London's 100 top movers and shakers 2006
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100-91 | 90-81 | 80-71 | 70-61 | 60-51 | 50-41 | 40-31 | 30-21 | 20-11 | 10-1
New entry at 69: Giorgio Locatelli New entry
70 Tom Baker
Live music pioneer
Why? He runs Eat Your Own Ears, the promoter behind many of London’s most interesting nights out. The bare facts In the last month alone EYOE has set up shows by Time Out favourites Spank Rock, Junior Boys, Espers and Bat for Lashes. EYOE’s triumphant Syd Barrett memorial gig at the Union Chapel was a fitting tribute, featuring Graham Coxon and the Mystery Jets, along with unseen home-movie footage. New entry69 Giorgio Locatelli
Italian masterchef
Why? Locatelli chose Marble Arch as the location for his own restaurant, Locanda Locatelli – it’s one of the best Italians in the UK. The bare facts He prefers Britain to his native northern Italy as ‘British people are so much more straightforward’.New entry
68 Sarah Waters
Sensation seeker
Why? ‘The Night Watch’, set during the London Blitz in 1941 and radically different from her previous novels – elegant pastiches of Victorian ‘sensation’ fiction – has sold over 40,000 copies in hardback and will be a big paperback hit, especially if it’s adapted for TV. The bare facts She wrote her debut ‘Tipping the Velvet’ after researching Victorian erotica for a PhD in gay and lesbian fiction and deciding she could do better. She lives in Kennington. In her own words ‘It’s quite hard to write a lesbian sex scene in the third person. It’s all “she” and “she”. Nightmare!’ New entry67 Simon Brammer
Spokes man
Why? Director of the London Cycling Campaign, determined to make the capital a ‘world-class cycling city’. Londoners now make 450,000 bike journeys every day (some on the road!).The bare facts Founded in 1978, the LCC has more than 10,000 members. In his own words ‘Regular cycling can help you live two years longer and have the fitness level of someone ten years younger.’ New entry66 El Nino
Mr Retro
Why? Leading light in the vintage vinyl and retro dressing scene. The bare facts He started Lady Luck five-and-a-half years ago, offering a home for those who prefer wearing a cravat and top hat to jeans and a pair of Converse. In his own words ‘Lady Luck was my very last shot at it. I thought: if this doesn’t work, people don’t deserve the records.’ New entry65 Peckham Boys
Teenage gang
Why? Armed and dangerous, these Southwark youths have been linked to a series of violent attacks across south London. In September, two local schools had to be closed early and more than 2,000 pupils sent home after police warnings of a possible incident. Forget ASBOs for playing your music too loud, this is the nasty side of teenage notoriety. The bare facts Rivalry with New Cross gang the Ghetto Boys has led to a spate of revenge attacks in recent months. Other south London gangs include: Peel Dem Crew (Brixton); Muslim Boys (Brixton); Man Dem Crew (Kennington). New entry64 Claire Fox
Offbeat idea-ist
Why? Fox is the director of the Institute of Ideas, a thinktank that provides a forum where anything and everything can be discussed without constraint. The bare facts Fox joined the Revolutionary Communist Party at Warwick University. She became co-publisher of the controversial current affairs magazine Living Marxism and set up the Institute of Ideas from its offices. Did you know? As controversial as she is ubiquitous. She has attracted attention for libelling ITN journalists, endorsing GM foods and supporting Gary Glitter’s right to porn.
Josie Long New entry
63 Josie Long
Comic charmer
Why? Her stand-up radiates optimism and joy. In August, Long, still only 24, won the If.comeddie Best Newcomer Award. A true original.The bare facts She did her first stand-up gig at the age of 14. She now runs her own monthly Sunday Night Adventure Club in Crystal Palace.In her own words ‘I like my comedy to be gentle and a bit shambolic. I used to write real jokes with a set-up and a punchline. It didn’t work.’
Jamie Oliver Down from 29
62 Jamie Oliver
Twizzler terminator
Why? In 2005 his televised campaign to improve school dinners put the issue to the top of the political agenda throughout the year and spelled the death of the Turkey Twizzler. The bare facts In 2006, franchises of Fifteen opened in Melbourne, Australia and Newquay. In Boris Johnson’s words ‘If I were in charge, I would get rid of Jamie Oliver and let people eat what they like. Mothers have been driven to pushing pies through fences. The solution is not to provide healthy stuff.’ And the next day: ‘I was misquoted. He is a national saint.’Down from 1861 Nicholas Hytner
National treasure
Why? Hytner has revitalised the National Theatre with an adventurous repertoire that achieved an average audience of 84 per cent in 2005-’06. Hytner himself directed ‘The History Boys’, one of the biggest hits in the theatre’s entire history, and launched the Travelex £10 scheme that sells cheap tickets in the Olivier. The bare facts In 1985 he became an associate director of the Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester. He has also directed operas and films.
100-91 | 90-81 | 80-71 | 70-61 | 60-51 | 50-41 | 40-31 | 30-21 | 20-11 | 10-1 - Add your comment to this feature
In 2005 his televised campaign to improve school dinners put the issue to the top of the political agenda throughout the year and spelled the death of the Turkey Twizzler. In 2006, franchises of Fifteen opened in Melbourne, Australia and Newquay. ‘If I were in charge, I would get rid of Jamie Oliver and let people eat what they like. Mothers have been driven to pushing pies through fences. The solution is not to provide healthy stuff.’ And the next day: ‘I was misquoted. He is a national saint.’ Hytner has revitalised the National Theatre with an adventurous repertoire that achieved an average audience of 84 per cent in 2005-’06. Hytner himself directed ‘The History Boys’, one of the biggest hits in the theatre’s entire history, and launched the Travelex £10 scheme that sells cheap tickets in the Olivier. In 1985 he became an associate director of the Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester. He has also directed operas and films.
