- by Paul Vickery
- 15 October 2026
In my Opinionated Guide to Film London I write that ‘nowhere else celebrates the experience of watching movies with hundreds of strangers quite so well’ as the Prince Charles. In October 2026 the PCC was officially ‘saved’ after they signed a new 25-year lease. Here, the cinema’s Head of Programming Paul Vickery recalls some of his most cherished movie memories.
What’s your earliest memory of going to the cinema?
Annoyingly I don’t remember the really early days of going to the cinema, even though my parents took me often, but I do remember going to see Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles at the Odeon in Barking when I was about 7 or 8 and I was instantly obsessed – I already was with the cartoon and comics.
UK release poster for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990)
On the way home I was just full of adrenaline and excitement, I wanted, needed, to see it again. When we got home my Dad said we’d go see it again in a few weeks. I ran upstairs, started playing with my action figures and I could hear something downstairs… the music from the TMNT movie. I ran downstairs and my Dad had already acquired a bootleg VHS tape of the film from his friend. It was the happiest day of my life. I watched that tape so much I could recite the film’s entire dialogue by memory.
What’s your most memorable experience at the cinema?
Cinema lobby card for Jurassic Park (1993)
Jurassic Park – a preview screening the day before wide-release at the Odeon in Romford (now the Lumiere). I was sitting in the front row with my Dad, Mum and little sister, and as soon as that first shot with the brachiosaurus flashed on screen I knew I wanted to work in the film industry. I grew up obsessed with dinosaurs and I couldn’t believe they’d made them real – the magic of cinema delivered to me in the most perfect way.
If you could only go to one current cinema for the rest of your life which one would it be?
Other than the PCC, it would be the Rio Cinema in Dalston. The team who work there, the community they’ve built, the films they show, the physical space… perfect.
Is there a cinema that’s now closed you’d love to bring back to life?
The ABC in Romford. I snuck into hundreds of films there (The Exorcist being my favourite), and it was just a gorgeous venue. I wouldn’t mind Empire Leicester Square Screen 1 back too. I would watch anything in that screen, it made every film just a bit better
Do you have a favourite cinema outside of the UK?
Inside the Koninklijk Theater Tuschinsk in Amsterdam
Loads! The Koninklijk Theater Tuschinsk in Amsterdam because it is a true movie palace. Many cinemas around the world have incredible programming, but few have the awe-inspiring impact from street to seat that the Koninklijk has. It’s breathtaking. I could watch any film in their main room.
Following an almost two-year campaign The Prince Charles Cinema is officially ‘saved’. It typically shows at least seven different films every day of the week – many on 35mm and 70mm film – and its annual and lifetime memberships are also ludicrously good value. No wonder it’s known as London’s ‘best-loved cinema’.
Further Exploration
- An Opinionated Guide to Film LondonBuy my book
- Prince Charles CinemaSee what's on
About Paul
Paul Vickery’s career in the film industry started at his local Blockbuster video shop in Ilford, Essex. He’s worked at the Prince Charles Cinema since 2008 where he’s currently Head of Programming, in charge of their entire epic schedule, having previously also led Design & Digital Marketing at PCC.
1965—
Leicester Square
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