Stephen Fry to narrate film charting Soho’s evolution – asking what lies ahead for its LGBTQ+ scene
Titled This is Soho, the project will premiere at MIPCOM 2025 in Cannes this October before heading to cinemas later in the year
By Callum Wells
Stephen Fry is set to narrate a new documentary charting the evolution of Soho, London’s best-known gay area, and asking what lies ahead for its LGBTQ+ scene.
Titled This is Soho, the project will premiere at MIPCOM 2025 in Cannes this October before heading to cinemas later in the year. Viewers can expect a journey through the area’s history, its current identity and the people keeping its spirit alive.
According to 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.”
Drag queens, landlords and “local legends” all feature, with the filmmakers describing the capital’s nightlife as being “at a crossroads”.
“Soho has always punched above its postcode” – Ahmed Peerbux, director of This Is Soho
Economic pressures are among the threats explored – from steep rent increases to higher business rates and the impact of commercialisation. Behind the camera is Ahmed Peerbux, who co-produced Netflix’s Grenfell: Uncovered. He is joined by producers Rob Pickles, Sphere Abacus, Dare Pictures and Bad Tattoo.
“Soho has always punched above its postcode – this square mile has significantly shaped the world’s cultural imagination,” said Peerbux.
“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.”
Notable changes on the ground
Dare Pictures’s Derren Lawford described This is Soho as “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.”
The documentary arrives amid notable changes on the ground. In early 2025, G-A-Y Bar on Old Compton Street was listed for sale, with owner Jeremy Joseph – who also runs Heaven in Charing Cross – calling the move “tough” on social media. It followed the closure of G-A-Y Late the previous year.