Episode 7 Oxford Street Revealed

It's the most famous shopping street in the world, in the heart

of Britain's capital city.

A mile and a half long,

with 30 million visitors each year.

With some of the world's most famous shops,

-biggest stars...

-Kate Moss!

CHEERING

-..and busiest stations.

-Sorry, guys, stand back for me.

..what does it take to keep it running 24 hours a day...

It's the busiest street in the world so it needs constant attention.

-..seven days a week?

-Oi, clear off!

-Welcome to Oxford Street.

Welcome to the pickpocket team.

Are you ready, London?!

A street that never sleeps.

This sort of thing wouldn't happen anywhere else.

Today on Oxford Street...

-Documents.

-..there's a homelessness problem at a key

-London landmark.

-I don't care where your madame is. No Marble Arch.

Oxford Street police get new powers to move them on,

but will they go quietly?

SHE SHOUTS

There's a major new launch for a landmark Oxford Street store.

It's glamorous, it's girlie, it's sexy.

APPLAUSE

And the black cabs of Oxford Street do their bit for UK tourism.

I might say the old "au revoir". They like that.

SHE LAUGHS

International visitors are a major part of what Oxford Street is

all about. 20 million visit London every year.

But occasionally it can lead to an unexpected clash of cultures.

At the west end of Oxford Street is London landmark Marble Arch, and it's

also a drop-off point for coaches travelling from the continent.

Oxford Street officer Andy Pescott patrols the area,

and has noticed a growing problem.

Some groups from Eastern Europe are getting off the coaches

at Marble Arch and, with no accommodation or jobs arranged,

they are setting up makeshift homes around this famous London landmark.

Police believe these rough sleepers are from Romania.

Pardon?

No, I do not have any food.

There have been ongoing complaints of antisocial behaviour, such as

blocking of doorways to shops, urinating in public and littering.

For a street which prides itself on being one of the glitziest

shopping experiences in the world, having this kind of rough living

on their doorsteps is a no-no for business.

Local shops have asked Andy and his team to move them on,

and it's not just the major stores.

We've had complaints from the newsagent

and the hairdressers here, where their business has been

directly affected, where they are taking a loss of earnings.

-Are you taking a loss of earnings?

-In summertime we lost lots of business.

And the worst aspect of the antisocial

behaviour takes place in the park.

If you would like to follow me.

If you'd like to look through there,

there are piles of human excrement and tissue paper covered in faeces.

It doesn't smell good.

Today, Andy has come once again to move the rough sleepers

on with the help of an interpreter.

The problem is, he's moved them on before,

only to find they only go as far as the park above the underpass,

and the antisocial behaviour continues.

The law governing antisocial behaviour has recently changed,

giving the police major new powers if they fear

individuals are harming an area.

They can issue a dispersal order,

banning people wholesale from an area for 48 hours.

If the rough sleepers only move as far as the park today,

Andy will put the new powers into action.

Buna! Documents.

Documents, thank you.

If you can please start to get up and clean up.

You are in the middle of central London.

It's not acceptable that we are, on a daily basis, getting repeated

complaints of the level of antisocial behaviour that is being

caused by these

Roma gypsies, in particular.

We have many homeless people that are not causing antisocial behaviour.

The rough sleepers appear to be moving.

Start clearing and moving on.

-But Andy fears they won't actually disperse from the area.

-Thank you.

And, although he's leaving for now, he plans to come back in a few

hours to see if the rough sleepers have gone.

If they haven't, he'll use his new powers and get them moving.

Behind this unassuming door on a side street, just yards

from Oxford Street, lies Chinawhite,

one of London's most famous nightclubs.

It's the venue of choice for legions of high rollers, celebrities

and today, Bobby Fitzpatrick and his team of upholsterers.

All right, Bob, how are you feeling?

Oh, dear!

The club is overhauling the seating around its main dance floor, and

Bobby and his team of specialists have been

brought in from Warrington to do the job.

The main work concerns the banquette sofas.

Since the club reopened off Oxford Street in 2009,

they've seen some serious usage.

The punters dance on the seats and have a good time.

They are just like proper stiletto holes,

so they've gone for a stronger, hard-wearing fabric.

Which is where Bobby and his purple nappa fabric come in.

Today, Bobby's team will finish stripping the old upholstery and

cut, stitch, tack, foam and fit the new ones,

all 80 metres of them.

Nothing is easy in this job.

Nothing's easy.

The problem is, against his better judgment, Bobby agreed to try

and get the job, which should take four days, done in three.

They've already been at it for two days,

and Bobby has promised to have it all done by six o'clock tonight.

It is eight o'clock in the morning.

Will we get it done? I hope so.

Nervous, yes, worried, yes, but at the same time, confident

because this is what we do, this is the industry we work in.

The production line's going now, they are done.

Paul is fitting, Mick is tacking.

So we're fairly confident most of these will be finished by later on.

There's an awful lot to do,

so the team put their heads down and get cracking.

We leave the team to it.

But as 5pm comes around, despite their ceaseless toil, there's

still 40 metres of banquettes that need fitting.

Deadlines are slipping.

Well, it's 5:15 now. We said we would be finished by six.

It's looking like it is going to run over by an hour.

-Is it accurate, Paul, an hour?

-It'll have to be.

So, well, we've got two hours left, 7:15.

It gives them nearly three hours to clean up.

We did 40 metres, we've got 40 metres left

and we've got these bits now to do in two hours.

We always hit a deadline.

Famous last words.

They've done 40 metres in nine hours.

They've got two hours left to do 40 metres more.

Can they achieve the impossible?

I'm hoping they will get there, otherwise it is a disaster.

We'll find out later in the programme.

Oxford Street-based police officer Andy Pescott has been

dealing with a large number of complaints about rough sleepers

at the famous Marble Arch monument.

He's given a group of them instructions to leave the area.

After a few hours patrolling elsewhere,

he's back at the western end of the street to see if they've stayed away.

Ladies, can you come here?

Straight away, Andy spots that the rough sleepers he moved

away from the underpass have only gone as far as the park above it.

But a recent change in the Antisocial Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act

gives police the power to ban

people from entering whole areas,

and that's what Andy plans to do here at Marble Arch.

It's going to be news to the rough sleepers,

-so Andy has brought an interpreter.

-Listen. OK.

If you explain to them that they are going to be dispersed

because of ongoing daily incidents of antisocial behaviour.

SHE INTERPRETS

Defecation in the bushes....

SHE INTERPRETS

..urination... SHE INTERPRETS

..littering... SHE INTERPRETS

..begging. SHE INTERPRETS

We have had repeated complaints, on a daily basis, through

the Metropolitan Police and Westminster City Council,

by local businesses, local residents...

..and members of the public.

-SHE INTERPRETS:

-We chased all over like dogs, where can we live?

We have failed to work in partnership with you to stop

all issues of antisocial behaviour.

SHE SPEAKS HER OWN LANGUAGE

-INTERPRETER:

-Please, bring some witnesses who will say we harassed them.

I have many statements.

I have many statements

you, as a group, are causing antisocial behaviour.

The rough sleepers don't want to go, but Andy feels the evidence

of problems is strewn all around them in this famous landmark.

Look behind you, at the litter.

That is caused by you.

You are being dispersed for a period of 48 hours.

Where you go, that is up to you.

You will not return to Marble Arch or Park Lane.

The rough sleepers aren't pleased, and so far

they aren't moving either, so Andy gives them a time limit to go.

You have 30 minutes, OK,

from me issuing this to dispersing.

SHE INTERPRETS

Andy is making sure everyone in the area gets the message.

This is your dispersal notice, OK?

You have 30 minutes in which you must leave.

SHE SPEAKS IN HER OWN LANGUAGE

-SHE INTERPRETS:

-What will I do?

London is a very big place. She is free to go where she likes.

OK. If some of this is your possessions,

take it with you.

After much arguing, the rough sleepers head off for pastures new.

They've now dispersed and gone on their way, but as you can see...

left behind is, well, all this.

This is what we are dealing with on a daily basis.

It is just unacceptable.

There was a certain level of aggression and hostility,

they were not happy about being moved on.

The council will have to clear the rubbish.

But, just as Andy and his team are leaving,

they spot another couple of rough sleepers.

I am issuing you with a 48-hour dispersal notice.

As individuals, I know that you were part of the group

because you were sleeping in the subway this morning.

This man and his partner are both given a dispersal notice,

and they leave for now.

Throughout the day, Andy issues more dispersal notices, and only time

will tell if his tough stance will make the area a nicer place to be.

That won't be them gone for good, that will be them gone

during the working hours, or the daylight hours,

and then they will be returning again later today.

Later, Andy is back at Marble Arch,

and unfortunately he's not the only one.

No Marble Arch. You Marble arch,

you get arrested. End of.

Not many people can say they are responsible for the clothes

you're wearing. But this is one woman who just might.

OK, should we start at the front?

Yasmin Yusuf is the creative director of Miss Selfridge.

She oversees the multi-million pound chain's designs,

and their success or failure is on her shoulders.

Today she is just at the start of the design process for a major

new range, the premium collection.

I'm loving this one as well.

I think this is really modern, really modern.

She's gathered her team to decide on the look that will govern

this year's collection of party dresses,

aimed at the younger end of the market.

If the colour palette is black and all the pewters and silvers,

I think that will be really strong.

In a few months' time, the range will be unveiled

with an exclusive launch event at its flagship Oxford Street store.

It is the most important

street in the whole of the United Kingdom for shopping.

The footfall you've got going through this store

daily is astonishing.

This collection represents a massive investment for the company

and has to reach its sales targets.

This season, Yasmin's concentrating on two things,

vintage and embellished fabrics.

Over the last couple of years, Lisa

and I have been focused on these amazing beaded dresses.

Let's actually make this ours, let's own this.

Fashions from the early part of the 20th century are a major

inspiration, and Yasmin has referenced this

theme from the unique clothing archive owned by the company.

As we know, we need to modernise it, contemporise it, take it,

all the key elements and make it work for our target customer.

An original 1920s flapper dress has caught the designer's eye.

-Cos actually, the shape's really lovely on that.

-Yeah.

-But again, it just needs to be made a little more modern.

-Make it more fluid.

And a second vintage piece has also been influential.

The intricate beading from a Victorian-era dress has

provided inspiration for a specially created sample.

Should we have a look at it, because it does look beyond...

Yasmin asks a member of her team to do the honours and model it.

-It is just a little bit of drama.

-Yeah. It look really good on.

Imagine walking in, a bit of a showstopper there.

Briefing over, Yasmin's vintage vision is now

in the hands of her designers.

What I'd like to do is plant the seeds in your head, then you

take it away and bring it back even better than I thought it was.

Thank you, ladies. Perfect.

Later in the programme...

-Yasmin's collection is ready.

-Whoo, glamour city!

Now for the Oxford Street launch.

It's glamorous, it's girlie, it's sexy.

APPLAUSE

The majority of people that come to Oxford Street might

arrive by Tube or bus, but almost as important to keeping

the street moving is London's famous fleet of 20,000 black cabs.

Their importance to Oxford Street goes beyond their use as transport.

They're a big draw for foreign shoppers

wanting the full London experience.

Their reputation goes far and wide.

Cabbie Grant Davis has been driving customers down Oxford Street

for 26 years.

-Are you all right, fellas?

-Yes.

-You're good, yeah?

He knows the importance of the street as a thoroughfare.

For cabbies, being able to cross the centre of town from east to west

via Oxford Street is essential for business.

If you have a good run at it, it is a really good road.

If you can just go, you can really go from, like,

one end of London right down

to Marble Arch in real double good time.

Grant, like all his fellow cabbies, has done the Knowledge,

the most rigorous taxi training course in the world.

It took me about three-and-a-half years to do the Knowledge.

What you do is, you have to go and learn all these runs, 300-odd runs.

A run is a journey.

Then you have to learn all the points, so that's hospitals,

theatres, police stations,

points of interest, restaurants, cafes, bars.

You know, you name it.

You go to bed at night and all you can see is maps and one-way systems.

For qualified cabbies like Grant, the attraction of Oxford Street

is its legion of foreign tourists,

many of whom would rather take a cab than public transport.

Grant's been picking them up for years and knows how to handle them.

You do get your foreigners.

I mean, if I have French people in and they get out,

I might say the old "au revoir".

And they give you, you know, "bonjour" and all that. They like that.

And hoping to bag himself a few bonjours, guten tags and

buenos diases today, Grant parks up on Oxford Street.

Here we go. Hello, gents.

-Where are you from, fellas?

-Toronto, Canada.

Oh, wow.

Gents, what brings you to Oxford Street today, shopping?

Why have you got the suitcase, are you going to do a big old shop and fill the suitcase?

He likes Marks & Spencer's so he's getting a suitcase from Marks & Spencer.

He looks like a Marks & Spencer.

-I bet he buys his underwear from Marks & Spencer.

-I swear.

-THEY LAUGH

-Are you from Norway, yes?

-Yes.

What is it you like about, when you come to London?

-Shopping and the pubs.

-And the pubs.

THEY LAUGH

-Hi.

-Hello, sir.

Grant's last fare of the day decides to give him a Knowledge test.

I know about the Knowledge. Where is Cambridge Street?

In Pimlico. Yes?

-Where is Oxford Road?

-Up by Ladbroke Grove.

-That's right.

Where is Lanark Road?

-That's off of Maida Vale.

-Well done.

-Near the rec.

-Thank you.

-Thanks very much.

-Good talking to you.

I started sweating a bit there. I thought, "How was I going to do?"

I didn't think I done too badly, actually.

Like Oxford Street, Grant's cab has been

something of a United Nations today, but as long as they are willing

to pay for the privilege, Grant is certainly not complaining.

At Chinawhite nightclub, Bobby and his team of upholsters

are recovering the club's entire seating set-up.

Bobby promised to have the job done by 6pm.

It's now gone seven, and they are still a long way short.

The team are working frantically, but there's a lot to do.

While they cut, fit and tack,

freelance interior designer Jack Daniels arrives.

He's been brought in by the club to oversee the new layout.

The success of the project is on his shoulders.

So it is 7:20. I thought I would drop in

just briefly, just to see how things are progressing.

By the looks of things, there still appears to be quite a lot to do.

There's still 20 metres of banquettes to cover.

The team's final cut-off time for finishing the work has been

moved back to 10pm, when the club opens.

Bobby's earned himself some more time,

but he's getting increasingly frustrated by the lack

-of progress.

-It's looked exactly the same since this morning.

There's only four seats to sort out.

But, mate, four seats.

That's, like, midnight.

With the impending opening and no time left to lose, the club's

staff have no choice but to begin setting up around the upholstery work.

45 minutes, they reckon, they're going to be done.

People are arriving at 10pm, who are coming down to spend a lot of money.

They want to walk straight in, they don't want to hang around outside

and they certainly don't want to walk into a building site. So...

-Oh.

-MUSIC STARTS

And so the night begins.

Before he opens the club doors to the public,

boss James Spallone arrives for what was meant to be the final

sign off on the job, but there is clearly still a long way to go.

I would say in 40 minutes we'll have to open half an hour late.

I'm hoping they'll get there, otherwise it is a disaster.

The deadline is back by another half an hour.

They've got to be finished by 7:30 at the absolute latest.

10:30 is when the promoters have promised the crowd

they can come in, so 10:30 is the...

no-more-time zone.

The team put the extra 40 minutes they've been given to good use,

working furiously. But when 10:30 comes along...

It's like a time warp.

It's like you are in a time machine that's broken.

And it is just not going anywhere.

The club has to open its doors anyway.

The first people to arrive are kept in a holding area while the

team fit the final few banquettes.

Bobby's already cleaning up around them.

Because of the embarrassment caused,

they are now making us use the

nerds' exit at the back.

Because they don't want to face us going outside and seeing everybody.

It is like the walk of shame.

The team give it one last push.

The final banquette is fitted,

put in place and at 11pm the job is declared complete...ish.

Pardon? Done!

Done. That's where the promoters sit.

That's done.

I think we could finally be ready. I can't believe it.

I just want to see someone walk through the door now,

dance and sit down. Then I can go home to bed.

Even boss James seems pleased.

Or is it just relief?

You've been so understanding at 11pm,

we should have been out of here five hours ago.

And finally the paying public are let loose on Bobby's banquettes.

HE LAUGHS

Oh, my God!

All done, fellas.

THEY CHEER

Enjoy that?

Whoever's seen so many broken men in one street late at night?

Who's broke?

In truth, the team have pulled off a minor miracle getting

a four-day job done in three.

It might have been a close shave near the end,

but with the job done, they can head off for a well-earned sleep.

With a little present from Westminster Council to

help them on their way.

Thank you.

Yesterday, Oxford Street officer Andy Pescott issued dispersal

notices to rough sleepers causing antisocial

behaviour at Marble Arch,

which meant they couldn't return for 48 hours.

Today he's back to check who's in the park.

The good news is that almost all the rough sleepers he warned

have gone, but there's one familiar face.

One of the dispersed people has decided to ignore the ban

and pitch up in the park.

Marble Arch, 13:50,

and the duration was 40 hours.

He is one of those who was dispersed.

The man says he lost touch with his partner and came to see

if she was here. Andy is not swayed.

It's not my problem, my friend.

It was clearly explained, no Marble Arch.

You're at Marble Arch.

Tough, no excuses. I don't care where your madame is.

No Marble Arch.

You Marble Arch, you get arrested. End of.

Other rough sleepers are here

but not the ones banned yesterday like this man.

He will be arrested for breaching the dispersal order.

The dispersal order marks a big change in policing

the homelessness problem at Marble Arch.

With local businesses having had enough,

the police intend to get tough.

They can't have so many people making a home for themselves in this way,

at one of the street's key landmarks.

In the last 24 hours, that's 24 dispersal notices with only

one breach, so I would say it is win-win, really.

Positive.

Happy days.

Although not for him. This man failed to turn up

for his hearing, and a warrant was issued for his arrest.

He was eventually found, arrested

and given two weeks' imprisonment for breaching his dispersal order.

In the meantime, Andy Pescott has continued to use his powers

to disperse anyone who shouldn't be at Marble Arch.

After months of hard work, Miss Selfridge's creative director

Yasmin Yusuf's collection of party dresses is finally ready.

She's delighted with the results.

You know what, when they deliver it better than you actually

conceptualised it in the first place, you can't really ask for more,

so I'm excited to see the

actual launch now.

Tomorrow, the collection will be in store for the first time, with

-Yasmin giving a briefing.

-This'll be in all three windows.

But before that happens,

the team concentrate on making sure the collection looks right.

It's the night before the launch, and the window display is being fitted.

With so much competition on Oxford Street, getting it right is crucial.

At 7am, Yasmin arrives to give her verdict.

OK, let's talk through this window.

She has famously high standards,

and the window needs to match expectations.

What I would probably do is have a

-look of taking this "premium" decal to black.

-Yeah.

Bringing it down here so the impact of seeing all that isn't a problem.

But I think it is really, really strong.

Not bad for 7am in the morning.

Well done.

Yasmin is rarely off duty,

but today she has started especially early with a walk up Oxford Street.

What I normally do is, I come from Marble Arch to see all

the different stores at that moment in time before I get to our one.

Today, when I came through, I was really happy.

It's an encouraging start, but luring the customer in with

an impressive window display is just the beginning.

The interior of the store has to deliver too.

OK, Mandy, so we've pulled them from the window,

through to the runway

and then back to, whoo, glamour city!

Producing a strong collection is one thing,

but sales are what really count.

General store manager Natasha knows what appeals to customers.

I think the whole beauty of this range, and obviously it is vintage inspired, is that

you can do what you want.

Wear it in the day, like I am.

You know, wear it to get the milk in.

SHE LAUGHS

It has taken months of hard work to get to the moment

when the collection goes live.

But first, fashion industry insiders are given a sneaky peek.

We are here at Oxford Circus to launch the premium collection.

It's glamorous, it's girlie, it's sexy.

It is brought from our vintage archives,

for those that are into vintage.

APPLAUSE

Do have a look at it.

Preview over, the collection finally goes on sale.

Ultimately, the success of the range will be judged on how well

it sells.

One month after launch, Natasha reflects on how it has gone.

This category alone is up 166%,

up like for like sales. To me, that says, you know, that speaks volumes.

But, as always in the world of fashion,

it's the next big idea that counts, so Yasmin

and her team are already working on the new collection.