Neasden has been called “the home of the gnome and the average citizen” by Sir John Betjeman and has long been the butt of jokes. Now Graham Norton has joined in the mockery after he snootily dismissed the area’s starring role in ITV drama Mr Selfridge.
Hollywood star Jeremy Piven, who plays the flamboyant entrepreneur, told Norton’s Radio 2 show he was looking forward to filming further episodes in Neasden, where an elaborate mock-up of the 1909 Selfridges store has been built.
“Neasden?” exclaimed Norton. “That seems cruel and unusual.”
Piven defended the location, saying: “It’s one of those places in London that’s still kind of under the radar.”
Hooting with laughter, Norton said: “It really is, I think you could call it ‘up and coming’. You can still get a bargain in Neasden.”
The presenter inquired why producers had given the American actor a flat in Belsize Park during filming, “when it would be much handier to live in Neasden”.
Yet Piven appears smitten. “It’s exciting there,” he said. “I was actually looking [to buy] a couple of places.”
