SWEET WILLIAM

GB
1980
1hr 32mins
Dir: Claude Whatham
Starring: Sam Waterston and Jenny Agutter

A young woman has a perfect love affair with a zealous American writer, only to find that he strays

This drama is based on the 1975 novel of the same title by Beryl Bainbridge and features some railway footage. There is at first a shot of Jenny Agutter emerging from Finchley Road Underground station and then a shot of her boarding a Class 423 4 VEP EMU at London Victoria. This is then followed by confusing scenes of Miss Agutter onboard Mk.1 stock with an arrival that used both Crewe and Bristol Temple Meads! Although there is a good shot of the coaches, no locomotives are seen. There is then an unusual sequence of events whereby Sam Waterston pulls the communication cord thus bringing the train to a stand. He and Jenny Agutter then jump down from the train and run off. It is not known where this amusing incident was filmed but it was shot on a single-track line and the train pulls away without having had the communication cord reset! Again, no locomotive was visible.

I wonder where this may be?
You guessed it, Finchley Road. Jenny Agutter leaves the station but notice the publicity poster on the wall that is showing a tube train.
Jenny Agutter on a 4 VEP unit at London Victoria
A driver’s eye view of an arrival into Crewe.
But here is the problem. Platform 10 at Crewe is not curved and that sign is clearly a prop. So if this isn’t Crewe, where is it? It transpires that this is in fact Bristol Temple Meads.
Plenty of footage was filmed inside this Mk.1
Sam Waterston and Jenny Agutter leave the train at an unknown location on a single-track line somewhere
However, there is a clue as to its location. As Sam Waterston makes his way from the train and down the embankment to the road below, he flags down a lift. Forming the backdrop is a viaduct (or at least a large three-arch bridge), it is just such a shame that the road sign can not be read.