Victoria in Newham is 41-50 and is Magician.
As a young boy Victoria was inspired by Paul Daniels, and the sparkly glamour of 70s variety. Nowadays, Victoria finds respite from her “grotty, humdrum life”, through her own performances of comic magic under the name “Princess Victoria Elizabeth”.
We join Victoria at the Cheese and Crackers cabaret in Battersea, where she competes against a diverse range of performers. She is pessimistic about her chances, but will Victoria be victorious this time?
Victoria is the first transgender Londoner in the 1000 Londoners series.
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Film Maker: Mark Currie, Nick Shaw, Oliver Parkin
Questions & Answers
- What's your first memory of London? My first memory of London is, visiting the Imperial War Museum in the 70s, as a child. I remember being amazed by the atmosphere of the city and the bustling traffic.
- What do you miss when you're away from London? I miss the 24 hour lifestyle. London rarely gets quiet. The city never sleeps.
- What's your favourite neighbourhood? I love the glitz and glamour of Soho.
- What's your favourite building? I loved Raymnond's Review bar. It had a gorgeous chandelier and grand staircase. Sadly it has closed down.
- What's your ideal day out in London? My ideal day out is walking through Epping Forest. I have a lovely view of the forest from my window.
- What's your ideal night out in London? My ideal night out is working, performing a show. I can perform anywhere in London, as long as there's a good audience.
- What's your most hated building? Shrewsbury road health centre. There's no natural light and you're surrounded by brick walls and plastic chairs. It's always crowded and there's no feng shui. The atmosphere makes you feel worse than when you came in.
- What's the best view in London? My brother had a flat at the top of Crane House, Peckham. The views across the whole of London were great, especially on fireworks night. You can see all the way from the Dome to Battersea.
- What's your favourite open space? Epping Forest.
- What's the most interesting shop? International Magic in Clerkenwell.
- What's your favourite place to hang out? I don’t hang out, i like to be busy. Hanging out is not for me.
- What's been your most memorable night out in London? Performing in London. There have been too many shows to mention individually.
- How would you like to spend your ideal day off in London? I don’t like to take time off work.
- Where would you take someone visiting from out of town? I'd take them on a tour boat across London. They cover the history of London in great detail. London has a rich history. It seems something historical has occurred on every street. I’d actually love to do that job.
- What's the worst journey you've had to make in London? I worked at Queen Mary's Hospital, Paddington. I had to travel on the Central Line from East Ham to Paddington. It was horrendous during rush hour. We were packed in and I even witnessed people fainting.
- What's your personal London landmark? I don't have one.
- Who's your favourite fictional Londoner? I like Steptoe and Son, but I'm also a huge fan of Dr. Who.
- What's your favourite London film, book or documentary? My favourite novel is The end of the affair, by Graham Greene. The setting of the character's flat, is much like my own; opposite the woods.
- If you could travel to any time period in London, past or future, where would you go? I would travel 10 years into the future to check that attitudes towards race and gay rights had progressed, not regressed.
- For you, who is the ultimate Londoner? Ken Livingstone