1 Leicester Square is a British chatshow hosted by Russell Brand which ran from 2 April to 31 December 2006 on MTV UK. The show featured celebrity guests, musical entertainment and various asides featuring the presenter. The show was widely viewed as a vehicle for the comeback of Brand after his sacking from MTV in 2001.

Format[link]

The show begins with an announcer introducing Brand. Controversially, he was once introduced as being "bigger than Jesus" in reference to a misquoted claim by John Lennon claiming that The Beatles were bigger than Jesus. After entering Brand sits in a flamboyantly upholstered chair with a zebra fabric for the seat covering. He then introduces the musical act for the show and they will play a track. After this, an announcer will introduce the first guest (usually the biggest star) with a comically fabricated fact or anecdote about them. The guest will then be interviewed whilst they sit on a sofa next to Brand. After this interview, there is usually a commercial break.

After the break, Brand usually interviews the musical act that is on the show this week in another area of the studio. This is usually punctuated with a sketch and Daniel and Len's Video Review (see below). This interview is typically followed with another interview by Brand next to a mock bar with another celebrity. After this interview there is another commercial break.

The last portion of the show is taken up with the segment For Pity's Sake Help Us (see below), followed by another performance from the guest musical act.

Guests[link]

The show has featured many guests on it. These include:

The show has occasionally featured interviews that are pre-recorded, outside of the studio. Guests that have been interviewed in this fashion include: -

• Kate Bosworth
• Kelly Brook
• Brandon Routh
• Kevin Spacey

Musical acts[link]

Musical acts that have appeared on the show include: -

Short features[link]

In series 2 of the show, all of the short features have been removed from the show with the exception of For Pity's Sake Help Us. Daniel and Len later appeared on Russell Brand's Got Issues, introducing each show with a skit loosely connected to the week's topic.

Daniel and Len's Video Review[link]

Daniel and Len's Video Review is a weekly feature of the programme in which there are typically three different reviews of videos that have been recently released. The actual reviewing takes a backseat to discussion of developments in the lives of Daniel and his grandson Len (who despite his small size is in fact a teenager). Daniel is played by Russell Brand and is portrayed as an old man, whilst Len (played by Brand's friend and BBC Radio 2 colleague Matt Morgan) is portrayed as a very pale boy. There is an ongoing theme of Daniel's struggle to seduce Elaine, a social worker who was assigned to look after Len. Dogtanian was also frequently referred to, being championed by Len and damned by Daniel after he lived in their house, strutting around in a vest top 'giving it the big I am'.

Pimp My Application[link]

Pimp My Application is a spoof of the popular MTV UK show Pimp My Ride UK. It has only appeared once on the show. Russell Brand parodies Tim Westwood, giving him a hook for a hand, a peg leg and a squawking voice. Brand lampoons the show by using over-exaggerated street speak when describing how they are going to 'pimp' up a person's CV when he is applying for a job.

For Pity's Sake Help Us[link]

This is a feature that Brand always ends the show with, save the last musical performance. Audience members are asked if they have any problems and these are then answered by some of the celebrities that have appeared earlier in the show.

The Rats[link]

The Rats is a sketch that is performed before each of the commercial breaks and at the end of the show. Two rats are crudely manipulated and given human voices. They will usually engage in a short, humorous conversation that loosely relates to a topic of discussion in the previous segment.

Minor characters[link]

Gatwick[link]

Gatwick is a model of a man that loosely resembles Prince Charles and is occasionally used by Brand as a prop on the show.

Dan the Researcher[link]

Dan is the show's mysterious researcher that Brand alludes to after fabricating or bringing up an obscure fact about his interviewee.

External links[link]

• 1 Leicester Square at the Internet Movie Database

Coordinates: 51°30′37″N 0°7′49″W / 51.51028°N 0.13028°W / 51.51028; -0.13028

Leicester Square at night in December 2005: a view towards the northeast corner.

Leicester Square ⁱ/ˈlɛstər/ is a pedestrianised square in the West End of London, England. The Square lies within an area bound by Lisle Street , to the north; Charing Cross Road, to the east; Orange Street, to the south; and Whitcomb Street, to the west. The park at the centre of the Square is bound by Cranbourn Street, to the north; Leicester Street, to the east; Irving Street, to the south; and a section of road designated simply as Leicester Square, to the west. It is within the City of Westminster, and about equal distances (about 400 yards / 370 metres) north of Trafalgar Square, east of Piccadilly Circus, west of Covent Garden, and south of Cambridge Circus.

History[link]

Leicester Square in 1750, looking north. The large house set behind a forecourt at the northeast corner is Leicester House, then the residence of Frederick, Prince of Wales.

Leicester Square in 1880, looking north east.

The Square is named after Robert Sidney, 2nd Earl of Leicester, who purchased four acres (1.6 hectares) in St. Martin's Field in 1630; by 1635, he had built himself a large house, Leicester House, at the northern end. The area in front of the house was then enclosed, depriving inhabitants of St Martin in the Fields parish of their right to use the previously common land. The parishioners appealed to King Charles I, and he appointed three members of the Privy Council to arbitrate. Lord Leicester was ordered to keep part of his land (thereafter known as Leicester Field and later as Leicester Square) open for the parishioners.^[1]

The area was developed in the 1670s. It was initially fashionable and Leicester House was once residence of Frederick, Prince of Wales but by the late 18th century, the Square was no longer a smart address and began to serve as a venue for popular entertainments. Leicester House became home of a museum of natural curiosities called the Holophusikon in the 1780s and was demolished about 1791–1792.^[1]

In 1848, Leicester Square was the subject of the land-law case of Tulk v. Moxhay. The plot's previous owner had agreed upon a covenant not to erect buildings. However, the law would not allow purchasers who were not 'privy' to the initial contract to be bound by subsequent promises. The judge, Lord Cottenham, decided that future owners could be bound by promises to abstain from activity. Otherwise, a buyer could sell land to himself to undermine an initial promise.^[2] Arguments continued about the fate of the garden, with Charles Augustus Tulk's heirs erecting a wooden hoarding around the property in 1873. Finally, in 1874 the flamboyant Albert Grant (1830–1899) purchased the outstanding freeholds and donated the garden to the Metropolitan Board of Works, laying out a garden at his own expense. The title passed to the succeeding public bodies and is now in the ownership of the City of Westminster.^[3]

By the 19th century, Leicester Square was known as an entertainment venue, with many amusements peculiar to the era, including Wyld's Great Globe, which was built for the Great Exhibition of 1851 and housed a giant scale map of the Earth.^[4] Several hotels grew up around the square, making it popular with visitors to London. The Alhambra, a large theatre built in 1854, dominated the site,^[5] to be joined in 1884 by the Empire Theatre of Varieties. The square remains the heart of the West End entertainment district today.

During the Labour government's 1979 Winter of Discontent, refuse collectors went on strike. Leicester Square was used as an overflow dump, earning it the nickname of "Fester Square".^[6]

Features[link]

Gardens[link]

The Shakespeare fountain and statue

In the middle of the Square is a small park, in the centre of which is a 19th century statue of William Shakespeare surrounded by dolphins. The four corner gates of the park have one bust each, depicting Sir Isaac Newton, the scientist; Sir Joshua Reynolds, the first President of the Royal Academy; John Hunter, a pioneer of surgery; and William Hogarth, the painter. The most recent addition is a statue of film star and director Charlie Chaplin. On the pavement are inscribed the distances in miles to countries of the former British Empire.

Entertainment[link]

Tom Cruise's handprints

Leicester Square is the centre of London's cinema land, and one of the signs marking the Square bears the legend "Theatreland". It is claimed that the Square contains the cinema with the largest screen and the cinema with the most seats (over 1600). The square is the prime location in London for world leading film premières and has seen blockbusters including Harry Potter and James Bond film series, Avatar, Alice in Wonderland, and animation films such as Shrek; and co-hosts the London Film Festival each year.^{[7][8][9][10][11]} Similar to Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, the square is surrounded by floor mounted plaques with film stars names and cast handprints.

The Square is also the home for tkts, formerly known as the Official London Half-Price Theatre Ticket Booth. This booth is jointly operated by TKTS and LondonTown.com. Tickets for theatre performances taking place around the West End that day are sold from the booth for about half the usual price. The popularity of the booth has given rise to many other booths and stores around the Square that advertise half-price tickets for West End shows. It is claimed that at least some of these booths operate fraudulently. Despite having names like 'Official Half-Price Ticket Booth', they are not official and they do not always advertise the booking fees which commonly come with purchasing tickets.

The Square is home to several nightclubs, making it often very busy, particularly on Friday and Saturday evenings.

Major cinemas[link]

Leicester Square's Odeon.

Leicester Square's Empire on a rainy night in May 2003

• Odeon Leicester Square, which dominates the east side of the square, had the first digital projector in Europe (1999), hosting most premieres with capacity for 1683 people, arranged in circle and stalls.
• The adjacent Odeon Mezzanine has five smaller auditoria (capacities of 50–60 each).
• Empire, on the north of the Square, is the next-largest cinema, with 1,330 seats in the main screen, as well as eight smaller screens, with 349, 96, 58, 49, 48, 42 and 23 seats. Eight of the screens are digital. The main screen and one smaller one can also play 3D films. Many premieres are hosted here.

• Odeon West End, on the south side, contains two screens, which can seat 1,000 altogether. Screen 1 holds 400 people and Screen 2 holds 600. It is used for smaller premieres.
• Vue, on the north side, near the north east corner, was previously the Warner Brothers Village, a multiplex that hosted only Warner Bros. film premieres. Together with the rest of the Warner Village chain, it was bought out by Vue in 2004.

Other cinemas[link]

• A short distance from the west of the Square, on the south side of Panton Street, is the Odeon Panton Street, another four-screen Odeon cinema.
• Just to the North of the square, Prince Charles Cinema is a cheap-ticket second-run and cult cinema famed for its regular showing of The Rocky Horror Picture Show and a sing-along version of The Sound of Music.
• Cineworld is a short distance down Coventry Street in the Trocadero Centre.

Clubs, bars, restaurants[link]

Just off Leicester Square

• Hippodrome, London
• The Venue Leicester Square (West End theatre)

Media[link]

Global Radio has its headquarters on the east side of Leicester Square, close to the Odeon Leicester Square. The building houses the radio stations Capital, Classic FM, Choice FM, Gold, Heart, LBC and Xfm London.

In what was formerly Home (a seven-floor superclub launched in 1999, which went into receivership^[12] after having its licence revoked by police for one month^[13] in March 2001 because of drugs issues, and at which Paul Oakenfold was a resident D.J.), is now an MTV UK television studio, used for the UK version of Total Request Live and the Russell Brand–fronted show 1 Leicester Square. It was also used for the first series of BBC Saturday morning show TMi.

Leicester Square is mentioned in the song "Emit Remmus" on the Californication album by the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Other attractions[link]

Leicester Square Christmas Fair.

The square regularly hosts a fair each winter and a stage is erected for performances connected to other events such as the Chinese New Year.

Infrastructure[link]

The main electrical substation for the West End is beneath the Square. The electrical cables to the substation are in a large tunnel ending at Leicester Square, and originating in Wimbledon, at Plough Lane, behind the former Wimbledon FC football ground, before which the cables are above ground.^[14]

Redevelopment[link]

The square has undergone significant redevelopment in recent years. The works have retained the square's historic character, whilst enhancing its function as a backdrop for film premieres. The works commenced in December 2010, lasting for 17 months after being reopened on 24 May 2012, in time for the 2012 Summer Olympics.^[15]

See also[link]

• Leicester Square tube station
• List of eponymous roads in London

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Leicester Square

London/Leicester Square travel guide from Wikitravel

• History of Leicester Square
• Leicester Square Webcam - 8 preset views from the Radisson Edwardian Hampshire Hotel
• Detailed information about the history and buildings of Leicester Square from the Survey of London
• Leicester Square webcam
• More on the history of Leicester Square at www.VictorianLondon.org
• Leicester Square Television
• History of Leicester Square's Theatres and Cinemas

Coordinates: 52°38′03″N 1°08′19″W / 52.63422°N 1.13852°W / 52.63422; -1.13852

City of Leicester
—  City & Unitary authority  —
Leicester landmarks: (clockwise from top-left) Jewry Wall, National Space Centre, Leicester War Memorial, Central Leicester, Curve theatre, Leicester Cathedral and Guildhall, Welford Road Stadium, Leicester Market
Official logo of City of Leicester Coat of Arms
Motto: Semper Eadem
Location within Leicestershire and England
Coordinates: 52°38′06″N 1°08′06″W / 52.635°N 1.135°W / 52.635; -1.135
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Constituent country	England
Region	East Midlands
Ceremonial county	Leicestershire
Admin HQ	New Walk Centre, Leicester City Centre
Founded	AD 50 as Ratae Corieltauvorum by the Romans
City Status	restored 1919
Government
• Type	Unitary authority, City
• Mayor	Sir Peter Soulsby
• Leadership	Elected mayor and cabinet
• Unitary authority	Leicester City Council
• List of MPs	List of MPs Jon Ashworth (Leicester South) Liz Kendall (Leicester West) Keith Vaz (Leicester East)
Area
• City & Unitary authority	28.31 sq mi (73.32 km2)
Population (2010 est.)
• City & Unitary authority	306,600 (Ranked 26th)
• Urban	441,213
• Metro	772,400 (LUZ)
• Ethnicity (June 2009 estimates)[1]	Ethnic groups 64.1% White 60.1% White British 1.0% White Irish 3.0% Other White   2.9% Mixed 1.0% Black Caribbean & White 0.3% Black African & White 1.0% South Asian & White 0.6% Other Mixed   26.1% Asian or Asian British 18.7% Indian 4.6% Pakistani 0.9% Bangladeshi 1.9% Other Asian   3.8% Black or Black British 1.6% Black Caribbean 1.9% Black African 0.3% Other Black   3.1% Chinese or Other 2.1% Chinese 1.0% Other
Time zone	Greenwich Mean Time (UTC+0)
• Summer (DST)	British Summer Time (UTC+1)
Postcode	LE
Area code(s)	0116
Twin cities
•  – Strasbourg	France (since 1960)
•  – Krefeld	Germany (since 1969)
•  – Masaya	Nicaragua (since 1987)
•  – Chongqing	China (since 1993)
•  – Rajkot	India (since 1996)
•  – Haskovo	Bulgaria (since 2008)
Grid Ref.	SK584044
ONS code	00FN
ISO 3166-2	GB-LCE
NUTS 3	UKF21
Distance to London	102.8 mi (165.4 km)
Demonym	Leicesterian
Website	http://www.leicester.gov.uk/

Leicester (/lɛstər/ LESS-tər  pronunciation (help·info)) is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest. In 2010, the population of the Leicester unitary authority was estimated at 306,600, the second highest in the region, whilst 441,213 people lived in the wider Leicester Urban Area in 2006, making Leicester the tenth most populous settlement in the United Kingdom and the UK's fourteenth largest urban area. It is the largest city in the East Midlands yet has the second largest urban area in the region behind Nottingham Urban Area. Eurostat's Larger Urban Zone listed the population of the area at 772,400 people as of 2004.

Ancient Roman pavements and baths remain in Leicester from its early settlement as Ratae Corieltauvorum, a Roman military outpost in a region inhabited by the Celtic Corieltauvi tribe. Following the demise of Roman society the early medieval Ratae Corieltauvorum is shrouded in obscurity, but when the settlement was captured by the Danes it became one of five fortified towns important to the Danelaw. The name "Leicester" is thought to derive from the words castra of the "Ligore", meaning camp of the dwellers on the (river) Legro.^[2] Leicester appears in the Domesday Book as "Ledecestre". Leicester continued to grow throughout the Early Modern period as a market town, although it was the Industrial Revolution that facilitated a process of rapid unplanned urbanisation in the area.

A newly constructed rail and canal network routed through the area stimulated industrial growth in the 19th century, and Leicester became a major economic centre with a variety of manufacturers engaged in engineering, shoemaking and hosiery production. The economic success of these industries, and businesses ancillary to them, resulted in significant urban expansion into the surrounding countryside. Leicester is one of the oldest cities in England, it was the centre of the bishopric from around 670, endowing it with city status. However, it lost city status in the 11th century during a time of struggle between the church and the aristocracy and did not regain it again until 1919. The boundaries of Leicester were extended several times in the 19th and 20th centuries; it became a county borough in 1889, and was re-granted city status in 1919.

Today, Leicester is located on the Midland Main Line and close to the M1 motorway. The city has a large ethnic minority population, particularly of South Asian origin, a product of immigration to the United Kingdom since the Second World War. To cater for the South Asian community, there are many Hindu, Sikh and Muslim places of worship and the Melton Road district serves as a focus, containing large numbers of Asian restaurants and other small businesses. Leicester is a centre for higher education, with both the University of Leicester and De Montfort University being based in the city.