Welcome to Soho

* PG Rating * - this episode contains distant shots of \'adult shop\' signs in its final minute (but no nudity or eroticism, thus the iTunes \'clean\' tag).

No filming around the west end of London would be complete without stepping into Soho.

Soho is the district bordered by Oxford Street to the north and Shaftesbury Avenue to the south. It is home to some of the best restaurants, bars and clubs in London. If you want a night of fun and hedonism, Soho will satisfy your every need!

Soho is also the home of many media companies (both print and video production).

Historically, Soho was a rather \'seedy\' area, full of strip joints and prostitution.  In the 1980s  the local government cleared out many such establishments and the gay community moved in to bring a more upmarket (if still hedonistic) sense of style to the area.

This episode starts in Soho Square, a beautiful public space just south of the Tottenham court Road end of Oxford Street. We then head south towards Old Compton Street taking in the sights of the Price Edward Theatre and some beautiful old public houses.

This episode also features a bar called the Admiral Duncan. In 1999, 2 people were killed and more than 30 were injured when a nail bomb - planted by a man intent on killing as many gay people as possible - exploded. Londoners of all walks of life were shocked and many rallied round to get the bar open again - Londoners refuse to be intimated by terrorism in whatever form in takes.

Our episode ends with a view (from a distance) of a small backwater of Soho that still attracts the \'mature straight gentleman\'!

(Piano music from the Apple application Garageband, part of iLife \'08).