London to Brighton in Four Minutes


London to Brighton in Four Minutes
London to Brighton in Four Minutes
Title card of 1953 film
GenreDocumentary
Directed byDon Smith
Narrated byDavid Lloyd James
ComposersDavid Hart, "Sabre Jet"
Production
Running time5:24 minutes
Original release
NetworkBBC Television
Release1953 (1953)
Infobox instructions (only shown in preview)

London to Brighton in Four Minutes is a short film produced by the BBC Film Unit in the early 1950s showing a train journey from London Victoria to Brighton in England. The camera was manually undercranked to produce a fast motion film so that the journey lasted only four minutes instead of the actual time of about one hour.

It was originally shown on BBC Television's Children's Newsreel and over the years its frequent repeat transmissions became very popular with British television viewers of all ages. Later versions were produced, particularly in 1983 and 2013, showing some of the cultural and operational changes that had taken place. The films show the train driver's view ahead during a journey aboard the Brighton Belle.