Londoner's Diary: Spooks going underground in Notting Hill

 
007 in W11: Daniel Craig as James Bond
16 December 2014

Who knew that Notting Hill was so popular with spies? Just a stone’s throw away from the cosy home of director Richard Curtis and the communal garden that Hugh Grant broke into with Julia Roberts in the movie, we hear that a rather more suave individual has been leaping across the rooftops.

A small army of lights, cameras, trailers and cranes descended this weekend on the corner of Stanley Crescent and Ladbroke Gardens as shooting began for “B24” (aka the latest James Bond film Spectre). But not everyone is seduced by the bright lights and big stars.

Filming is taking place around the elegant townhouses where those such as film-maker Eric Fellner and multi-millionaire businessman Ronald Cohen live, and where there’s already been much neighbourly grumbling over the trend of home renovations, “iceberg basements” and the attendant trucks and cranes. They say having film crews rumbling up outside your door is much the same problem — it sounds glamorous but is just an inconvenience.

Yet there seems to be something about this quiet part of W11 that draws spooks to it like a Q-designed dog whistle. Earlier this year, on the same street, shooting took place for John le Carré’s Our Kind of Traitor, starring Ewan McGregor and Naomie Harris (Bond’s new Miss Moneypenny).

“Those communal gardens are very exclusive and there’s a real air of discretion,” says local Knight Frank estate agent Arthur Lintell. “Everyone wants to know what’s behind those doors and going on in those gardens.”

What do the locals think about 007 hanging around her neighbourhood? “Is he?” said Rachel Johnson. “It’s all gone a bit quiet since Rita Ora went to New York ...”

Speaking of Bond ...

Some fans felt Mr Bond slugging from a bottle of Heineken in the last film was rather déclassé. So they will be glad to hear that martinis are back. Premium vodka brand Belvedere has been signed to provide the spirit in new film Spectre, meaning 007 will be back on the “shaken but not stirred” line.

Labour leader’s still not doing God

The Christmas party for Christians on the Left at Labour’s HQ in Brewer’s Green was a lively affair — there were reflections from various Christian charities on their work in Syria and Iraq, and with food banks and the marginalised in Britain.

The speakers dwelt on the role played by the churches — until it came to the address from Ed Miliband. The Labour leader was eloquent about food banks and the election and mentioned that he would be taking “a few hours off” at Christmas.

But Ed, an atheist, failed to mention the churches, Christianity, faith or indeed God, despite his audience. Why did he avoid the C-word or the G-word? “I really don’t know,” said one embarrassed Labour MP, making for the door.

Don’t be shy splashing the red stuff ...

Ketchup is so last season. The Londoner sauntered into Condé Nast’s Love magazine Christmas party at The Ivy Market Grill in Covent Garden last night, where we joined a heavenly host counting down to the 25th.

Radio 1 DJ Nick Grimshaw cosied up to actress Sadie Frost, models Olympia and Edie Campbell brought some sisterly love, while muso and model Alice Dellal arrived in a leather jacket that might have been rock chic or just an attempt to ward of the December chill.

Snuggled up: Nick Grimshaw and Sadie Frost (Picture: Dave Benett)
Dave Benett

But one thing was off the menu: we were told that tomato ketchup had been banned. Why? The rumour among the fashion pack was that Love editor Katie Grand has “a phobia” about the condiment. Sacrilege.

Do Lidl and Aldi like being thought of as the Ukip of supermarkets?

Yesterday The Londoner reported that Ukip MP Douglas Carswell had said there was no reason for the political duopoly of the Labour and Conservative Party. It was a bit like just having two supermarkets, Morrisons v Waitrose, he said, adding that he preferred to think “Ukip is Lidl, Ukip is Aldi.” (German supermarkets, we hastened to point out). Anyway, market news arrives today that both Lidl and Aldi are winning the Christmas race, with big increases in takings. Do they like being thought of as the Ukip of supermarkets? Aldi won’t respond but Lidl tells The Londoner that as a “politically neutral business” they’d rather not comment.

Spot the star behind the Santa whiskers

Among the flurry of Christmas cards, The Londoner was delighted to be sent a truly 2014 festive greeting — a Yuletide photobomb. The London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art — whose alumni include Anna Chancellor and Benedict Cumberbatch — is doing a celebrity Secret Santa.

Theatre connoisseurs who recognise which former drama student is hiding behind the Father Christmas beard have the chance to win a pair of tickets to Lamda’s 2015 spring season.

We have a hunch about which devilishly good actress has sent in the first Santa selfie but frankly we were more excited by the fact that Jake Gyllenhaal has snuck in as one of the North Pole’s better-looking elves.

She’s the main Dane

To Bafta HQ in Piccadilly for its annual and highly regarded David Lean Lecture, which has been running since 2000. After 14 years of speeches from directors ranging from Paul Greengrass and Pedro Almodóvar to Oliver Stone and David Lynch, the stage was finally given over to a woman, the Danish director Lone Scherfig, who was behind The Riot Club.

Not that she grew up thinking there was anything extraordinary about seeing a woman at the podium.

“When I was at film school,” recalled the director, who also directed An Education, “I remember thinking that — as we only had only one TV channel in Denmark — if something I made was on TV, Margaret Thatcher wouldn’t be.”

For the full lecture, visit http://guru.bafta.org/

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