THE FOURTH PROTOCOL

GB
1987
1hr 59mins
Dir: John Mackenzie
Starring: Michael Caine and Pierce Brosnan

A Russian spy attempts to set off a nuclear weapon in the UK

Based on the 1984 Frederick Forsyth novel of the same name, this Cold War spy film has some good scenes filmed on the London Underground using 1972-built tube stock (MkII trailer No.4351 is one vehicle), though they are a little confusing. It seems that the majority of filming took place at Charing Cross and Green Park stations on the Jubilee Line, with the former appearing as ‘Hyde Park Corner’. Later there is a fight scene filmed onboard 1972-built stock arriving into Aldwych, though as Michael Caine gets off the train there is a clear glimpse of a ‘Paddington’ station roundel. In addition, there is a very good scene filmed at London St Pancras station with Michael Caine alighting from a Rover 2000 that slides to a screeching halt on the platform just as a Class 312 EMU is departing, revealing an HST set behind. Caine races to board the departing EMU, and opens the cab door of the final vehicle as the train gathers speed. Another HST is briefly visible in the background during this exciting stunt which would probably not be allowed today. The EMU was a visitor to the station for filming as the type never usually ran into St Pancras, and there follows a brief scene filmed onboard. The unit was forming the ‘18:30 to Colchester’ and in an unusually good piece of continuity we see 312786 arriving at Colchester to complete the journey (though the route indicator blind reads Clacton). British Rail must have given some considerable co-operation to the producers during these scenes. The Colchester scene at night shows the unit ‘stopping short’ in the platform. It is in fact an eight-car formation and stops only just enough to allow Jiri Stanislav to exit onto the platform. The train then pulls out and it is clear that it is empty coaching stock as no one else is onboard. Meanwhile, as the train clears the shot we can see that Michael Caine has alighted onto the tracks to avoid detection as he is stood on the adjacent running line.

This is Charing Cross Jubilee Line, still open as the southern terminus of the route until closed by London Underground in 1999 with opening of the extension out to Stratford. Marked in this instance as ‘Hyde Park Corner’, the station was already beginning to appear in film roles.
Whilst this is Green Park
This is rare. An electric unit at St Pancras. Before the arrival of the Eurostar sets the overhead wires at the London terminus saw very little use and the Class 312 in the platform would have not been a regular visitor to the station at all.
The St Pancras scenes include this fabulous overall shot of the ‘rear’ of the station hotel
Moving closer to ground level and the Rover 2000 carrying Michael Caine races into the station as the Colchester train departs (this should of course be Liverpool Street).
This particularly fine shot sees Michael Caine bail out of the Rover half way down the platform as he boards the train via the rear cab door of the Class 312. An HST is visible on the right, the classic red stripe of which denotes the buffet car.
This is Colchester. The train is formed of a pair of Class 312 EMU’s with 312786 leading. The route blind states Clacton.
This second view shows that the train has stopped short (notice the carriages off the end of the platform in the background). This is clearly empty coaching stock provided specially for filming.
Michael Caine has alighted trackside and we see him here standing on the adjacent running lines