Stephen Fry to narrate documentary on iconic UK gay neighbourhood
Stephen Fry is narrating the documentary This is Soho. (Getty)
Stephen Fry is narrating the documentary This is Soho. (Getty)
Stephen Fry is narrating a documentary about the Soho, the iconic gay neighbourhood in the heart of London.
This is Soho is set to be released theatrically later this year after debuting at MIPCOM 2025 in Cannes this October. The documentary will look at the district’s past, present, and future meeting the people at the centre of it all.
As reported by Deadline, the film “blends vérité storytelling with unique access behind the doors of Soho’s most celebrated establishments and the residents who call Soho home.”
Featuring drag queens, landlords and “local legends” the film will look at the current state of the LGBTQ+ nightlife in the capital, which the film’s creative team says is at “a crossroads.”
Among the threats facing Soho’s venues are rising rents, business rates, and commercialisation. The film has been directed by Ahmed Peerbux, one of the producers behind Netflix’s Grenfell: Uncovered. It has been produced by Rob Pickles, Sphere Abacus, Dare Pictures and Bad Tattoo.
Peerbux said of the film, “Soho has always punched above its postcode — this square mile has significantly shaped the world’s cultural imagination. Spending time with the people who live, work and play here, we’ve sought to uncover an authentic, layered present-day portrait of London’s most iconic area — one that pays homage to its glamorous mythos while also moving beyond it.”
Dare Pictures’s Derren Lawford told Deadline, This is Soho is “not a film about the Soho you think you know” He added: With Ahmed Peerbux’s intimate, insightful and incisive direction and Stephen Fry’s unmistakable voice, we’re capturing the essence of a wonderful mix of communities in a way which feels both local and universal.
“It’s the inside and definitive story of a place which for decades has welcomed people from all walks of life from all over the world and that’s something well worth celebrating.”
Earlier this year, G-A-Y Bar on Old Compton Street was put up for sale with owner Jeremy Joseph – who also owns Heaven in Charing Cross – taking to social media to describe the decision as “tough.” It also followed the closure of G-A-Y Late in 2023.
