Topical Tube Photos of the Week

One way or another the London Underground has been in the national news a lot lately. Here's a few Flickr pictures from me and others that represent some of the topics.

Heathrow Terminal 5 Opening

You can't have failed to notice that the press think it's one big FAIL.

My favourite Tube shot related to this is from James Cridland who visited & (I think) flew from there yesterday.


He notes that the font used is also not the official London Underground font.

Tube Film Criticised

The BBC & Channel 4 both report on Mackenzie Crook's new Tube film Three and Out and it has been criticised by ASLEF's union leader for making a comedy out of suicide & portraying Tube staff as "callous self seeking half wits". This was before the Union leader had even seen a shot of the film.

I was lucky enough to be invited to a press preview screening of the Three and Out last week and the film is far from what it's being made out to be. Here's a picture from the press pack.


London Underground do not let any professional film crew on the London Underground without prior approval and I imagine they also had a PR person with them on the entire shoot. I was on Arena a couple of years ago for about five minutes - the shoot took several hours and we were accompanied by a LU PR person for the whole shooting time. Personally, I think the producers of Three and Out handled the suicide issues well.

Taking Photos on the Tube makes you a Terrorist

The Times report on how street photographers face difficulties with public concern rising over terrorism and paedophilia (nice). "In the past year, the photography blogs have buzzed with tales of harassment, even violence.... There's the amateur photographer punched prostrate in the London Tube after refusing to give up his film to a stranger....

"Now, a new poster campaign by the Metropolitan Police is inviting Londoners to call a hotline if they don't like the look of a photographer. 'Thousands of people take photos every day,' runs the text. 'What if one of them seems odd?' The poster states that terrorists use cameras for surveillance. Life with a camera might be about to turn tougher."


Here's a lucky shot by me taking a picture of a guy on the Tube with the said Police campaign in view.

If you've seen or taken a topical Tube picture (or even one that spoofs it) please send to me and comments, as normal, welcome below.