listening to auditions all morning, Kate heads to see Danny. Tris identifies this as Portobello Road in W10. Various lengths of Portobello Road make an appearance in several other productions including ‘Otley’, ‘Notting Hill’, ‘Pressure’, ‘The Wind of Change’, ‘The Mine and the Minotaur’, ‘West 11’, ‘The Moon Over the Alley’, ‘Tonite Let's All Make Love in London’, ‘Seven Green Bottles’, ‘The File of the Golden Goose’, 'Burning an Illusion', ‘The Italian Job’, ‘Villain’, ‘Who Done It?’, ‘The Gentle Trap’ and ‘The Traitors’.

Taken by Tris, this is the view now of 310-322 Portobello Road with the former Carnarvon Castle public house to the far right at the junction with Golborne Road.

A tired Kate enters the building where Danny has his seedy office. Continuity suggests that she is about to enter the doorway to the left of 341 Portobello Road, virtually from where the previous capture was taken. (RL)

I'm plumping for here, midway between locations for "Please Sir" and "London Kills Me." SJ

Kate fills a car with petrol at the service station where she works. Adrian Nellist advises that the filling station stands at 120 Cricklewood Lane in NW2 with St. Peter's church hall, now the Sadhu Vaswani Centre, in the background.

She chats with colleague Jackie (Janine Duvitski) at the next pump whilst dealing with a queue of customers. Facing the corner of Cricklewood Lane and Gillingham Road in Cricklewood identified by Adrian Nellist.

Danny, Kate and Ken (Jonathan Pryce) go to meet a prospective band member. The entrance to Midhope House on Whidborne Street, London WC1 with Whidborne House East visible through the arch.

Looking out towards Whidborne House from inside the entrance to Midhope House on the Hillview Estate. The area was refurbished between 1994 and 2000. The archway in the background into Whidborne Buildings is seen in "Clegg". Phil Daniels on the left in the screen capture grew up in this area and lived all his early years in nearby Judd Street.

Danny explains that the whole block is a squat. The courtyard of Midhope House on Whidborne Street WC1.

Taken from the same spot now. Looks a little different, doesn't it.

The trio head to find guitarists for the band. Midhope House, Whidborne Street WC1. The buildings have been renovated since.

A bass player fails the audition and makes his way from Kate's room. The junction of Tavistock Road and St Lukes Road in W11 which also appears in 'Seventy Deadly Pills'.

As the building looks now.

The band with it's new members plays a local pub. Identified by Denis Hoare as Castle Road NW5 near the corner with Hadley St on the left. The pub was then called "The Trafalgar", now called "Tapping The Admiral". The front of a train can just be seen on the railway viaduct on the right. This is the same pub is seen later.

Denis also provides a "now" shot, the front of a train on the railway viaduct can just be seen on the right. (RL)

Kate drives Danny home after the gig. Denis Hoare also locates this, Castle Road, NW5 looking across the road up Grafton Crescent. (RL)

Denis provides this shot and tells us that the shop and building on the right has since been rebuilt. The car in the film would have been driving into a yard. (RL)

Establishing shot over London with the, then, Post Office Tower to the right. Devonshire Street W1 is visible to the left of centre in the bottom half of the picture.

Tilting down from image bregl016 sees Devonshire Street W1 running top to centre on the left and Paddington Street W1 running from Marylebone High Street at the bottom of the shot.

Danny walks past Paddington Street Gardens in London W1 on his way to the office of Overlord Records. The street is seen in 'A Touch of Love' whilst the gardens appear in 'Felicia's Journey'.

Matching first tree! SJ

Danny heads to enter Overlord House. Paddington Street, London W1. The building is known as International House with an address of 66 Chiltern Street.

"Updated": also seen in Sliding Doors. SJ

After making a demo, Danny and Kate try to sell the band to Andy. Outside Andy's office on Charlotte Street at the corner of Tottenham Street in W1. It looks a bit more respectable these days.

All spruced up. SJ

The next gig at the local pub ends in a fight and the landlord refuses to pay. As identified by Denis earlier, Castle Road at the junction with Hadley Street NW5 (RL)

Denis also sends us this shot of 'Tapping the Admiral' taken from almost the same spot showing the railway viaduct more clearly, under which is Castle Mews, that used to have a wood yard on the other side, but now is housing. (RL)

The police take an interest in the band's activities. Whidborne Street, London.

The same location now - Not a million miles away from Argyle Street where shots from 'The Ladykillers' and 'Prick Up Your Ears' were filmed.

Kate eyes the police as the band load their van.

Midhope House on Whidborne Street, London WC1.

Through unidentified streets the band make their way to another gig . . . . . No longer an unidentified street, David Kingston tells us that this is Cromer Street, London WC1 and that the block of flats to the right is Glynde Reach. (RL)

Adam DD proves David right with this comparison.

. . . . and get stopped by the police. Barry Robins advises that this is Whidborne Street, facing away from Cromer Street towards Argyle Street, and he should know as he grew up in the area, attending the nearby Argyle School.

The tower of St. Pancras station is now obscured by trees.

Breaking Glass play support to Gods Boys at The Music Machine. Formerly the Camden Theatre and currently known as Koko on Camden High Street NW1. The building is also seen in 'Smashing Time'.

The same location now.

Concert goers outside the doors of The Music Machine. Camden High Street, London NW1.

Well, there are three doors to choose from so . . . . .

An establishing shot starts to pan over London as the radio plays the latest Breaking Glass single. Looking along Tavistock Road towards Portobello Road, London W11. Tris points out that The Pelican public house, now known as The Italian Job, stands at left in the middle ground and Grenfell Tower rises in the centre distance.

The same view from the street.

The pan ends with Ladbroke Grove station to the extreme right and demolished buildings in the middle distance. London W11.

The band sets up at the 'Rock Against 1984' concert as the audience waits. Under the Westway in London W10.

Under the roundabout on the Westway looking towards the backs of houses on Oxford Gardens, London W10.

The same location now with part of the Westway Sports Centre to the right.

A close up of the stub on the flyover with Oxford Gardens School in the background. London W10.

Same road stub, same school, different decade.

Kate watches as National Front supporters turn up at the concert.

Under the Westway Roundabout near to Darfield Way. The area was also seen in 'Theatre of Blood' and 'Steptoe and Son Ride Again'.

A cut-out of Kate is transported to the latest venue. An unidentified street with numbers up to at least 228 and if the continuity with the next image is correct, this is Seven Sisters Road, Finsbury Park, London N4.

The number is the same but Peter found many changes to the shop façades.

The cut-out is put into position. The Rainbow Theatre, Seven Sisters Road, Finsbury Park, London N4.

The same location now by Peter.

Kate with band members Tony (Mark Wingett) and Dave (Gary Tibbs) walk with Davis (Hugh Thomas) and Promotions Man Chris (George Bruno Money) to the radio studio.

Pentonville Road at the junction with Killick Street in London N1 facing towards Kings Cross station.

Breaking Glass about to enter the studio. Looking along Killick Street from Pentonville Road in N1.

The same place now.

The building playing the radio studio at the corner of Pentonville Road and Killick Street, London N1.

Looks like the building has had a makeover.

Danny leaves the hospital where Kate is recuperating after suffering a nervous breakdown. Ben H. identifies this as Roehampton Hospital on Roehampton Lane, London SW15.

Known as The Priory, an independent clinic dealing with mental health. It is off the north end of Priory Lane, SW15. SJ