Back in March – remember March? – Leicester Square’s movie heritage was brought to life via an installation of British and Hollywood film and TV icons, all in statue form. This collection of bronze figures features much-loved characters Paddington Bear, Mary Poppins and Mr Bean, as well as DC stars Batman and Wonder Woman, dotted around the park space in the square.
Well, Scenes from the Square is still there – in fact, Westminster Council has just extended its stay for another three years – and a new audio tour has been launched to help draw back the crowds.
The narrator is smooth-larynxed compère Alex Zane, who will be guiding tourists from statue to statue offering titbits of movie trivia and handy facts along the way. There are interviews with ‘Paddington’ star Hugh Bonneville and Gene Kelly’s wife and biographer Patricia Ward Kelly, too.
‘As cinemas begin to reopen we’re pleased to support this revival with this brilliant new audio tour,’ says Mark Williams of the Heart of London Business Alliance. ‘Visitors will now be able to take the tour, grab selfies with their favourite characters before catching a movie, meal and drink, making Leicester Square a great day out that can be enjoyed whilst socially distancing responsibly.’
The tour uses ‘binaural soundscaping technique’ to immerse the listener, and while we don’t know exactly what that is, it sounds pretty cutting edge. It’s available via Spotify and all good podcast platforms (Apple, Google, Acast, Castbox, Podbean and Stitcher).
Head to the official site for more info.
Want to know which films were shot and set in the capital? Check our list of the best London films.
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