Browse content similar to Episode 1. Check below for episodes and series from the same categories and more!
Line | From | To | |
---|---|---|---|
It's the most famous shopping street in the world in the heart | 0:00:02 | 0:00:04 | |
of Britain's capital city, 1.5 miles long with 30 million visitors | 0:00:04 | 0:00:10 | |
each year, with some of the world's most famous shops, biggest stars... | 0:00:10 | 0:00:16 | |
-Kate Moss! -..and busiest stations. -Sorry, guys. Stand back for me. | 0:00:16 | 0:00:21 | |
What does it take to keep it running 24 hours a day... | 0:00:21 | 0:00:25 | |
Busiest street in the world so it needs constant attention. | 0:00:25 | 0:00:27 | |
-..seven days a week? -Clear off! | 0:00:27 | 0:00:30 | |
You're going to be arrested on suspicion of attempted theft. | 0:00:30 | 0:00:33 | |
-Are you ready, London? -A street that never sleeps... | 0:00:33 | 0:00:38 | |
This sort of thing wouldn't happen anywhere else. | 0:00:38 | 0:00:40 | |
..Oxford Street. | 0:00:42 | 0:00:43 | |
-Coming up: Rogue rickshaw drivers on Oxford Street. -Police. Move on. | 0:00:46 | 0:00:51 | |
The police set out to crush the problem. | 0:00:51 | 0:00:54 | |
Happy days! Woohoo! | 0:00:54 | 0:00:56 | |
Builders teeter on the edge... | 0:00:58 | 0:01:00 | |
Yeah, it's a very long way down, so it is. | 0:01:00 | 0:01:03 | |
Whoa, whoa, whoa! | 0:01:03 | 0:01:05 | |
..and there's a problem for an Oxford Street Tube driver. | 0:01:05 | 0:01:09 | |
I believe someone found themselves under a train. | 0:01:09 | 0:01:12 | |
Constable Andy Pescott is the ward officer for the ORB police team, | 0:01:17 | 0:01:21 | |
dedicated to Oxford Street. | 0:01:21 | 0:01:23 | |
It's his job to listen to the concerns of local residents | 0:01:24 | 0:01:27 | |
and businesses. | 0:01:27 | 0:01:28 | |
One of the most frequent complaints is the behaviour of some | 0:01:28 | 0:01:31 | |
-of the street's rickshaw drivers. -Oi, what's that light? Red! | 0:01:31 | 0:01:36 | |
You're crossing a road and you've got children on board. | 0:01:36 | 0:01:40 | |
While some pedicab riders adhere to the rules, residents and businesses | 0:01:40 | 0:01:44 | |
complain that many others frequently break them, clogging up the roads... | 0:01:44 | 0:01:49 | |
-Whose is this one? -..parking where they're not meant to... | 0:01:50 | 0:01:54 | |
You both know that you cannot park outside Selfridges. | 0:01:54 | 0:01:57 | |
..playing music too loud... | 0:01:57 | 0:01:58 | |
MUSIC BLARES | 0:01:58 | 0:02:00 | |
..and charging too much. | 0:02:00 | 0:02:02 | |
-£5 per minute per person? -Yeah. -It's extortion. | 0:02:02 | 0:02:06 | |
For the last two years, | 0:02:06 | 0:02:07 | |
Andy's waged a one-man war against those operating on his patch. | 0:02:07 | 0:02:12 | |
Clear off! | 0:02:12 | 0:02:13 | |
He's tried various schemes to make them obey the rules, | 0:02:13 | 0:02:17 | |
including signing them up to a code of practice... | 0:02:17 | 0:02:19 | |
You will not stop on Oxford Street. | 0:02:19 | 0:02:21 | |
-You will ride until your legs drop off. -..issuing dispersal orders... | 0:02:21 | 0:02:25 | |
You will not return for 48 hours. | 0:02:25 | 0:02:28 | |
If you return within that time, you will be arrested. | 0:02:28 | 0:02:31 | |
-..and just plain telling them off. -And get on your way. Keep going! | 0:02:31 | 0:02:35 | |
But the problem just keeps getting worse and worse, | 0:02:35 | 0:02:38 | |
so much so that things have now come to a head for Andy. | 0:02:38 | 0:02:42 | |
Tried working in partnership with them. They're not interested. | 0:02:42 | 0:02:46 | |
It's all about money and greed. | 0:02:46 | 0:02:48 | |
They are unlicensed, they're unregulated | 0:02:48 | 0:02:51 | |
and they're uncontrolled. | 0:02:51 | 0:02:52 | |
These guys think they can rule the streets. They can't. | 0:02:52 | 0:02:55 | |
I can because I'm the law. | 0:02:55 | 0:02:57 | |
He's now got a new weapon with which to bring the riders to heel - | 0:02:58 | 0:03:02 | |
a criminal behaviour order, the modern equivalent of an ASBO. | 0:03:02 | 0:03:07 | |
The authorities can apply for one if they've evidence | 0:03:07 | 0:03:10 | |
all their other efforts at containing the problem have been ignored. | 0:03:10 | 0:03:14 | |
And today, Andy's doing just that. | 0:03:14 | 0:03:17 | |
He's taking one of his biggest problem drivers to court, | 0:03:17 | 0:03:20 | |
where he could face a hefty fine and even more serious sanctions. | 0:03:20 | 0:03:24 | |
Hopefully, I can get him banned from Westminster from riding | 0:03:24 | 0:03:27 | |
anything other than a two-wheeled bicycle. | 0:03:27 | 0:03:30 | |
Andy heads to court and he's already in a bad mood. | 0:03:30 | 0:03:33 | |
He's had to cancel a family holiday to attend | 0:03:33 | 0:03:36 | |
and there's a Tube strike on so he's having to walk. | 0:03:36 | 0:03:39 | |
A pedicab rider has never been prosecuted in this way before | 0:03:42 | 0:03:45 | |
and Andy isn't completely sure what the judge will decide. | 0:03:45 | 0:03:49 | |
Well, everything's riding on this case today | 0:03:49 | 0:03:51 | |
because it's going to set precedents. | 0:03:51 | 0:03:52 | |
If I don't get a good result, | 0:03:52 | 0:03:54 | |
it's going to send a message to them that they can flout the law. | 0:03:54 | 0:03:57 | |
Nevertheless, he's confident of securing a conviction. | 0:03:57 | 0:04:00 | |
I am the sheriff so there's only one outcome, isn't there? Happy days! | 0:04:00 | 0:04:06 | |
The rider Andy's pursuing today is one of his serial problems. | 0:04:06 | 0:04:10 | |
Called Davis Kaminskis, he's due in court at midday. | 0:04:10 | 0:04:14 | |
Andy heads in to wait for him. | 0:04:14 | 0:04:15 | |
But three hours later, there's still no sign of him. | 0:04:22 | 0:04:26 | |
Most of the rickshaw riders know each other | 0:04:28 | 0:04:30 | |
so Andy rings round some of them to try and locate Davis Kaminskis. | 0:04:30 | 0:04:34 | |
So it's confirmed that Davis Kaminskis has left the country? | 0:04:35 | 0:04:39 | |
All right. I appreciate that. Thank you very much, my friend. All right. | 0:04:40 | 0:04:44 | |
I'll see you on the streets. All right. Cheers, mate. | 0:04:44 | 0:04:47 | |
It's not good news. Andy put his best suit on for nothing. | 0:04:47 | 0:04:52 | |
I've been stood at court all day like a complete muppet. | 0:04:52 | 0:04:54 | |
I've cancelled my leave with my family to be here today at court. | 0:04:54 | 0:04:58 | |
There'll be a warrant out for his arrest, | 0:04:58 | 0:05:00 | |
and if he returns to the country, then he'll be arrested. | 0:05:00 | 0:05:03 | |
I'm just very angry that my day's been wasted. Very angry. | 0:05:03 | 0:05:08 | |
And the bad news for the pedicab riders of Oxford Street is | 0:05:10 | 0:05:13 | |
that Andy's got to walk down it to get back to the station. | 0:05:13 | 0:05:16 | |
Police. Move on. | 0:05:18 | 0:05:20 | |
It's just relentless, isn't it? If it's not one thing, it's another. | 0:05:20 | 0:05:24 | |
And then, across the street, Andy spots something that really | 0:05:25 | 0:05:28 | |
makes his blood boil... | 0:05:28 | 0:05:30 | |
HE SIGHS | 0:05:31 | 0:05:32 | |
..an unattended pedicab parked up in the road, blocking the junction. | 0:05:32 | 0:05:37 | |
The guy's taking the mickey, isn't he? | 0:05:37 | 0:05:38 | |
Moments later, the rider appears, thinking he's got himself a fare. | 0:05:38 | 0:05:43 | |
-Good. Ready? -Yeah, I'm ready, my friend. -Oh, sorry, mate. | 0:05:43 | 0:05:47 | |
-Yeah, police. You're taking the mickey, aren't you? -Huh? | 0:05:47 | 0:05:49 | |
-You're taking the mickey. -No, no, sorry... | 0:05:49 | 0:05:52 | |
Yeah, the answer is, "Yes, officer, I am taking the mickey." | 0:05:52 | 0:05:54 | |
Why have you abandoned it, firstly? | 0:05:54 | 0:05:57 | |
Secondly, you actually parked at the junction on the lights. | 0:05:57 | 0:06:00 | |
It's just, er... Got a coffee... | 0:06:00 | 0:06:02 | |
If you want to stop and have coffee, me old mate, | 0:06:02 | 0:06:04 | |
-do it on somebody else's footprint, OK? -Yeah. | 0:06:04 | 0:06:07 | |
You were about 20 seconds away from me getting this impounded | 0:06:07 | 0:06:10 | |
for left unattended so get on your horse, get out of Dodge. | 0:06:10 | 0:06:14 | |
Thoroughly chastened, the rider tries to make a quick getaway. | 0:06:14 | 0:06:17 | |
-A little too quick for Andy. -Move off with the lights, please. | 0:06:17 | 0:06:21 | |
With the lights. | 0:06:21 | 0:06:23 | |
Green! Go! Hasta la vista! | 0:06:23 | 0:06:25 | |
As he continues his patrol, | 0:06:27 | 0:06:28 | |
Andy spots another of his worst offending rickshaw riders, Rudolph. | 0:06:28 | 0:06:33 | |
-Hello, Rudolph. -Hi. -He's someone that knows Davis Kaminskis well. | 0:06:33 | 0:06:39 | |
-Davis, he should have been in court today. -Yeah? | 0:06:39 | 0:06:42 | |
-There's now going to be an arrest warrant out for him. -I don't know. | 0:06:42 | 0:06:46 | |
I'm just very angry that my day's been spent in court and his wasn't. | 0:06:46 | 0:06:50 | |
-Hello, mate. -And five minutes later, he comes across Mavis. | 0:06:51 | 0:06:55 | |
He's another major flouter of the rules governing rickshaws | 0:06:55 | 0:06:59 | |
and a fellow friend of Davis Kaminskis'. | 0:06:59 | 0:07:01 | |
So he went back to Latvia to get it done? | 0:07:04 | 0:07:06 | |
It's one of the better excuses Andy's heard. | 0:07:14 | 0:07:17 | |
What he should have done, though, is | 0:07:17 | 0:07:19 | |
because he was summoned to court, he should have let somebody know. | 0:07:19 | 0:07:22 | |
And it may well be that he's arrested at the port | 0:07:22 | 0:07:24 | |
-when he comes back in. -OK. We have a receipt for the hospital. | 0:07:24 | 0:07:28 | |
-Make sure he has the emergency stuff on him. -Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. | 0:07:28 | 0:07:33 | |
If he can prove a genuine medical emergency, | 0:07:33 | 0:07:35 | |
he won't be punished for missing the court date. | 0:07:35 | 0:07:38 | |
Either way, Andy's chance to set a legal precedent to bring | 0:07:38 | 0:07:42 | |
the rogue rickshaw riders to order has gone for today. | 0:07:42 | 0:07:45 | |
He puts paperwork together to get criminal behaviour | 0:07:46 | 0:07:49 | |
orders against two more of his major problem riders, | 0:07:49 | 0:07:52 | |
both of whom he met today - Rudolph and Mavis. | 0:07:52 | 0:07:55 | |
-Later, Andy's back at court but where are his riders? -It's now 2:15. | 0:07:58 | 0:08:04 | |
He was supposed to have been there for 1:30. | 0:08:04 | 0:08:07 | |
I'm a bit worried he's not going to turn up. | 0:08:07 | 0:08:09 | |
Building sites present many challenges | 0:08:18 | 0:08:21 | |
and Oxford Street can be trickier than most. | 0:08:21 | 0:08:23 | |
The narrow confines | 0:08:27 | 0:08:28 | |
and millions of shoppers passing by add to the complexities | 0:08:28 | 0:08:32 | |
faced by construction companies... | 0:08:32 | 0:08:33 | |
..all of which take safety very seriously. | 0:08:35 | 0:08:38 | |
That's certainly the case on the Oriana project. | 0:08:40 | 0:08:43 | |
This 220,000 square foot development at the east end of the street | 0:08:43 | 0:08:48 | |
is due for completion in late 2016 | 0:08:48 | 0:08:50 | |
and will provide retail space, offices and flats. | 0:08:50 | 0:08:54 | |
Today, the builders have got a crucial job to do. | 0:08:54 | 0:08:57 | |
There's a two-storey basement underneath an existing | 0:09:00 | 0:09:03 | |
concrete floor. | 0:09:03 | 0:09:05 | |
It's currently held up by a number of concrete pillars but to make | 0:09:05 | 0:09:08 | |
this usable retail space, they want to remove the pillars altogether. | 0:09:08 | 0:09:13 | |
OK, Dave. | 0:09:13 | 0:09:14 | |
They've spent the last two days craning | 0:09:14 | 0:09:16 | |
and welding a huge metal crossbar into place, | 0:09:16 | 0:09:19 | |
supported by new steel struts to take the weight from the old pillars. | 0:09:19 | 0:09:23 | |
With the bar in place, they can now jackhammer them out. | 0:09:26 | 0:09:29 | |
And that's when things get challenging. | 0:09:29 | 0:09:31 | |
It's one of the biggest tasks on the job, actually. | 0:09:33 | 0:09:36 | |
Very tricky and very dangerous but with the health | 0:09:36 | 0:09:39 | |
and safety in place, everything should go well. | 0:09:39 | 0:09:42 | |
Making sure it does is Martin Kenefick | 0:09:44 | 0:09:46 | |
and his five-tonne excavator machine. | 0:09:46 | 0:09:48 | |
Within the next two days, I need to get this big lump of concrete, | 0:09:51 | 0:09:54 | |
this block of concrete, broke down safe and securely. | 0:09:54 | 0:09:58 | |
While Martin's knocking down the old support columns, | 0:09:58 | 0:10:01 | |
Warren needs to make sure the slab | 0:10:01 | 0:10:03 | |
and newly-installed metal beam above stay perfectly still. | 0:10:03 | 0:10:06 | |
So this beam is holding up this slab. | 0:10:07 | 0:10:10 | |
We're just taking levels now at this moment because, | 0:10:10 | 0:10:12 | |
if there's any movement at all, we've got to stop work | 0:10:12 | 0:10:15 | |
cos it's very dangerous underneath. | 0:10:15 | 0:10:17 | |
More than a centimetre's movement would mean the support was | 0:10:17 | 0:10:20 | |
unstable and risk the whole concrete floor | 0:10:20 | 0:10:23 | |
collapsing into the ten-metre hole beneath. | 0:10:23 | 0:10:25 | |
Martin picks up his jackhammer and gets to work on the column. | 0:10:27 | 0:10:32 | |
Here we go. | 0:10:32 | 0:10:33 | |
HAMMERING | 0:10:33 | 0:10:35 | |
Most of the steel is in my way. | 0:10:39 | 0:10:41 | |
It's very hard to break the concrete around it. | 0:10:41 | 0:10:43 | |
After three hours of jackhammering, Warren steps in. | 0:10:44 | 0:10:48 | |
If you stop breaking now. | 0:10:48 | 0:10:49 | |
We're going to check the level of the beam, | 0:10:49 | 0:10:51 | |
make sure it's not moving, yeah? | 0:10:51 | 0:10:54 | |
Now, the moment of truth. | 0:10:54 | 0:10:55 | |
Have a nice day. | 0:10:57 | 0:10:58 | |
-How we looking? -It's nice. -Nice, yeah? That's good news. | 0:11:01 | 0:11:06 | |
The beam is holding firm. | 0:11:08 | 0:11:10 | |
In the excavator, Martin's edging closer and closer to the entrance | 0:11:10 | 0:11:14 | |
to the pit, extending the machine to reach what's left of the column. | 0:11:14 | 0:11:18 | |
There's only a small bit left | 0:11:18 | 0:11:19 | |
but reaching it is the main problem at the minute. | 0:11:19 | 0:11:22 | |
He spins the digger around to get even closer. | 0:11:22 | 0:11:25 | |
He's now right on the edge of the pit. | 0:11:28 | 0:11:31 | |
It's getting very hairy, so it is. Very scary. | 0:11:31 | 0:11:34 | |
It's a very long way down. | 0:11:37 | 0:11:38 | |
This would probably be up there with sort of the riskier | 0:11:41 | 0:11:44 | |
stuff we're undertaking on this project. | 0:11:44 | 0:11:46 | |
Just last bit of the block so I'm going to have to stretch | 0:11:48 | 0:11:51 | |
the machine now to its full capacity and see, can I push it over? | 0:11:51 | 0:11:54 | |
The back of the tracks are off the ground and Martin's | 0:11:58 | 0:12:01 | |
stretched as far as he possibly can but the pillars are still standing. | 0:12:01 | 0:12:06 | |
He's at full reach now. He's as close as he can get. | 0:12:06 | 0:12:09 | |
We need a rethink on how we're going to get the lower | 0:12:09 | 0:12:11 | |
part of the poles down. | 0:12:11 | 0:12:12 | |
After a moment's puzzling, Warren's come up with a plan. | 0:12:14 | 0:12:17 | |
What I want to try and do is try and lift the five-tonne machine | 0:12:17 | 0:12:21 | |
down into the basement, mate, | 0:12:21 | 0:12:23 | |
in through that hole we got in the slab. | 0:12:23 | 0:12:25 | |
Craning the excavator into the hole is the quickest and easiest solution. | 0:12:25 | 0:12:30 | |
The alternative, building a ramp, would take a lot more time | 0:12:30 | 0:12:33 | |
and manpower. | 0:12:33 | 0:12:34 | |
Getting it in there is the job of crane operator Dave, | 0:12:35 | 0:12:38 | |
150 foot above Oxford Street. | 0:12:38 | 0:12:40 | |
So, yeah, that would be the heaviest lift for today. | 0:12:41 | 0:12:45 | |
Dave's used to lifting anything and everything on this site | 0:12:45 | 0:12:48 | |
but this won't be simple. Warren's not even sure the machine will fit. | 0:12:48 | 0:12:53 | |
There's rebars sticking out, which is going to | 0:12:53 | 0:12:55 | |
extend the slab at a later date, | 0:12:55 | 0:12:57 | |
so I'm just hoping it will squeeze down in between the two. | 0:12:57 | 0:13:00 | |
Hopefully. | 0:13:00 | 0:13:01 | |
The digger is changed to the crane and Dave begins to lift it. | 0:13:03 | 0:13:07 | |
-Five tonnes is quite a lot. -OK, whenever we're ready, yeah? | 0:13:07 | 0:13:11 | |
The crane will bend and twist. | 0:13:12 | 0:13:14 | |
And as you're lifting a heavy load, | 0:13:15 | 0:13:18 | |
you'll feel the crane just start leaning forward. | 0:13:18 | 0:13:21 | |
So then you bring your gib back to keep it central. | 0:13:21 | 0:13:25 | |
Yeah. But you learn quickly! | 0:13:27 | 0:13:28 | |
HE CHUCKLES | 0:13:28 | 0:13:30 | |
Later, digging a hole for themselves. | 0:13:30 | 0:13:32 | |
Can the Oriana team get the excavator in and the concrete pillars out? | 0:13:32 | 0:13:37 | |
Um, hopefully, we can... Ooh! | 0:13:37 | 0:13:40 | |
Every year, 30 million people visit Oxford Street. | 0:13:49 | 0:13:52 | |
The vast majority come by public transport | 0:13:53 | 0:13:57 | |
and that means riding the bus or taking the Tube. | 0:13:57 | 0:13:59 | |
And neither form of transport can get there without their drivers. | 0:14:03 | 0:14:08 | |
But just what's involved, being a driver of public transport, | 0:14:08 | 0:14:11 | |
on and under Europe's busiest shopping street? | 0:14:11 | 0:14:15 | |
There are 3,500 Tube drivers in London. | 0:14:15 | 0:14:18 | |
-Will Gillingham is one of them. -Ta-da! | 0:14:18 | 0:14:21 | |
He's starting his day's work 15 miles from Oxford Street in West Ruislip. | 0:14:21 | 0:14:28 | |
Once we get a nice green signal, we can be out of here. | 0:14:28 | 0:14:30 | |
We're on the Central Line. | 0:14:33 | 0:14:34 | |
We've just left South Ruislip, heading east. | 0:14:34 | 0:14:37 | |
Today, Will's taking his Tube train right through Oxford Street's | 0:14:38 | 0:14:41 | |
four Tube stations. | 0:14:41 | 0:14:43 | |
Foremost among them, the busiest railway station in the UK - | 0:14:43 | 0:14:47 | |
Oxford Circus. | 0:14:47 | 0:14:48 | |
On the other side of London, Sharon is getting ready to make | 0:14:50 | 0:14:54 | |
the same journey in the opposite direction and above ground. | 0:14:54 | 0:14:58 | |
And I've taken my bus from Archway, | 0:15:00 | 0:15:02 | |
get all the lovely passengers on board. | 0:15:02 | 0:15:04 | |
She's one of 25,000 London bus drivers. | 0:15:04 | 0:15:08 | |
Today, she's driving the 390 right down Oxford Street. | 0:15:08 | 0:15:11 | |
I've been on the job, ooh, 16 years now. | 0:15:11 | 0:15:14 | |
It's been kind of a challenge but, yeah, I love the challenge. | 0:15:14 | 0:15:19 | |
Sharon will be driving the new Routemaster, modelled on its iconic | 0:15:19 | 0:15:23 | |
but now retired namesake. | 0:15:23 | 0:15:25 | |
Each bus costs around £350,000 - | 0:15:25 | 0:15:29 | |
more than the average price of a UK home. | 0:15:29 | 0:15:32 | |
Hello, Shez! | 0:15:32 | 0:15:33 | |
Today, Gary will be Sharon's conductor, | 0:15:33 | 0:15:35 | |
-now known as a customer assistant. -You all right? -All right? | 0:15:35 | 0:15:38 | |
-Yeah, good to see you again. -Nice one. -Nice working with you. | 0:15:38 | 0:15:41 | |
-All right? -Yeah, you? -Yeah. -I ain't worked with you for a while. -I know. | 0:15:41 | 0:15:44 | |
-It's been ages! -That's nice. Well, I'm glad I'm with you. | 0:15:44 | 0:15:47 | |
Sharon and Gary have got a regular shift ahead of them | 0:15:47 | 0:15:50 | |
involving six journeys up and down Oxford Street. | 0:15:50 | 0:15:53 | |
They get going. | 0:15:55 | 0:15:56 | |
Meanwhile, underground, Will is approaching the first | 0:15:58 | 0:16:01 | |
and quietest of the four Oxford Street stations. | 0:16:01 | 0:16:06 | |
This is Marble Arch. | 0:16:06 | 0:16:07 | |
This is lunchtime. | 0:16:07 | 0:16:08 | |
Give it another three hours or so and it gets quite interesting. | 0:16:08 | 0:16:12 | |
Will's cab connects with the station's CCTV to help him | 0:16:12 | 0:16:17 | |
operate the doors. | 0:16:17 | 0:16:19 | |
So what you're looking at is all four at the same time | 0:16:19 | 0:16:21 | |
and making sure that, when you want close the doors, | 0:16:21 | 0:16:23 | |
there's no-one about to get caught in them. | 0:16:23 | 0:16:25 | |
Please stand clear. | 0:16:25 | 0:16:26 | |
Mind the closing doors now. Mind the doors. | 0:16:26 | 0:16:29 | |
Next up is the biggest challenge for any Tube driver - | 0:16:29 | 0:16:32 | |
the UK's busiest station. | 0:16:32 | 0:16:34 | |
Next station is Oxford Circus and this one gets really, | 0:16:35 | 0:16:38 | |
really busy and it doesn't disappoint! | 0:16:38 | 0:16:41 | |
HE LAUGHS | 0:16:41 | 0:16:43 | |
100 million passengers use Oxford Circus station every year. | 0:16:43 | 0:16:47 | |
Making sure the doors close safely is paramount for Will. | 0:16:47 | 0:16:52 | |
Ladies and gentlemen, please board the train quickly | 0:16:52 | 0:16:54 | |
and move right down inside the cars. Now stand clear of the doors. | 0:16:54 | 0:16:57 | |
The train is getting ready to depart. Stand clear now. | 0:16:57 | 0:16:59 | |
We should really be departing | 0:16:59 | 0:17:00 | |
but this is a typical example where we're likely to | 0:17:00 | 0:17:03 | |
be in the platform just a few seconds longer than would be ideal. | 0:17:03 | 0:17:07 | |
This train is now ready to depart. Stand clear now, please. | 0:17:07 | 0:17:09 | |
Mind the closing doors. Mind the doors. | 0:17:09 | 0:17:11 | |
With Oxford Circus passed, Will can begin to breathe a bit easier | 0:17:15 | 0:17:19 | |
but a little further along and a call comes through to his cab. | 0:17:19 | 0:17:22 | |
He's forced to hold the train while he finds out what's going on. | 0:17:30 | 0:17:34 | |
Well, unfortunately, at Mile End on the eastbound, | 0:17:34 | 0:17:37 | |
I believe someone found themselves under a train. | 0:17:37 | 0:17:42 | |
The exact details of how that happened, | 0:17:42 | 0:17:44 | |
what it was all about, I don't know. | 0:17:44 | 0:17:46 | |
Someone on the tracks is the most difficult thing | 0:17:46 | 0:17:48 | |
London Underground staff face at any time. | 0:17:48 | 0:17:51 | |
Part and parcel of the job, | 0:17:52 | 0:17:53 | |
that people do find themselves under trains, for whatever reason. | 0:17:53 | 0:17:58 | |
Sometimes an accident, sometimes it isn't. | 0:17:58 | 0:18:01 | |
It's that feeling of helplessness where, | 0:18:01 | 0:18:02 | |
if someone is going to do that, you cannot do anything to avoid it. | 0:18:02 | 0:18:08 | |
Trains are held back along the line while staff deal with the incident. | 0:18:09 | 0:18:14 | |
Will and his passengers, meanwhile, sit patiently and wait. | 0:18:14 | 0:18:17 | |
Back above ground and things are getting busy for Sharon and Gary. | 0:18:22 | 0:18:26 | |
Just at the start of Oxford Street now. | 0:18:27 | 0:18:30 | |
Oh, he's waiting for the bus. Come down. | 0:18:31 | 0:18:33 | |
I'm waiting, I'm waiting, I'm waiting! | 0:18:33 | 0:18:36 | |
BEEPING | 0:18:36 | 0:18:37 | |
I wouldn't have left you. I saw you running. | 0:18:37 | 0:18:39 | |
SHE LAUGHS | 0:18:39 | 0:18:40 | |
BEEPING | 0:18:40 | 0:18:41 | |
Oxford Street is a journey many bus drivers dislike. | 0:18:41 | 0:18:46 | |
-Sharon has many obstacles to avoid... -Some people aren't even looking. | 0:18:46 | 0:18:50 | |
They're just walking across and not even looking if the bus is moving. | 0:18:50 | 0:18:54 | |
..reckless pedicabs... | 0:18:54 | 0:18:55 | |
You just don't know when they're going to swing in front of you | 0:18:55 | 0:18:58 | |
-and turn around. -..crazy cyclists... -Didn't even look. | 0:18:58 | 0:19:02 | |
-He just jumped in the road. -..foolhardy pedestrians. -Uh-uh-uh! | 0:19:02 | 0:19:06 | |
We've got a Roadrunner! He didn't even look either. | 0:19:06 | 0:19:09 | |
Still keeping the good old wits about me. Wow! | 0:19:09 | 0:19:13 | |
But despite the other road users, | 0:19:14 | 0:19:15 | |
she makes it to the end of the street on time and in one piece. | 0:19:15 | 0:19:19 | |
Back underground and the Tube trains at Oxford Circus are at a standstill. | 0:19:21 | 0:19:26 | |
Further down the line, Will is still stuck in a station. | 0:19:26 | 0:19:30 | |
This is taking a little longer to put right than we would normally be. | 0:19:30 | 0:19:33 | |
This train is pretty full and, right now, | 0:19:33 | 0:19:35 | |
it's going to be hot back there. | 0:19:35 | 0:19:37 | |
In the height of summer, | 0:19:39 | 0:19:40 | |
temperatures on the Tube can reach as high as 35 degrees Celsius. | 0:19:40 | 0:19:45 | |
-With a man who wants to know what gives. Hello, buddy. -How you doing? | 0:19:45 | 0:19:48 | |
Yeah, cool, mate. | 0:19:48 | 0:19:49 | |
Neither have we, if you want the truth! | 0:19:52 | 0:19:54 | |
No, the latest update I got was about five minutes ago, | 0:19:54 | 0:19:57 | |
-expecting it will be five minutes. -Five minutes, yeah? | 0:19:57 | 0:19:59 | |
They've got traction current off because they want to reset | 0:19:59 | 0:20:03 | |
the section switch but it don't normally take this long. | 0:20:03 | 0:20:07 | |
-All right, then. Cheers. -All right, buddy. | 0:20:07 | 0:20:09 | |
There we go. | 0:20:11 | 0:20:12 | |
Finally, after 20 minutes of waiting, a message comes through. | 0:20:12 | 0:20:16 | |
"Internal message for eastbound trains, drivers proceed..." | 0:20:16 | 0:20:19 | |
-We're good to go! -"Eastbound trains, eastbound trains, | 0:20:19 | 0:20:22 | |
"Notting Hill Gate all the way to Bethnal Green..." | 0:20:22 | 0:20:24 | |
Good afternoon, ladies and gents, good news, we are now good to go, | 0:20:24 | 0:20:27 | |
that problem ahead of us has been resolved. | 0:20:27 | 0:20:29 | |
Please stand clear, mind the closing doors now, mind the closing doors. | 0:20:29 | 0:20:33 | |
Will and his passengers can get going again. | 0:20:34 | 0:20:37 | |
Above ground meanwhile, Sharon and Gary are done for the day. | 0:20:37 | 0:20:41 | |
Between them, London's buses and Tubes | 0:20:41 | 0:20:43 | |
have carried ten million passengers today | 0:20:43 | 0:20:46 | |
and it's all thanks to their drivers | 0:20:46 | 0:20:48 | |
and of course, the customer assistants. | 0:20:48 | 0:20:51 | |
They've done their bit to keep Oxford Street moving. | 0:20:51 | 0:20:55 | |
And here we are right now, the light at the end of the tunnel. | 0:20:57 | 0:21:00 | |
Daylight is ahead of us. | 0:21:00 | 0:21:02 | |
Earlier, we saw PC Andy Pescott's one-man war | 0:21:12 | 0:21:15 | |
on the rogue rickshaw drivers of Oxford Street... | 0:21:15 | 0:21:18 | |
-Police. Move on. -..reach the criminal courts. | 0:21:18 | 0:21:21 | |
On that occasion, the driver he was after, Davis Kaminskis, | 0:21:21 | 0:21:25 | |
didn't turn up. | 0:21:25 | 0:21:27 | |
I've been stood at court all day like a complete muppet. | 0:21:27 | 0:21:30 | |
I'm just very angry that my day's been wasted. | 0:21:30 | 0:21:34 | |
Very angry. | 0:21:34 | 0:21:35 | |
But six weeks later, and Andy's back at court | 0:21:35 | 0:21:38 | |
with another chance to establish a precedent. | 0:21:38 | 0:21:41 | |
He's brought a case against a second rider, Rudolph. | 0:21:41 | 0:21:45 | |
Hello, Rudolph. | 0:21:45 | 0:21:46 | |
He's one of a group of riders that are constantly breaking the rules. | 0:21:46 | 0:21:50 | |
Andy plans to get him slapped with a criminal behaviour order, | 0:21:50 | 0:21:53 | |
which could see him given a long-term ban from operating in the area. | 0:21:53 | 0:21:57 | |
It's going to be quite difficult, | 0:21:57 | 0:21:58 | |
because obviously pedicab riding is his livelihood | 0:21:58 | 0:22:01 | |
and I'm trying to get him banned from the entirety of the borough. | 0:22:01 | 0:22:04 | |
It's the first of its kind | 0:22:04 | 0:22:06 | |
and there's a lot of people going to be monitoring the outcome of that, | 0:22:06 | 0:22:09 | |
including all the pedicab riders, | 0:22:09 | 0:22:11 | |
so, fingers crossed, it goes our way. | 0:22:11 | 0:22:14 | |
Andy heads in. | 0:22:14 | 0:22:15 | |
But after half an hour inside, he's back out. | 0:22:16 | 0:22:19 | |
Once again, he's been left waiting for a rider to turn up to court. | 0:22:21 | 0:22:26 | |
It's not surprising, but then he has a lot riding on it himself, | 0:22:26 | 0:22:30 | |
so hopefully he's got an excuse for why he's late. | 0:22:30 | 0:22:33 | |
If he doesn't turn up in the next few minutes, | 0:22:33 | 0:22:35 | |
Andy will miss his spot in front of the judge | 0:22:35 | 0:22:38 | |
and the day will have been wasted again. | 0:22:38 | 0:22:40 | |
-Oh, there he is. -Suddenly, Rudolph makes an appearance. | 0:22:41 | 0:22:45 | |
Rudolph, that way! | 0:22:45 | 0:22:47 | |
Andy knows him well and rushes him into court. | 0:22:47 | 0:22:50 | |
After an hour inside, they're out. | 0:22:54 | 0:22:57 | |
ANDY LAUGHS | 0:22:58 | 0:23:00 | |
The criminal behaviour order's been granted. | 0:23:00 | 0:23:02 | |
He's been banned from Oxford Street for two years | 0:23:02 | 0:23:05 | |
from riding a pedicab. | 0:23:05 | 0:23:07 | |
The two year ban is a massive personal triumph for Andy. | 0:23:07 | 0:23:12 | |
Not only is one of his worst offenders now off the streets, | 0:23:12 | 0:23:15 | |
but he's got a legal precedent he can use | 0:23:15 | 0:23:18 | |
to get the other riders into line. | 0:23:18 | 0:23:20 | |
They're going to realise we're not to be messed with | 0:23:20 | 0:23:22 | |
and every single one of them at some point is going to end up here, | 0:23:22 | 0:23:26 | |
in court and they're going to lose. | 0:23:26 | 0:23:28 | |
Rudolph, can I get a word? Give us a quick word, just... | 0:23:28 | 0:23:31 | |
They're my streets, I'm here to police them | 0:23:31 | 0:23:33 | |
and I'm going to carry on, day in, day out. Minus Rudolph. | 0:23:33 | 0:23:36 | |
Yeah. Pedicab riders, nil. Police, one. | 0:23:36 | 0:23:40 | |
And two weeks later, a third rider, Mavis, had his hearing... | 0:23:41 | 0:23:46 | |
and was banned from riding a pedicab on Oxford Street for even longer, | 0:23:46 | 0:23:50 | |
five years, | 0:23:50 | 0:23:51 | |
as well as a £705 fine. | 0:23:51 | 0:23:54 | |
Later, Andy's defeat of the rogue rickshaw drivers... | 0:23:57 | 0:24:00 | |
..is a crushing one. | 0:24:02 | 0:24:04 | |
Woohoo! | 0:24:04 | 0:24:05 | |
At the Oriana site at the east end of Oxford Street, | 0:24:15 | 0:24:18 | |
a construction team are trying to remove the bottom half | 0:24:18 | 0:24:21 | |
of a group of concrete pillars, | 0:24:21 | 0:24:23 | |
to open up a brand-new retail space. | 0:24:23 | 0:24:26 | |
They need to get their excavator nearer to the pillars | 0:24:26 | 0:24:29 | |
so they've decided to try and crane it in through a hole in the ceiling - | 0:24:29 | 0:24:33 | |
all five tonnes of it. | 0:24:33 | 0:24:34 | |
Here we go. Nice and easy, mate. Nice and easy. | 0:24:43 | 0:24:45 | |
I hope so. I hope the steel's not in the way. | 0:24:49 | 0:24:51 | |
It's tight. | 0:24:51 | 0:24:54 | |
Might have to go down and in. | 0:24:54 | 0:24:55 | |
You know, give me a touch to your left. A touch to your left. | 0:24:55 | 0:24:59 | |
There is only an inch either side of the machine | 0:25:00 | 0:25:03 | |
and absolutely no room for error. | 0:25:03 | 0:25:06 | |
Whoa, whoa, whoa... | 0:25:06 | 0:25:08 | |
Oh. | 0:25:08 | 0:25:10 | |
But the alternative - building a ramp into the pit - | 0:25:10 | 0:25:13 | |
is time-consuming, and will stop work elsewhere on-site. | 0:25:13 | 0:25:16 | |
We're trying to just jostle it around as much as possible. | 0:25:16 | 0:25:20 | |
It's very, very close. | 0:25:20 | 0:25:22 | |
With the machine above the hole, it's becoming clear that | 0:25:22 | 0:25:25 | |
if it's going to go in at all, it's going to be very tight. | 0:25:25 | 0:25:29 | |
-Give me a touch more down... -OK. | 0:25:33 | 0:25:35 | |
No, we're going to have to abort, lads. | 0:25:35 | 0:25:37 | |
It was worth a shot, but it's unfortunately failed us. | 0:25:37 | 0:25:39 | |
Back to the drawing board. | 0:25:39 | 0:25:41 | |
Dave lifts it back up and away from the hole. | 0:25:46 | 0:25:50 | |
Unfortunately we have to organise a smaller machine now, | 0:25:50 | 0:25:52 | |
or a bigger hole, | 0:25:52 | 0:25:54 | |
so it is what it is, my friend. | 0:25:54 | 0:25:55 | |
That's the building game. | 0:25:55 | 0:25:57 | |
Martin's not going to let something like that keep him | 0:25:58 | 0:26:01 | |
from finishing his job on time, and he's got a plan. | 0:26:01 | 0:26:05 | |
With a bucket on the front, he moves to plan B - | 0:26:05 | 0:26:08 | |
building himself a slope he can drive the machine down and into the pit. | 0:26:08 | 0:26:12 | |
Martin digs away for nearly two hours | 0:26:17 | 0:26:20 | |
and then he's done. | 0:26:20 | 0:26:21 | |
Right, so now the machine's down there safely and securely, | 0:26:25 | 0:26:28 | |
we're going to put a temporary access in. | 0:26:28 | 0:26:30 | |
We'll build some temporary steps for him to get up out. | 0:26:30 | 0:26:33 | |
But with Dave lifting the jackhammer down to Martin, | 0:26:33 | 0:26:36 | |
deep in the cavern-like pit, | 0:26:36 | 0:26:37 | |
he gets to work on what remains of the old pillars. | 0:26:37 | 0:26:41 | |
MACHINE RATTLES | 0:26:41 | 0:26:47 | |
In just an hour and a half, he's finished. | 0:26:47 | 0:26:50 | |
Yeah, it's all done now. Thank God. | 0:26:51 | 0:26:52 | |
It took a while but it got there eventually. | 0:26:52 | 0:26:55 | |
In nine months, the project will be complete, | 0:26:55 | 0:26:58 | |
and the face of the street changed forever. | 0:26:58 | 0:27:01 | |
In the meantime, the crew of the Oriana project | 0:27:01 | 0:27:04 | |
will continue to enjoy building it. | 0:27:04 | 0:27:06 | |
I like what I do - that's why come to work every day. | 0:27:06 | 0:27:09 | |
This rates pretty high up there, | 0:27:09 | 0:27:11 | |
hanging over the edge of a ten-foot, ten-metre drop is... | 0:27:11 | 0:27:15 | |
pretty intense, so it is. | 0:27:15 | 0:27:16 | |
In South London, the self-styled Sheriff of Oxford Street, | 0:27:24 | 0:27:28 | |
Andy Pescott, has come to a council lock-up for a very special event. | 0:27:28 | 0:27:33 | |
Today is a beautiful day. | 0:27:33 | 0:27:36 | |
In the two years he's been battling rogue rickshaw riders, | 0:27:36 | 0:27:39 | |
Westminster Council has seized a number of pedicabs. | 0:27:39 | 0:27:43 | |
We've got 14 pedicabs. | 0:27:44 | 0:27:45 | |
They've all committed offences in one way or another. | 0:27:45 | 0:27:48 | |
Today, Andy's got plans for them. | 0:27:48 | 0:27:50 | |
Happy days. | 0:27:50 | 0:27:52 | |
I think we've had them in storage long enough | 0:27:52 | 0:27:54 | |
and we're getting them destroyed. Happy days. | 0:27:54 | 0:27:57 | |
He's arranged for a scrap metal firm to recycle the pedicabs. | 0:27:58 | 0:28:02 | |
You want to commit crime in my area? | 0:28:03 | 0:28:05 | |
This is what's going to happen. | 0:28:05 | 0:28:07 | |
I'm going to see you in court | 0:28:07 | 0:28:09 | |
and I'm going to make representations to have | 0:28:09 | 0:28:11 | |
your pedicab seized and destroyed. | 0:28:11 | 0:28:14 | |
Wave goodbye to your pedicab. | 0:28:14 | 0:28:15 | |
Andy's won the battle but he knows the war continues | 0:28:20 | 0:28:23 | |
and he's not giving up in a hurry. | 0:28:23 | 0:28:26 | |
I'm off back to Oxford Street now to start all over again. | 0:28:26 | 0:28:30 |