Making history on Piccadilly Lights

In 1991, Helen Sharman made history as the first British person in space. Thirty-five years later, the Science Museum wanted to celebrate that extraordinary achievement on an extraordinary stage: Piccadilly Lights.

Through an initiative by Landsec and the Culture Council, the Science Museum was gifted a special 10-minute screen takeover, giving one of London’s leading cultural institutions an incredible platform to share its story.

As a longstanding creative partner of the Science Museum, we were delighted to help make the most of this opportunity, creating a film for the big screen and a wider digital campaign to take the moment beyond Piccadilly Circus.

We developed a cinematic film telling the story of Helen Sharman’s historic mission aboard Soyuz TM-12 in May 1991.

Combining archive footage, striking motion graphics and content captured at the Science Museum, we brought together the human story of her journey with the remarkable science and engineering that made it possible.

The film also showcased the museum’s incredible space collection, connecting Helen’s achievements with the real objects and technology visitors can discover for themselves at the museum’s free Space gallery.

Designed specifically for the scale and impact of Piccadilly Lights, the result was a celebration of British science, exploration and human ambition.

And to top it all off, we had the incredible opportunity to meet Helen herself at the Piccadilly Lights launch. A real pinch-me moment for our team, and a privilege to help share the story of a national hero on such an iconic stage.

A 10-minute takeover of Piccadilly Lights is an extraordinary opportunity. We wanted to make sure its impact lasted much longer.

Our social-first content team headed to Piccadilly Circus, coordinating drone footage and on-the-ground filming to capture the spectacle of our work lighting up one of London’s most famous landmarks.

We turned that footage into a second hero film, designed specifically for social media, giving the museum an opportunity to share the moment with audiences who couldn’t experience it in person.

Shared as a collaborative post between the Science Museum and Piccadilly Lights, the video generated over 65,000 views, extending the reach of the original screen activation to thousands more people.

We’re proud to support initiatives like Landsec and the Culture Council’s, which give London’s cultural organisations access to such an extraordinary platform.

For us, the opportunity was about making the most of that generosity, combining impactful creative with social-first storytelling to ensure the moment reached audiences well beyond the screen.