Possibly the first video hire shop in the UK, Billy Best’s legendary Star Video
at 312 Walworth Road, was opened in the late 1970s and remained popular for a
quarter of a century. In those early days there were just three British
television channels, no breakfast TV, and the networks closed down soon after
midnight. Very few people owned a video cassette recorder and even fewer high
street retailers sold pre-recorded tapes. But soon after the introduction of
the VCR, as rare, classic and cult movies became more readily available, the machine’s
popularity increased dramatically. The weekly trip to one of several local
cinemas was traded for a night indoors with close friends and a movie that was
unlikely to be on release at the pictures or on ITV or BBC. From the huge stock of ancient and current
movies, foreign films, television and music shows, members of Star Video could
hire out seven tapes for seven nights for seven pounds, or negotiate another
good deal. The real joy was unearthing an unknown treasure or making an
impulsive choice from the racks and racks of titles.
The status of Star Video prompted the giant American corporation Blockbuster to choose Walworth to open its very first outlet in theUK
in 1989 and become the only real competition. Thirteen years later the original
shop – boasting a stock of over 300,000 videos and DVDs – closed when it was
finally bought out by its rivals.
The status of Star Video prompted the giant American corporation Blockbuster to choose Walworth to open its very first outlet in the
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