The Quadrophenia Tour

Glenda Clarke

Glenda Clarke works as a tour guide in Brighton. Amongst the many walking tours she offers to the public is her famous ‘Quadrophenia Tour’. To find out more information about Glenda Clarke’s walking tours of Brighton please visit her website at www.brightonwalks.com

“I used to live on the seafront where the Thistle Hotel is now, that used to be a gift shop and newsagents downstairs with a little flat upstairs. So I was in Brighton while they were filming Quadrophenia, but at the time didn’t take that much notice because at the time I didn’t know what it was going to end up as! I personally think the film is brilliant, it really sums up 1964!”

Origins Of The Quadrophenia Tour
“Over the years when I’d done other general walks of Brighton I found that quite often people would ask me questions about it. Then I was approached by Sky Television who were doing a programme about the making of Quadrophenia for me to take them to the locations. Then my daughter who was 16 at the time came home one day and said ‘Mum, have you ever seen a film called Quadrophenia?’ She’d just seen it with her friends and she thought it was brilliant. I thought – well, if it’s as popular now as it was 25 years ago maybe it would be worth my while putting together a tour.”

Devising The Tour
“When I’m putting together different tours what people don’t realise is it takes on heck of a lot of research, it takes a lot of time. It’s not enough to just open a book and say to people this scene was shot here, people want more than that. I go into very great depth because I found out that the people that want to do the Quadrophenia walk are the people who just adore the film like I do, so it’s not enough to just take them to the different locations. I’ve got lots of anecdotes to talk about the filming and I use a lot of visuals on my tour. If I’m talking about a person then I like to show a photograph, if I’m talking about a scene in a film, then I try to get a copy to show them.”

Who Will You Find On The Tour?
“Oh, the Quadrophenia Tour is amazing! The people who come on the tour may have seen it once or twice and others have seen it a hundred or more times. You get the people who’ve just seen the film for the first time, they may be quite young early teens, mid teens. You get the people who were Mods and Rockers, now and again I may get people who were here in 1964 which is great and the scooter clubs are quite into Quadrophenia. I also get a lot of people from overseas. I’ve had people from all over Europe, America, Canada, Australia and quite a few from Japan because in those countries, like this, its still a very cult film. They visit London to see the sights but they come to Brighton for the day just because of Quadrophenia, the film really touches everyone. It’s a great mixture and people always start chatting, ‘Where have you come from?’ and all that sort of thing. It’s a nice atmosphere.”

Comments about this page

  • I was a mod in 1964 and I have to tell you the film misses everything that was happening in Brighton in 1964 – there was so much more.

    By Colin Kennard (02/01/2005)
  • Hi Colin – We are making a film about the mods. We are still researching, so tell us what Quadrophenia missed. Visit http://www.filmacademy.co.uk and email us via the contact page.

    By Film Academy (11/03/2005)
  • I was a Rocker in 1964 and I can assure you that Brighton and Hastings were much more home to us than they were to the Mods. I still ride down to the Ace Cafe Day every year .

    By Dick Tym (13/07/2005)
  • Please make a Quadrophenia 2. It’s been so long.

    By Bridget (12/03/2006)
  • Quadrophenia made me the person I am today. I fell in love with the modernist scene after watching my dad’s copy of Quadrophenia for the first time and it is just my bible. I will definitely be travelling down to Brighton as soon as I can just to go on the Quadrophenia tour!

    By Diana Merry (13/06/2006)
  • I think its about time for a remake of the film. We now know what interest there is out there and with a real budget behind it a remake could be even better and touch even more people than the first one did.

    By Rick Harpham (27/06/2006)
  • Why remake a classic? Can’t anyone think of a new story to tell about the Mod movement? All the big budget remakes of British 60’s classics have been rubbish – there is no need to remake good films. No one says ‘let’s repaint the Mona Lisa cause she looks a little dated now’.

    By Dan Cox (07/01/2007)
  • No need to make a Quadrophenia part two. Just promote the origional. Poeple should know as much as possible about a big part, if not brief part, of our heritage. The sixties was the start of everything that is fashion and music in this country.

    By Andy Wright (11/02/2007)
  • Quadrophenia will be remembered as a ‘classic’ film for future generations to come.
    There is so much energy and passion and you can live a life as a Mod (like me) or a Rocker, without getting into trouble. You love the music, fashion and bikes etc, but with a positive side to life. Will be down on tour in the near future.  NB I will be in the Alley with my girlfriend!!

    By Tony Hayes (Tamworth, Staffs) (10/10/2007)
  • I’ve just watched Quadrophnia for the first time in a few years. What a great film and what a dish Lesley Ash was. Pity about the lip job she got done a few years ago.

    By Gerry Cooper (02/03/2008)
  • This is a great film. Today I got the DVD of the film with an extra DVD, the making of the film.for £2. When I went to see Grease at the Cannon they were filming in East Street. Every time I walk along East Street I allways look up the alley.

    By Wayne (31/07/2008)
  • I think a new Quadrophenia part 2 would be great only that you have it filmed around ‘Mod Mayday 79’ when there was a new generation of Mods coming through after watching Quadrophenia. That would be a great story and 25 years on l I am still a mod, and still riding a Lambretta.

    By Phill Ingram (02/10/2008)
  • Phill Ingram, you poor sod! Having to push that Lammy home. That’s why I got myself a T5/Px after selling my GP200. A ‘part 2’ was in the pipeline a few years back. It’s a great film, part of our lives, with lots of mistakes but that’s the fun to spot them.

    By Paul Sands (nr Clacton, Essex) (10/01/2009)
  • I always find it funny when they come over the top of Eastbourne in that film and shout “Look we are here - it’s Brighton!”. No, it’s actually Eastbourne viewed from over Beachy Head.

    By Rich (25/02/2010)
  • Make a Quadrophenia 2?  Sacrilege. Leave the classics alone, I was 15 in ’79 and became a mod because of the revival at the time. It is still my favourite film of all time.

    By Karl (12/07/2010)
  • The film is a true classic, and to own the closest replica Jimmy scoot is the icing on the cake. Bring on part two as my scoot is in the waiting.

    By Lee (29/09/2010)
  • I did this tour in May 2016 and found it very interesting and informative. I came up from Plymouth to meet some friends and this was part of the trip. Excellent day out and I met some lovely people. Make a new film? No, leave it as the legendary film it is.

    By Ray (15/03/2018)

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