This episode was filmed in London's Docklands, and old victorian industrial area to the east of the City of London, now redeveloped for living, leisure and commerce. The Royal Victoria Dock is a former shipping port connected to the River Thames. Opened in 1855, it was the first London dock to be designed specifically to accommodate large steam ships. It was also the first to use hydraulic power to operate its machinery and the first to be connected to the national railway network.
Like the rest of London's Docklands, its original use is now long over. From the 1960s onwards, the Royal Victoria, like all of London's docks, experienced a steady decline as the shipping industry adopted containerization, which effectively moved traffic further out into the Thames estuary at Tilbury. The dock finally closed along with the other Royal Docks in 1980. The dock fell into dilapidation although, in 1988, the French musician Jean Michel Jarre used the site for a his 'Destination Docklands' concert!
Since 1994, the dock has experienced major redevelopment under the London Docklands Development Corporation. The dock itself is accessible to ships, although its western entrance has been filled in and it is now used chiefly for watersports. Its transport links have been greatly improved with new roads and Docklands Light Railway (DLR) lines running along both its north and south side. Most of the original warehouses have been demolished but the historic 19th century K-S and W Warehouses - both listed buildings - have survived. The ancient cranes dominate the waterline. They have been kept as a form of historical work of art.
The dock is dominated by the ExCeL Exhibition Centre, constructed on the north quayside and opened in November 2000, and by the adjacent high level Royal Victoria Dock Bridge (which part of this episode is filmed from). The waterside location of ExCel is used to its advantage when it hosts the annual London Boat Show, with visiting vessels moored alongside the exhibition centre. On the south side of the Dock is Britannia Village. The award winning development, which included the high level footbridge, was commissioned by LDDC and carried out by Wimpey Homes, the Peabody Trust and the East Thames Housing Group between 1994 and 2000.
In the distance is London City Airport, used by smaller commercial aircraft for passengers wishing to land close to the heart of London (unlike Heathrow!). The episode ends with a plane taking off and passing overhead.
