LONDON'S CULTURAL MIX OF TV GEMS

London is the shining star of the international fashion circuit, the latest women’s London Fashion Week following on the success of the first ever London Collections: Men event in January to cement the city’s global attraction. This clothing bonanza is part of a culture that fizzes with excitement, encompassing architecture, music, the arts and entertainment, which indeed make it, in mayor Boris Johnson’s words “the greatest city on earth”.

British reticence usually discourages such self- congratulatory appreciation but in these difficult times, reticence must go out the window. And doing a sterling job of spotlighting the capital’s attributes was another great British institution, British TV,  one grey Saturday evening mid-February. Among a sea of repeats, due to the dreaded Cuts, some gems were to be found.

THE UP GESTURE

Pointing two fingers into the sky in a time-honoured Anglo-Saxon gesture, the Shard is London’s latest shining beacon of modernity.  Rising over a 1,000 feet or 309.6 metres, with 95 floors, it is Europe’s highest habitable building and an instant success with Londoners and visitors, who are flocking to pay the £24.95 cost of a trip up to its viewing platform.

Channel 4s thrilling documentary on the construction of this glittering tower, first aired last year, had a welcome repeat, covering the nerve-wracking problems, the sheer hard graft, technical brilliance and huge complexity involved in creating this latest symbol of London’s power.

We may bemoan the fact that we have less would-be Islamabad Kingdom Brunel engineers in the pipeline but the hugely varied and talented workforce employed here shows that we do still have a highly skilled and dedicated number able to handle such a development.

Constrained by near neighbours of Guys Hospital on one side and London Bridge station on the other, restricted for space, and ever-mindful of budgets and deadlines, the developers and contruction team were seen surmounting all problems and overcoming the elements in what was a surprisingly exciting and inspiring documentary.

To see it at its best, take to the river, with a trip along to the Thames Barrier. The Shard appears from one side to the other, to back, to front, to side to side again, as the river winds its course. Truly amazing

For aficionados or those just capitivated by this iconic building, the official guidebook, 'The Shard' stuffed with all the statistics and history of its creation, is now available from Thames & Hudson.  It could have done with more of the fascinating facts – the cab driver in Europe’s tallest crane who has the long climb to a cab at 285 metres up; the team of abseilers employed to guide the glass shards into place; the three men who secured the final spire …

But it credits developer Irvine Sellar for pursuing his dream building into reality; and Italian architect, Renzo Piano for  translating that dream. Perhaps a fuller book on The Shard will come later, and maybe even a film version! In the meantime, the Shard’s jagged prong provides a uniquely robust symbol of  London’s exuberant spirit. £7.95 at bookshops and www.thamesandhudson.com

MORE AND MORE CHOOSE LIFE IN THE CITY

While the Shard and a raft of other building works underway are testament to the modernity of the city, another TV repeat the same evening focused upon a less familiar but just as important aspect of the capital. BBC’s wondrous ‘Unnatural History of London’ captured the wildlife that flourishes in unexpected quarters, aided by locals who delight in its proximity.

With foxes getting a bad press at present, it was revealing to see the pleasure such exchange brought to the lives of some citizens.  Tough Billingsgate fish porters were seen feeding a seal who had taken up local residence, a photographer hoped to come back as one of the pigeons she focuses upon, a deer warden looked for new foals, and a bevy of birdwatchers testified to the increasing species opting for city life.

Quite one of the most enchanting scenes was a courtship ballet captured on the lowly backwaters of Hackney between two grebe. “If that didn’t make me happy,” said the local who gets up at dawn to see such spectacles, “it would be very odd.”

And an Indian chef, who delights in feeding birds, particularly sparrows, in his back garden, said "there is no city in the world like London...the parks, the open spaces, tiny little green spaces - coming from India, this is like magic".

Produced by Passion Wild Productions, this is an absolute gem, to capture on BBC iplayer or enquire at www.passion-pictures.com.