Prodigy — 'Firestarter' Music Video, Aldwych Tunnel, London

The Prodigy's music video for 'Firestarter' (1996) was filmed in the disused Aldwych tube station tunnel in central London. Directed by Walter Stern, the black-and-white video features Keith Flint — his hair spiked into twin devil horns, eyes wild with menace — stalking through the abandoned tunnel with a feral energy that made him one of the most visually striking frontmen of the 1990s. The video's stark, aggressive imagery matched the song's abrasive breakbeat assault and helped 'Firestarter' reach number one in the UK.

Aldwych station (originally Strand station) had been closed since 1994 and has been used repeatedly as a filming location for its atmospheric tiled tunnels and abandoned platforms. The Prodigy's use of the space was inspired: the decaying infrastructure of the disused station provided a perfect backdrop for Flint's confrontational performance, and the claustrophobic tunnel setting amplified the song's sense of danger and aggression. The video was controversial on release — some parents' groups complained about its frightening imagery, and the BBC initially restricted its broadcast to after the 9pm watershed.

The Aldwych tunnel remains disused and is occasionally opened for filming and heritage tours by Transport for London. Keith Flint was found dead at his home in Essex on March 4, 2019, aged 49. The 'Firestarter' video is regarded as one of the defining visual statements of 1990s British dance music and helped establish the Prodigy as a crossover act capable of dominating both the dance charts and the rock mainstream.