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Mis-Communicator of the Week: Transport for London

A walk around the streets of soho in central London and you might catch a different kind of show to the nude affairs available thirty or so years ago.

One of the many great things Boris Johnson has done over his eight years as mayor of London is put the city back on the map as the greatest, most vibrant, creative city on earth.

Behind unshowy facades of numerous buildings, amongst the historic pubs and cafes of soho, brilliant creative types are designing, writing code and producing some of the world's best special effects, games and breathtaking scenes you'll see on the big screen or your computer screens.

Oscars aplenty, an industry in itself, and one of the reasons the UK film and TV industry is thriving. Part of this success has been the opening up of more of London for filming. While James Bond visits exotic places, the most iconic scenes in recent films have been on London's streets; featuring its landmarks and skyline.

All this would, you'd assume, lend itself to me being fully behind filming of a spectacular stunt on London's Lambeth Bridge. Actually the complete opposite. The images of a red London bus exploding on a London street is not one that should be encouraged as it was by Transport for London who allowed the filming to happen.

A quick internet or social media search shows the negative images have been written about, commented upon and shared all over the world.

The makers of 'The Foreigner' have their advanced publicity while awful images of terror are again affiliated with London. The comments from those who were caught up in the horror of the bombings in London in July 2007 show how insensitive something like this can be to people.

Transport for London and other agencies do a great job in helping to promote London but, here's an idea, what about pointing film companies to London's brilliant special effects brains in soho the next time someone suggests blowing up a bus on a London street?

For not doing so I make Transport for London my Mis-Communicator of the Week.

Mis-Communicator of the Week is written by Edward Staite.

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