It's hard to imagine a film being made today opening with the superscript 'DEPTFORD London', but in 1972 the Children's Film Foundation took the plunge and set this production in one of the Big Smoke's least tourist-familiar neighbourhoods. Hide and Seek stars future Spandau Ballet singer Gary Kemp as Keith, a streetwise youngster helping Chris Barker (Peter Newby), a runaway schoolboy who's been dubbed 'The Deptford Dodger' by local media in honour of his shoplifting feats. This being a CFF film there is, of course, a backstory that makes it clear that young Chris is the unfortunate victim of society. Also on hand are Robin Askwith as a phony PC and Roy Dotrice as a rather crusty old man in desperate need of a bath. All in all, a delightful time capsule of an early '70s London that has long since disappeared.
Review of Hide and Seek
