0:00:02 > 0:00:04It's the most famous shopping street in the world,
0:00:04 > 0:00:07in the heart of Britain's capital city.
0:00:07 > 0:00:09A mile and a half long,
0:00:09 > 0:00:12with 30 million visitors each year.
0:00:12 > 0:00:14With some of the world's most famous shops...
0:00:14 > 0:00:16WHOOPING ..biggest stars...
0:00:16 > 0:00:17- Kate Moss! - CHEERING
0:00:17 > 0:00:19..and busiest stations.
0:00:19 > 0:00:21Sorry, guys! Stand back for me.
0:00:21 > 0:00:25What does it take to keep it running 24 hours a day...
0:00:25 > 0:00:27Busiest street in the world, so it needs constant attention.
0:00:27 > 0:00:30- ..seven days a week? - Oi! Clear off!
0:00:30 > 0:00:33You're going to be arrested on suspicion of attempted theft.
0:00:33 > 0:00:35Are you ready, London?
0:00:35 > 0:00:38A street that never sleeps.
0:00:38 > 0:00:41This sort of thing wouldn't happen anywhere else.
0:00:42 > 0:00:44Oxford Street.
0:00:45 > 0:00:47- Coming up...- Back to the pavement!
0:00:47 > 0:00:49..anarchy in the bus queue.
0:00:49 > 0:00:50No getting on the bus!
0:00:50 > 0:00:52- SHOUTING - Get off the bus!
0:00:52 > 0:00:55A Tube strike brings chaos to Oxford Street.
0:00:55 > 0:00:57It's getting out of hand. More units, please.
0:00:57 > 0:01:02It's all change at John Lewis and with the press launch imminent,
0:01:02 > 0:01:04the nerves are kicking in. HE INHALES SHARPLY
0:01:04 > 0:01:05I'd sooner be in my workshop.
0:01:05 > 0:01:08I'm not very used to these sorts of things.
0:01:08 > 0:01:10And ice, ice, baby -
0:01:10 > 0:01:14London's coolest bar gets a refit.
0:01:14 > 0:01:16It's more power and muscles than brain.
0:01:20 > 0:01:24To keep Oxford Street as one of the top places to shop in Europe,
0:01:24 > 0:01:27the retailers have invested in a team of these,
0:01:27 > 0:01:29welcome ambassadors.
0:01:29 > 0:01:32They act as walking information points for visitors
0:01:32 > 0:01:37and try and deal with anything that might disrupt a shopper's experience.
0:01:37 > 0:01:40- It's this way?- That turning there, that's Argyle Street.
0:01:40 > 0:01:44And tonight, ambassador Michael is expecting to be busy.
0:01:46 > 0:01:47There's a Tube strike on,
0:01:47 > 0:01:52bringing London's key transport network to a halt for 48 hours.
0:01:53 > 0:01:56It means hundreds of thousands of Oxford Street visitors
0:01:56 > 0:02:00and commuters are having to find alternative means of transport home.
0:02:01 > 0:02:05The major strain is expected to be taken by the buses,
0:02:05 > 0:02:08but with the roads already busier than usual with cars,
0:02:08 > 0:02:11cabs and cyclists, it's not going to be easy.
0:02:12 > 0:02:15Six, seven buses in a row that are completely packed out.
0:02:15 > 0:02:18Even the doors don't shut, look at that.
0:02:18 > 0:02:23And as he patrols, the scale of the problem becomes all too clear.
0:02:23 > 0:02:26This bus stop serves two key bus routes,
0:02:26 > 0:02:29which call at many locations normally served by the Tube.
0:02:29 > 0:02:32Crowds here have been getting steadily worse
0:02:32 > 0:02:33since rush hour started.
0:02:33 > 0:02:35People are trying to get on buses,
0:02:35 > 0:02:37but they're too busy for them to get on.
0:02:37 > 0:02:39People are waiting for half an hour, up to an hour,
0:02:39 > 0:02:41just to get on the bus that they want.
0:02:41 > 0:02:44This bus was full to bursting at the previous stop
0:02:44 > 0:02:47and the police have been called to try and manage
0:02:47 > 0:02:50- people getting on and off. - Hold on, hold on. Oi!
0:02:50 > 0:02:51Stop pushing!
0:02:51 > 0:02:53CROWD SHOUT OUT
0:02:53 > 0:02:56What's that about? He tried to bump the queue.
0:02:56 > 0:02:59Michael and the police have their work cut out.
0:02:59 > 0:03:00Out!
0:03:00 > 0:03:01All move back.
0:03:01 > 0:03:04If you're this side of the tape, you should be at the back of the queue.
0:03:04 > 0:03:07One person goes past me at a time, right? One person at a time.
0:03:07 > 0:03:09Slowly, slowly. Respect for people, mate.
0:03:09 > 0:03:11You're not standing here. Back to the queue.
0:03:11 > 0:03:13Guys, if you push me again, I'm shutting the doors!
0:03:13 > 0:03:16Back to the queue.
0:03:16 > 0:03:18There's a steady stream of buses,
0:03:18 > 0:03:21but despite the police getting as many people on board as possible,
0:03:21 > 0:03:24they hardly make a dent in the crowd numbers.
0:03:25 > 0:03:28At 7.30pm, the police sergeant in charge
0:03:28 > 0:03:31asks Michael and his team to separate the queue into smaller ones
0:03:31 > 0:03:35for different bus routes to help ease the crowd congestion.
0:03:35 > 0:03:38If you're looking for the 25, please line up here on the back.
0:03:38 > 0:03:40You need to go to that side of the line.
0:03:40 > 0:03:41We're not going to let you guys on
0:03:41 > 0:03:43unless you're on this line, all right?
0:03:44 > 0:03:46But half an hour later,
0:03:46 > 0:03:49just as he's succeeded in separating the crowds into two queues,
0:03:49 > 0:03:54the police change their mind and ask him to put it back the way it was.
0:03:54 > 0:03:56We'll just have to make it one big queue.
0:03:56 > 0:03:58Michael has to inform the passengers
0:03:58 > 0:04:01they now need to go to the back of the other queue.
0:04:01 > 0:04:03They're not happy.
0:04:03 > 0:04:07Those people were there, because that's where the bus starts.
0:04:07 > 0:04:08- You've asked us...- Madam...
0:04:08 > 0:04:11- What did you say to us? - I'm just doing what I've been told.
0:04:11 > 0:04:15I didn't know what routes are going where. I've just been told...
0:04:15 > 0:04:18- 55 is there...- Yeah. - ..25 is here and 25 is there.
0:04:18 > 0:04:21- Yeah...- So you guys don't know what you're doing,
0:04:21 > 0:04:22you don't know how you're helping us now,
0:04:22 > 0:04:25you shouldn't have told us what to do at the beginning.
0:04:27 > 0:04:30I do apologise. If I was in your situation, I'd be like that as well.
0:04:30 > 0:04:32All we're trying to do is help.
0:04:35 > 0:04:38With more commuters arriving every minute,
0:04:38 > 0:04:41the buses that do pull up simply can't cope.
0:04:41 > 0:04:43With the queues and jostling increasing,
0:04:43 > 0:04:46things threaten to get out of hand.
0:04:46 > 0:04:48What are you doing?
0:04:48 > 0:04:51No, you're not pushing in.
0:04:51 > 0:04:53He was right down there, he was right down there.
0:04:53 > 0:04:56We let the lady through, cos she's got a child.
0:04:56 > 0:04:58You told me you were with the lady.
0:04:58 > 0:04:59You lied to me.
0:04:59 > 0:05:02THEY REMONSTRATE ANGRILY
0:05:02 > 0:05:04- Don't touch me! Don't touch me! - There's children!
0:05:04 > 0:05:07It's getting out of hand. More units, please.
0:05:07 > 0:05:09Later, bus crushes...
0:05:09 > 0:05:10Get back on the pavement!
0:05:10 > 0:05:12..and bike crashes...
0:05:12 > 0:05:14BRAKES SCREECH
0:05:14 > 0:05:15Are you OK?
0:05:15 > 0:05:17They don't actually look where they are going.
0:05:17 > 0:05:20..as things at the Tube strike go from bad to worse.
0:05:20 > 0:05:22No pushing, no shoving!
0:05:22 > 0:05:23Get back!
0:05:30 > 0:05:33There are four giant department stores on Oxford Street
0:05:33 > 0:05:36and each one invests millions in their displays and layouts
0:05:36 > 0:05:38to help them stand out from the crowd.
0:05:39 > 0:05:42It's early evening and John Lewis Oxford Street
0:05:42 > 0:05:44is about to play its part.
0:05:44 > 0:05:47It's ringing the changes in its homeware department.
0:05:49 > 0:05:52The store are working on a cutting-edge new design,
0:05:52 > 0:05:55the centrepiece of which will turn the third floor of the building
0:05:55 > 0:05:57into a house within the shop.
0:05:57 > 0:06:00It's very exciting. The plans look absolutely great,
0:06:00 > 0:06:04the whole concept is going to be brand-new with brand-new fixturing
0:06:04 > 0:06:08and, really, being the flagship branch, it is just what we need
0:06:08 > 0:06:09for our home assortment.
0:06:09 > 0:06:12The house within the store will be made up of four rooms,
0:06:12 > 0:06:15each one taken over by a different designer
0:06:15 > 0:06:17and kitted out with their goods.
0:06:17 > 0:06:20One of those rooms is busy taking shape,
0:06:20 > 0:06:23300 miles away in deepest Cornwall.
0:06:27 > 0:06:30John Lewis has asked furniture maker Tom Raffield
0:06:30 > 0:06:33to design one of the four new rooms.
0:06:33 > 0:06:37His brief from the store is to create his perfect space.
0:06:37 > 0:06:40We are going to be given one of the rooms in the house,
0:06:40 > 0:06:43so that's our room there, it's a rectangular room.
0:06:43 > 0:06:46It's a very open brief, so yeah, I'd better sort of read it all properly
0:06:46 > 0:06:49and get my head around it, cos at the moment it's all quite vague.
0:06:49 > 0:06:53Tom's made his name reinventing an ancient form of woodwork
0:06:53 > 0:06:55at his workshop in Nanskerris.
0:06:55 > 0:07:00Tom steams wood to bend it to make furniture and furnishings.
0:07:01 > 0:07:05His technique involves subjecting planks of wood to hot steam.
0:07:06 > 0:07:08Each plank is steamed for an hour.
0:07:08 > 0:07:12Once out, it will begin to harden in just 60 seconds,
0:07:12 > 0:07:14so they need to shape it quickly.
0:07:14 > 0:07:17They can't afford any mistakes.
0:07:17 > 0:07:19Oh! Oopsie.
0:07:19 > 0:07:21- Precious seconds.- Yeah.
0:07:21 > 0:07:22With the wood clamped into place,
0:07:22 > 0:07:25the team can begin bending it round the mould.
0:07:25 > 0:07:30Too little pressure and the wood will cool before it's set into position.
0:07:30 > 0:07:32Too much and the wood will snap.
0:07:32 > 0:07:35LOUD CREAKING
0:07:35 > 0:07:37I always think of it as torturing the wood,
0:07:37 > 0:07:39because I feel like that's what we're doing.
0:07:39 > 0:07:41Not for the faint-hearted.
0:07:41 > 0:07:44You actually get adrenaline just flowing through your body
0:07:44 > 0:07:49- as you're bending the wood. - Or anxiety!- Yeah!
0:07:50 > 0:07:53Tom's found inspiration for his John Lewis room close to home -
0:07:53 > 0:07:55a walk in his woods.
0:07:55 > 0:07:59Being here makes me think that it would be so nice
0:07:59 > 0:08:02to take a bit of this woodland, and the workshop, but the woodland
0:08:02 > 0:08:05to the John Lewis room, because this is where it all started for me.
0:08:07 > 0:08:09Oh, hi, Sian, how are you doing?
0:08:09 > 0:08:11When do you need to see some sketches?
0:08:11 > 0:08:13So probably, yeah, two days.
0:08:14 > 0:08:17This is a handmade product. I think perhaps we're such a small business,
0:08:17 > 0:08:19so I'm nervous, I suppose anxious
0:08:19 > 0:08:22whether it all comes together in time,
0:08:22 > 0:08:24cos time's going to be very tight.
0:08:24 > 0:08:27Later, Cornwall comes to Oxford Street
0:08:27 > 0:08:29as Tom gets to grips with his new room.
0:08:29 > 0:08:32But how will it go down with the press?
0:08:32 > 0:08:34A bad review would be...
0:08:34 > 0:08:35Yeah, it would be awful.
0:08:42 > 0:08:47Nestled between Oxford Street and Regent Street is the Icebar,
0:08:47 > 0:08:51the only hostelry in London where the entire bar is made of ice.
0:08:51 > 0:08:53It's an establishment so cool,
0:08:53 > 0:08:55guests are given special clothing
0:08:55 > 0:08:58and have to leave after 40 minutes to avoid frostbite.
0:08:59 > 0:09:01But unlike wood or steel,
0:09:01 > 0:09:04regular wear and tear causes the ice to melt,
0:09:04 > 0:09:08so once a year, bar manager Matthieu Bourgogne redesigns
0:09:08 > 0:09:12and rebuilds the bar with fresh ice.
0:09:12 > 0:09:14And it's that time of year already.
0:09:14 > 0:09:17He's shutting the bar for a week to carry out the work,
0:09:17 > 0:09:20which must be completed in time for the grand reopening,
0:09:20 > 0:09:24to which he's already booked VIP guests.
0:09:24 > 0:09:27Over 1,000 booked. That's a lot of people booked in,
0:09:27 > 0:09:29that's a lot of people disappointed if we were to be late
0:09:29 > 0:09:31and it's a lot of revenue lost.
0:09:31 > 0:09:33The pressure is on, there's no doubt about it.
0:09:35 > 0:09:38To get things started, at 7am Monday morning,
0:09:38 > 0:09:41a crew of Swedish ice engineers have turned up
0:09:41 > 0:09:43to begin dismantling the old bar.
0:09:45 > 0:09:47This part of the job is more...
0:09:48 > 0:09:50..power and muscles than brain.
0:09:52 > 0:09:54Jens Ivarsson and his team know their ice.
0:09:54 > 0:09:57They built an 80-room hotel entirely from the stuff
0:09:57 > 0:10:01in their home town of Jukkasjarvi in northern Sweden
0:10:01 > 0:10:05and have since designed and built ice bars around the world.
0:10:06 > 0:10:09It's a job few people in the world can do.
0:10:09 > 0:10:11They are just a different breed.
0:10:11 > 0:10:13They work in here all day with chainsaws.
0:10:13 > 0:10:16Moving blocks of ice, it's heavy, hard work.
0:10:16 > 0:10:1940 tonnes of ice out, 40 tonnes of ice in,
0:10:19 > 0:10:21and make it into a beautiful thing,
0:10:21 > 0:10:23a working bar that is also a work of art.
0:10:25 > 0:10:29The Swedes are ice pros, but it's a local refrigerated truck firm
0:10:29 > 0:10:32that has the job of transporting the ice away.
0:10:32 > 0:10:34It's not their usual cargo
0:10:34 > 0:10:36and it's proving to be a challenge.
0:10:39 > 0:10:41What are you doing?!
0:10:45 > 0:10:49It's just too steep for the pump truck to go up with it on.
0:10:49 > 0:10:50Heads up!
0:10:50 > 0:10:54It's like being hit by a small car.
0:10:54 > 0:10:56If you get the tonne of ice over you, you will die.
0:10:58 > 0:11:00After six hours of chainsawing,
0:11:00 > 0:11:02the bar is an empty shell,
0:11:02 > 0:11:05but the tail lift technique is yet to be perfected.
0:11:06 > 0:11:09I said before you come off the end!
0:11:10 > 0:11:12It's on!
0:11:12 > 0:11:13HE GROANS
0:11:13 > 0:11:18Now we have about five days, more or less, to build a new one.
0:11:22 > 0:11:24The next morning, the team is back
0:11:24 > 0:11:28and waiting for a delivery of very special ice.
0:11:28 > 0:11:30That's my home village.
0:11:30 > 0:11:33548 people living there.
0:11:33 > 0:11:36This is the river that we use in here, building the ice.
0:11:36 > 0:11:40It has the perfect speed to create clear ice
0:11:40 > 0:11:42and also thick ice,
0:11:42 > 0:11:44so it's all about the speed of the water
0:11:44 > 0:11:47and Jukkasjarvi, we have the perfect speed for it.
0:11:48 > 0:11:51Jens reckons his ice is the best in the world,
0:11:51 > 0:11:52but it isn't here.
0:11:53 > 0:11:57The ice hasn't arrived yet, so, er...
0:11:57 > 0:12:01- we're wondering where it is. - No, it's not a good start at all.
0:12:03 > 0:12:04We go have breakfast.
0:12:06 > 0:12:09Last year, the bar was frozen fruit-themed.
0:12:09 > 0:12:14This year is its tenth anniversary and the theme is rock and roll.
0:12:14 > 0:12:17The bar, for example, has all these studs.
0:12:17 > 0:12:19That's, for me, very rock icon.
0:12:19 > 0:12:22Here in this corner you have the drum kit.
0:12:23 > 0:12:26Jens is proud of his town's top export.
0:12:26 > 0:12:27From the Torne River.
0:12:27 > 0:12:31It's definitely the most beautiful and best ice in the world.
0:12:31 > 0:12:34Not everyone understands Torne River ice like Jens.
0:12:34 > 0:12:38The delivery has finally arrived an hour and a half late,
0:12:38 > 0:12:39but it's too cold.
0:12:41 > 0:12:44These guys, they don't know that we...
0:12:44 > 0:12:49They put the temperature down to minus 25, something...
0:12:50 > 0:12:52..cos they want to make sure that it's cold,
0:12:52 > 0:12:54and we do not want that.
0:12:54 > 0:12:59At that temperature, it's too fragile and could easily crack when carved.
0:12:59 > 0:13:00- Turn it off.- Yeah?
0:13:00 > 0:13:04Despite being late, even now, they can't start building.
0:13:04 > 0:13:07It's very cold, it's very fragile right now.
0:13:07 > 0:13:08After letting it rest
0:13:08 > 0:13:11at the more manageable minus five degrees at the bar,
0:13:11 > 0:13:14the team are finally ready to start building.
0:13:14 > 0:13:19Like a puzzle or building with Lego, you just build it up piece by piece.
0:13:21 > 0:13:22Over the next five days,
0:13:22 > 0:13:26the team work ten hours daily to get the bar together.
0:13:26 > 0:13:29By Friday morning, the team are back on track,
0:13:29 > 0:13:31but then, disaster strikes.
0:13:33 > 0:13:37The bar is basically a huge freezer and it's broken down.
0:13:37 > 0:13:40Quite a significant leak coming from the ceiling,
0:13:40 > 0:13:41straight on to our brand-new ice.
0:13:41 > 0:13:44Later, can the team stop the leak
0:13:44 > 0:13:47and build their bar in time for the grand reopening?
0:13:47 > 0:13:48Yeah, this is bad.
0:13:58 > 0:14:01Hours after it started, the Tube strike is still causing chaos
0:14:01 > 0:14:04along the length of Oxford Street. CROWD SHOUT
0:14:04 > 0:14:08Welcome ambassador Michael is trying to deal with a fraught situation
0:14:08 > 0:14:09at a bus stop.
0:14:09 > 0:14:11You guys don't know what you're doing.
0:14:11 > 0:14:14You shouldn't have told us what to do at the beginning.
0:14:14 > 0:14:17Oxford Street is one of the only shopping streets in the country
0:14:17 > 0:14:19to have its own dedicated security team.
0:14:20 > 0:14:22And at the west end of the street,
0:14:22 > 0:14:26Lewis and Ian from the team are on patrol.
0:14:26 > 0:14:28Here observing anyone wandering into the road.
0:14:28 > 0:14:31There's scope for them to be hit by vehicles.
0:14:31 > 0:14:33Just keeping a general eye on the public,
0:14:33 > 0:14:34make sure everyone's OK, really.
0:14:34 > 0:14:37Lewis has barely started his day's work
0:14:37 > 0:14:40when the busier than usual roads begin to throw up issues
0:14:40 > 0:14:41for him to deal with too.
0:14:41 > 0:14:44Yeah, received, we'll make our way up there, over.
0:14:44 > 0:14:46A little boy on holiday with his family
0:14:46 > 0:14:49has been hit and hurt by a cyclist.
0:14:49 > 0:14:50Hello, mate!
0:14:50 > 0:14:51Have you hurt your hand?
0:14:51 > 0:14:53- BOY WAILS - Your head?
0:14:54 > 0:14:57- Have you phoned for an ambulance? - Yes.
0:14:57 > 0:14:59OK. How long ago?
0:14:59 > 0:15:01- Do you speak...?- 30 minutes.
0:15:01 > 0:15:04- 30 minutes ago?- Yes.- Can you put this through as a 999 call?
0:15:04 > 0:15:05Say he's four years old, been hit by a cyclist,
0:15:05 > 0:15:08got a massive lump on his head, erm, pretty distressed.
0:15:08 > 0:15:10SIREN WAILS
0:15:10 > 0:15:12- Are you for the little lad?- Yeah.
0:15:13 > 0:15:16- These guys here will help you out. - BOY WAILS LOUDLY
0:15:16 > 0:15:17SIREN BLURTS
0:15:17 > 0:15:19Lewis is still dealing with the family when across the road...
0:15:19 > 0:15:22- BRAKES SCREECH, CRASHING - Are you all right, fella?
0:15:22 > 0:15:24..a bike's hit a bus.
0:15:24 > 0:15:25- Are you OK?- Are you all right?
0:15:25 > 0:15:27Yeah?
0:15:28 > 0:15:31Swerving to avoid a U-turning taxi,
0:15:31 > 0:15:34the cyclist has hit the side of a bus.
0:15:34 > 0:15:37The team help the man off the road.
0:15:37 > 0:15:39Can you move your arm, yeah? Can you do that?
0:15:39 > 0:15:42I just came out to do a U-turn, and the bus was giving me way,
0:15:42 > 0:15:46and this cyclist tried to swerve me,
0:15:46 > 0:15:48hit me, and went into the bus.
0:15:48 > 0:15:49It was quite shocking.
0:15:49 > 0:15:53They don't actually look where they are going, that is the problem.
0:15:53 > 0:15:54Yeah, I'm amazed he didn't end up
0:15:54 > 0:15:57underneath that bus, to be honest. Very lucky.
0:15:57 > 0:15:59Well, it shocks you, really,
0:15:59 > 0:16:03but that's working on Oxford Street, isn't it?
0:16:04 > 0:16:07The bus, taxi and cyclist are sent on their way,
0:16:07 > 0:16:12but back at the John Lewis queue, people aren't getting away so fast.
0:16:12 > 0:16:16It's now 8.30pm, and the arrival of each new bus brings with it
0:16:16 > 0:16:18more pushing and queue jumping.
0:16:18 > 0:16:21I can see you pushing. Don't push. Don't push.
0:16:21 > 0:16:22I've seen you push. Don't push.
0:16:22 > 0:16:25No, I'm here. Ask anybody.
0:16:25 > 0:16:26Guys, stop pushing. Calm down.
0:16:26 > 0:16:28- One at a time! - I'm waiting this side.
0:16:28 > 0:16:30You're on the wrong side of the thing, sir.
0:16:30 > 0:16:33I'll wait where I want. That man was pushing me. What?
0:16:33 > 0:16:36I hate this. Abusing the people.
0:16:36 > 0:16:38- They are not criminals.- No.
0:16:38 > 0:16:40We pay for our transport. This is ridiculous.
0:16:40 > 0:16:42Whoa-whoa-whoa-whoa-whoa!
0:16:42 > 0:16:44Small babies at the front here. Do not push.
0:16:44 > 0:16:48Aware of the crush, the police have sent specialist officers
0:16:48 > 0:16:53from the Safer Transport Police Team to deal with the flashpoint bus stop.
0:16:53 > 0:16:54We're getting there, slowly.
0:16:54 > 0:16:57Having come in for flak themselves,
0:16:57 > 0:17:00Michael and his team decide they've done as much as they can.
0:17:00 > 0:17:01They leave it to the professionals.
0:17:01 > 0:17:03- Will you guys still be here? - Oh, no, you can go.
0:17:03 > 0:17:07- Is that all right?- Yeah. Yeah. Thank you very much.- Thanks, man. Cheers.
0:17:08 > 0:17:11Police urge the crowd to behave calmly.
0:17:11 > 0:17:13When the bus arrives, which will be very soon, it only holds
0:17:13 > 0:17:16so many people, and there is one door.
0:17:16 > 0:17:19If you push, if you scream and you shout,
0:17:19 > 0:17:20you will not get on any quicker.
0:17:20 > 0:17:25By 9pm, several hundred people are still waiting to get on.
0:17:25 > 0:17:28You can see we're here long. We need to get on this one.
0:17:28 > 0:17:29Very, very terrible.
0:17:29 > 0:17:32We have been waiting more than three hours now.
0:17:32 > 0:17:35For some people, it's all become too much.
0:17:37 > 0:17:39One at a time, stop pushing.
0:17:39 > 0:17:42No pushing, no shoving at the back.
0:17:42 > 0:17:44Act like adults and get back.
0:17:44 > 0:17:48When the next bus arrives, people take matters into their own hands.
0:17:48 > 0:17:50Guys, no getting on the bus...
0:17:50 > 0:17:52Get off the bus.
0:17:52 > 0:17:53No getting on the bus.
0:17:53 > 0:17:56You're all adults over here, start acting like adults!
0:17:56 > 0:17:59Don't start. Who says who gets on the bus? It's not you.
0:17:59 > 0:18:02You are disorganised. You don't know how to do your job.
0:18:02 > 0:18:05People are getting on the back of the bus. The bus is at the front.
0:18:05 > 0:18:07The entrance to the bus is at the front.
0:18:07 > 0:18:10Guys, listen very carefully!
0:18:10 > 0:18:13This bus will not move unless you get back on the pavement.
0:18:13 > 0:18:16I will send them empty.
0:18:16 > 0:18:18In London, this is what a crush is like.
0:18:18 > 0:18:21I am tired and hungry and angry.
0:18:21 > 0:18:24Them police are making noise, telling you, "Wait, wait, wait."
0:18:24 > 0:18:25What can I do, innit?
0:18:28 > 0:18:32Later, as day becomes night, the wait for a bus goes on,
0:18:32 > 0:18:34and on, and on.
0:18:34 > 0:18:38If you're pushing again, you're not going to get on a bus today, sir.
0:18:44 > 0:18:48John Lewis Oxford Street has invested hundreds of thousands of pounds
0:18:48 > 0:18:51in a brand-new homewares department.
0:18:51 > 0:18:53They've ripped out the old fittings and are replacing them
0:18:53 > 0:18:56with an ambitious new design.
0:18:56 > 0:18:58They've asked four of their suppliers to each design a room
0:18:58 > 0:19:02to form a house within the store,
0:19:02 > 0:19:06and on a crisp Saturday morning, Cornish wood-bender Tom Raffield
0:19:06 > 0:19:09and his wife and business partner Dani
0:19:09 > 0:19:13arrive on Oxford Street to put the finishing touches to their room.
0:19:13 > 0:19:16We're really, really anxious to go and have a look at this room.
0:19:16 > 0:19:18We've put so much work into it.
0:19:18 > 0:19:20Well, it's the culmination of probably, like,
0:19:20 > 0:19:23three or four weeks' solid work.
0:19:23 > 0:19:26The shop's team have built the basic structure of Tom's design
0:19:26 > 0:19:30but he's now got two days to adapt and fit the rest of his plan.
0:19:32 > 0:19:35The hoarding separates the shopping public from
0:19:35 > 0:19:37the closely guarded new rooms.
0:19:37 > 0:19:38In two days' time,
0:19:38 > 0:19:43it'll be removed for the official launch of the new department.
0:19:43 > 0:19:45We could see our space from a million miles away,
0:19:45 > 0:19:49- because this is all the wood that we've sent up from Cornwall.- Yeah.
0:19:49 > 0:19:52- It's quite nice to see it's up on the walls already.- It looks good.
0:19:52 > 0:19:54- We've got to do quite a bit now, haven't we?- Yeah.
0:19:54 > 0:19:57- So we should get to work. - Get cracking.- Yeah, cool.
0:19:59 > 0:20:01They get busy with it.
0:20:01 > 0:20:04DRILL BUZZES
0:20:04 > 0:20:06Just very slightly to your right.
0:20:06 > 0:20:08That's it. That's it. You got it?
0:20:12 > 0:20:16The room and decorations are designed to show off Tom's lampshades,
0:20:16 > 0:20:20which are the main items he sells through John Lewis.
0:20:20 > 0:20:22While Tom's busy with his room,
0:20:22 > 0:20:27overseeing the rest of the project is head of design Diane Staplehurst.
0:20:27 > 0:20:30It's all about the attention to detail.
0:20:30 > 0:20:33It just shows that you care about it, I think,
0:20:33 > 0:20:38and I do like things quite, sort of, orderly and straight.
0:20:38 > 0:20:41Do you think I've got OCD, Matt?
0:20:41 > 0:20:42- No.- I haven't, have I?
0:20:44 > 0:20:48She's coordinated the designs and designers of all four rooms.
0:20:49 > 0:20:51This is, to me, more of an art installation.
0:20:53 > 0:20:57But the real test for Diane will be tomorrow, when the cream of Britain's
0:20:57 > 0:21:01homeware journalists get their first look at her new department.
0:21:02 > 0:21:04Right, let's go.
0:21:15 > 0:21:18And next morning, as the team gets ready for the press,
0:21:18 > 0:21:22final preparations are being made to the new features.
0:21:22 > 0:21:25All the glitches that we were panicking about yesterday
0:21:25 > 0:21:29are all sorted, and I'm working on adrenaline at the moment.
0:21:29 > 0:21:33Overseeing the press launch is PR manager Sian Jones.
0:21:33 > 0:21:37We've worked up until the wire in terms of creating the best
0:21:37 > 0:21:39environment possible for the press to arrive in,
0:21:39 > 0:21:42so it's just up to us now to really garner
0:21:42 > 0:21:45the coverage around what's been an incredible refurb.
0:21:45 > 0:21:50Upstairs, the designers are giving their displays the final once-over.
0:21:50 > 0:21:52Yeah, they're all looking good.
0:21:52 > 0:21:54Some of these ones here need tightening.
0:21:54 > 0:21:57I'm nervous, I suppose, cos I don't know who's going to come,
0:21:57 > 0:21:58and what their response will be
0:21:58 > 0:22:01cos it's very different to everything out there.
0:22:01 > 0:22:04I think I'd probably sooner be in my workshop.
0:22:04 > 0:22:06I'm not very used to these sorts of things.
0:22:06 > 0:22:09With that, and the exhibition in full swing,
0:22:09 > 0:22:12Sian can get ready for the toughest challenge of the lot.
0:22:12 > 0:22:14- Hi, Isobel.- Yes! I'm alive!
0:22:14 > 0:22:17- Ta-da! Ta-da!- Hello.
0:22:17 > 0:22:18Isobel McKenzie-Price,
0:22:18 > 0:22:22editorial director of Ideal Home magazine, is in the store.
0:22:22 > 0:22:26Her magazine is a key publication for the store's target market,
0:22:26 > 0:22:30and they're desperate for their new department to get a good review.
0:22:30 > 0:22:33We are always conscious that everything new,
0:22:33 > 0:22:37everything that we're doing, needs to get her approval,
0:22:37 > 0:22:39and then hopefully the public's.
0:22:39 > 0:22:41it would be fairly horrible to get a bad review.
0:22:41 > 0:22:46So, here are our creative spaces.
0:22:46 > 0:22:47Tom, this is Isobel.
0:22:47 > 0:22:50OK, so, the brief really was to create your perfect space,
0:22:50 > 0:22:53- wasn't it, Tom?- Yeah, that's right.
0:22:53 > 0:22:56No, it was brilliant, actually, cos we were given an open brief,
0:22:56 > 0:22:58and we just wanted to, really,
0:22:58 > 0:23:01not show how the lights could look in a really nice setting,
0:23:01 > 0:23:03but just bring a piece of where they're made,
0:23:03 > 0:23:05and who they're made by,
0:23:05 > 0:23:10and sort of what inspires the creations, to John Lewis.
0:23:10 > 0:23:14But is it enough to impress the hardest woman in homeware?
0:23:14 > 0:23:17I'm amazed you could do this in the middle of Oxford Street...
0:23:17 > 0:23:18- I know, so am I. Yeah.- ..so well.
0:23:18 > 0:23:20It's fantastic.
0:23:20 > 0:23:22'I think she's been wowed, actually,'
0:23:22 > 0:23:24which I'm delighted by.
0:23:24 > 0:23:27I fell in love with Tom Raffield's Log cabin. I just...
0:23:27 > 0:23:29It was like walking into his workshop, and to be able to
0:23:29 > 0:23:34do that into a tiny, sort of, 12 foot square space is amazing.
0:23:34 > 0:23:37It's been a long journey from Cornwall to the premier
0:23:37 > 0:23:39shopping street in Europe,
0:23:39 > 0:23:42and for Tom, it's been quite an eye-opener.
0:23:42 > 0:23:44Quite an overwhelming morning, really,
0:23:44 > 0:23:46but I'm really glad that I've done it.
0:23:46 > 0:23:49And John Lewis can cut the red ribbon to successfully open
0:23:49 > 0:23:52their new homeware department. CHEERING
0:24:01 > 0:24:03It's Saturday morning at the Icebar,
0:24:03 > 0:24:05and the build is in full swing.
0:24:05 > 0:24:08Jens and his team have been delayed by a series of leaks,
0:24:08 > 0:24:12and there's a lot of time to make up before the bar opens later today.
0:24:14 > 0:24:16The leaking has continued and, at the moment,
0:24:16 > 0:24:18it's eating away at the ice.
0:24:18 > 0:24:21The drip tray is full of water again so I don't know what the deal is.
0:24:21 > 0:24:24- There has to be a blockage somewhere.- It's not good at all
0:24:24 > 0:24:28that it drips, because the water that drips is a little warm as well.
0:24:28 > 0:24:32If it continues, then it will kind of dig a hole in the ice.
0:24:32 > 0:24:34Yeah, this is bad.
0:24:34 > 0:24:36The bar has to last a year.
0:24:36 > 0:24:41All the ice team's work will be wasted if their design melts away.
0:24:41 > 0:24:45Mathieu has called a plumber, but he doesn't have long to fix the problem.
0:24:45 > 0:24:48There's water on both sides.
0:24:50 > 0:24:54I can stick my finger down there. There's no ice there, yeah.
0:24:54 > 0:24:58- It's got to be a blockage.- It's got to be a blockage down the line.
0:24:58 > 0:25:01Despite the leak, the team continue around the plumber,
0:25:01 > 0:25:03fixing what damage they can.
0:25:03 > 0:25:06They can use tap water as glue to mend breakages.
0:25:06 > 0:25:08It's instant glue.
0:25:10 > 0:25:12New tip. As good as new.
0:25:12 > 0:25:15I've got a feeling the trace heating round the pipe,
0:25:15 > 0:25:18that keeps the pipe from freezing up, it's not working.
0:25:18 > 0:25:22Eventually, the plumber discovers what the source of the problem is.
0:25:25 > 0:25:29A flick of the switch and the pipe heating comes back to life.
0:25:29 > 0:25:33The coolant system unblocks and the leaks stops.
0:25:33 > 0:25:36It was quite a simple fix once we discovered what the problem was.
0:25:36 > 0:25:39Inside, Jens can make the final repair
0:25:39 > 0:25:42to the ice immediately below the leak.
0:25:42 > 0:25:44I will make the final cut...
0:25:44 > 0:25:46for the last time.
0:25:47 > 0:25:49And with that, the bar is ready,
0:25:49 > 0:25:52just in the nick of time.
0:25:52 > 0:25:56The Icehotel crew have built probably the best Icebar
0:25:56 > 0:25:59- we've had in ten years. - I can't believe it, really.
0:25:59 > 0:26:02THEY CHEER
0:26:02 > 0:26:04Fantastic. Happy ten years.
0:26:08 > 0:26:12Hours later, the Icebar can show off Jens's new design
0:26:12 > 0:26:17and all his team's hard work to the new season's first guests.
0:26:21 > 0:26:23Really cold. I don't know how they do it
0:26:23 > 0:26:27but they must love living in thermal underwear, is all I can say!
0:26:27 > 0:26:29I'm glad to be outside, cos it's a lot warmer,
0:26:29 > 0:26:30even though I'm from t'north.
0:26:30 > 0:26:34But it were a good laugh. I'd recommend it to anyone.
0:26:34 > 0:26:38And so, the coolest bar in London, literally, can open for business.
0:26:46 > 0:26:49On a side street by John Lewis,
0:26:49 > 0:26:53thousands of frustrated commuters have been queueing from early evening
0:26:53 > 0:26:57to try and get their buses home in the face of a major Tube strike.
0:26:57 > 0:26:59We're waiting for two, three hours
0:26:59 > 0:27:02and we haven't even got into the bus yet.
0:27:02 > 0:27:05A thin blue line of police and Oxford Street welcome ambassadors
0:27:05 > 0:27:09have been trying to marshal the queues,
0:27:09 > 0:27:10but it's not gone well.
0:27:10 > 0:27:14SHOUTING
0:27:15 > 0:27:19You're all adults here! No getting on to the bus!
0:27:19 > 0:27:21As darkness falls,
0:27:21 > 0:27:23by 9.30pm,
0:27:23 > 0:27:26a workable system seems to have emerged.
0:27:26 > 0:27:29Oh, thank you! Goodbye!
0:27:32 > 0:27:35But some people are still trying to jump the queues.
0:27:35 > 0:27:39Get him out the bus. Get him off the bus.
0:27:39 > 0:27:42Get the driver to open the back door. He's pushed in.
0:27:42 > 0:27:44Come off the bus, please. Come off the bus.
0:27:44 > 0:27:48Sir, you have only been here for 15 minutes.
0:27:48 > 0:27:51You've pushed in the queue approximately four times
0:27:51 > 0:27:53when I very kindly asked you...
0:27:53 > 0:27:55Shall we move out the way, sir?
0:27:56 > 0:28:00The police keep going, helping dozens more passengers get their buses,
0:28:00 > 0:28:05and finally, just after midnight, the queues begin to die down.
0:28:05 > 0:28:08It's been a really long day. Long day.
0:28:08 > 0:28:11Tempers flaring. Not ours!
0:28:11 > 0:28:15But I think we've done as best as we can, really.
0:28:15 > 0:28:18I'm hungry, I haven't had any dinner, so I'm going to go have
0:28:18 > 0:28:21dinner, try and make my way home on two or three night buses myself,
0:28:21 > 0:28:24hopefully not crowded. So that's the end of it, really.
0:28:24 > 0:28:27They head off. Thankfully, by the morning,
0:28:27 > 0:28:29the Tubes will be running again.