This film is part of Free

Midnight Taxi

A London cabby uncovers the city's secret nightlife in a surprising plug for post-war National Savings.

Documentary 1946 17 mins

Overview

When a disgruntled passenger complains to a London cabby that the post-war night-time capital is as "dead as mutton", the gauntlet is down. Hidden behind the dimly-lit city streets, a bustling world of nocturnal activity is revealed: Fleet Street printers, courting couples waiting for the last train home, bleary-eyed MPs after a late-night sitting, and the Post Office underground railway distributing the next day's mail.

This government film is a public record, preserved and presented by the BFI National Archive on behalf of The National Archives, home to more than 1,000 years of British history.