'Tube Night'  -  Title 3.    Heart of the Angel (1989) produced by the 40 Minutes series.   The Angel was always my least favourite station as I dreaded an outbreak of panic as it only has one central platform to cope with two single lines in either direction.  Fearful during the rush hour and much easier to wait for a 38 bus for a visit to Sadler's Wells.

Three likeable central characters.   A chirpy ticket collector; a gaffer who seems to be permanently exhausted, almost somnambulistic in persona; and a booking clerk who'd worked for 45 years but full of regret about opportunties 'for the better things of life' which his background denied him.   Loved his Morse expression of disbelief when a passenger wished him, 'Now, have a good day'.      When asked if he was miserable he replied, "No, I've just got that sort of face".  

Title 4   The London Underground Map (1987)  25 mins           A fascinating insight into the design of the map which was first envisaged in 1931 and continues today with updated information, despite a bureaucratic attempt to change the format in 1961.    It was the work of Harry Beck who was, in fact, an engineering draughtsman, not a graphic designer.   Typically, the London Transport Passenger Board (LPTB) turned down his hand-designed original in 1932/33 but, typically, they grudgingly gave it a trial when it became a huge success.   Early maps were bewildering and too complicated to follow but Beck had the inspiration to use straight lines and, shrewdly, ignored scale and geography, except for the consistent bends of the Thames.   He concentrated on connection points between stations, rather than indicating distance.   Early posters were displayed, pointing to the new map, with a sub-heading, 'No Need to Ask A Policeman'.      Beck's fee from LPTB for his original design was five guineas!

This documentary is a real gem.      Overall, a marvellous collection.  

Stanley,