Henry Scott-Irvine’s Soho Cinema Tales: A Walk Through London’s Vanished Screens

Henry Scott Irvine

June 24, 2025
2 min read

Soho’s Lost Cinemas take centre stage in this award-winning 17-minute documentary by Henry Scott-Irvine, who both produced and directed the film. He revisits key locations from Soho’s cinematic past, guiding us through memories of cinemas that have long since vanished; alongside Soho Square’s lost Hollywood distributor, liquidated laboratories, fired film censors, and the demolished 70mm Super Panavision curved screen at The Casino Cinerama in Old Compton Street – now The Prince Edward Theatre.

Filmed on 12th April 2021, as people reappeared in Soho’s empty COVID-19 streets, pedestrians are seen wandering around Henry, returning to their former lives in an unusually desolate Soho.

This film was awarded the Runner-up Award for Best Documentary Feature at The Portobello Film Festival in 2023.

To watch it free on any digital device, simply click here to go straight to the YouTube link.

Meanwhile, here is a link to the quasi Smiley Cinerama trailer reversion for Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey.

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About Author

Henry Scott Irvine

Henry Scott-Irvine is the author of the Omnibus Press hardback biography of Procol Harum. His writing career began in the script departments of the British film industry before moving into television as a music and arts producer. He has since built a long career in journalism and broadcasting, working as a radio producer-presenter since 2009 and producing the award-winning documentary Tales From Tin Pan Alley. Henry is also a dedicated campaigner for the recognition and preservation of London’s music and film heritage sites.