Stars celebrate 25 years of The London Eye

A celebration of the wheel that keeps on turning…

This month marks 25 years of the London Eye, a structure that was originally only intended to be a temporary marker of the millennium.

To commemorate this milestone, the captivating short film titled ’Turning 25: London’s Eye’ charts the story of the London Eye and its journey from temporary millennium monument to a permanent cultural icon representing London on the global stage. The film is a love letter to London, following the evolution of London and the London Eye alike across the last quarter of a century.

The star-studded film features intimate interviews with celebrities Russell Tovey, Leigh-Anne Pinnock, David Harewood, and Oleksandr Usyk, alongside personal stories from a range of inspirational contributors including Julia Barfield, one half of the entrepreneurial architectural husband and wife team who dreamed up the structure and brought it to life. Adding to the emotional depth of the film, is an original piece of spoken word poetry by renowned London performance poet Emmanuel Speaks.

David Harewood

From David Harewood moving to London as a young actor, to the start of Russell Tovey’s love of art and Leigh-Anne Pinnock experiences of The Notting Hill Carnival, their stories of the capital are both personal and relatable.

Talking about starting his acting career in London, David Harewood shared, “One of the things that really used to excite me about London is that it was busy. The tube was noisy and kind of dirty. I came from Birmingham, which felt so small, and the minute you got off the train you were into this bustle – it just seemed so vibrant and exciting. There was diversity of ideas, diversity of politics – different types of people everywhere and I found there was a kind of invisibility that I had – and that’s when I found this tribe of actors. There was inspiration everywhere. It was like being in heaven.”

Talking about his very early memories of London, Russell Tovey shares “I was always coming up to London for auditions, I would go to drama clubs all over London as a kid. There was always an opportunity for discovery and always an adventure that I could go on, on my own as long as I text my mum.”

“The first time I ever came to the Southbank, The County Hall had the Saatchi collection and changed my life. London is the melting pot full of culture, full of creativity, the epicenter of art. London when the sun’s out is the best city in the world hands down.”

Leigh-Anne Pinnock

Leigh-Anne Pinnock shares her memories of coming to London as an aspiring musician, “I remember saving up my money to come all the way to East London to work with different producers and anyone I’d meet I’d tell them I was going to be a popstar. But knowing that I had to be here [London] for it to work. London is the place to be for everything.

“When I first got into Little Mix, two of the girls were from Newcastle, Jesy was from Essex and me from High Wycombe it was just too far apart. We knew we all had to pack up and move to London, and the dream began. Being able to be that free in London was just unbelievable. More than that, it has this overwhelming community feel, people are there for each other. I don’t ever want the city to lose that. It may feel like a bustling, loud city, but there are moments of real calm too – when I come up here [on the London Eye], I leave my worries below. There’s something calming and energy cleansing about looking out across the city. It makes people feel something.”

Talking about the start of her relationship the musician also said, “I actually had a date on the Eye. It went pretty well ’cause we’re married now! You have to do it once in your life!”

Talking about his personal experiences of London 2012 Oleksandr Usyk commented, “My first time I was in London was 2012, for the Olympic games. My little daughter, who was 2.5 years old then said to me on the phone ‘Dad bring me the gold’. That really motivated me. Very few people would imagine that we could go this far! But I knew that it was possible.”

Russell Tovey

The London Eye invites everyone to watch and enjoy ‘Turning 25: London’s Eye‘ and join in the celebration of this significant anniversary. The film is available to view on YouTube.