The images aren’t the best, from the iPhone. But it’s really to give you a taste of what you can expect. I thought the tour was fascinating and good value for money.
Hidden London tour of Charing Cross
THE MISTAKES IN SKYFALL
A keen Londoner would have spotted that Daniel Craig gets on a tube train when in hot pursuit of Javier Bardem. However, only surface trains operate on the circle and district line on its way to Temple.
Below you can see the fake sign put above the arch saying Circle and District. Charing Cross now operates on the Northern and Bakerloo line. (Previously it ran on the Jubilee and Northern as you can just make out on the sign hanging in the back left. Also in the movie).
He’s keen to get home
They removed the metal anti-slide pattresses that would stop James Bond and Silva sliding down the escalator. According to the tour guide it was not more than a chair on a track that the production crew used to enable James Bond to slide down.
The production crew for Skyfall used the underground for 5 months of filming for 10 minutes of film. The money spent hiring the underground was pumped back into the TFL (Transport for London) which need to raise £250 million each year from scratch.
Other Discoveries on the Hidden London tour
You can easily identify if this tube stop in films by the hollow ceiling. The roof was lined with chemicals that melted when it reached high temperatures. After the Kings Cross fire in 1987 that killed 31 people, the chemical was removed from all underground stations and replaced with aluminium.
As this was a disused railway they didn’t feel the need to install aluminium here. The hollowed out roof makes this tube distinguishable in a lot of films, such as Bourne Ultimatum and Paddington.
So what did Bond wear in this chase scene?
Well, this is a style blog after all. However, the style I typically leave to the man with a thousand voices, Matt Spaiser. But please indulge me.
I haven’t peaked
Without looking at Matt’s site I would describe this as a very fitted charcoal with pinstripe grey, 3-button breasted single vent suit. (We know supplied by Tom Ford and designed by Jany Temime). It has the signature barchetta breast pocket with a white folded pocket square.
Resurrection
I’d class the notch lapels as thin to medium width and there are three buttons on the sleeve, though one appears to be missing. The tie looks to be black silk with grey grided-pixels. The trousers are flat fronted with a turn up and the shoes are 3 lace derbys. Not brogues as there are no detailing. Not Oxfords as the lacing is not closed.
But don’t take my word for it
Matt describes it differently and more in depth and as this is his wheelhouse, I would highly recommend you visiting his site The Suits of James Bond, for details and a more accurate description.
Credits and further reading
All photos underground were taken by me or my girlfriend Anastasia. Stills from the film were sourced from the Unofficial James Bond Picture Archive ThunderBalls.Org
Contact the London Transport Museum and book your place on the Hidden London Tour.
Skyfall | The National Gallery | The Fighting Temeraire With James Bond
