He may be 85 but Hugh Hefner is proving there's life in the old dog yet - by reopening London's Playboy Club.
It is 30 years since the gentlemen's club closed but Hefner is convinced the UK is ready for good old-fashioned glamour again.
The new club in Old Park Lane in London's West End opens tonight and is billed as an "adult's playground", boasting a casino, restaurant and, of course, gorgeous waitresses in bunny costumes.
The first Playboy Club opened in Chicago in 1960 - but the London launch in 1966 changed the game.
Known as 45 Park Lane, it was run by Hefner's then right-hand man Victor Lownes.
It was popular with celebrities including Woody Allen, Sir Michael Caine, George Best and Jack Nicholson and it was also the world's most profitable casino, raking in £20million in 1981. However, that year, Lownes was wrongly accused of irregularities by British gaming authorities.
Hefner sacked Lownes but the gaming licence was revoked and the London club closed. Over the next ten years his other clubs shut.
The company has long since recovered but it is hoped the worldwide return of Playboy Clubs will breathe new life into one of the planet's most recognisable brands.
But not everyone is happy to see it back. Members of Object, a women's campaign group, will protest outside the club today, claiming the bunny girl image is demeaning to women.
But Playmate Of The Year 2011 Claire Sinclair, 20, argues: "It will be great for London to have the Playboy Club back. It has been too long."
It is 30 years since the gentlemen's club closed but Hefner is convinced the UK is ready for good old-fashioned glamour again.
The new club in Old Park Lane in London's West End opens tonight and is billed as an "adult's playground", boasting a casino, restaurant and, of course, gorgeous waitresses in bunny costumes.
The first Playboy Club opened in Chicago in 1960 - but the London launch in 1966 changed the game.
Known as 45 Park Lane, it was run by Hefner's then right-hand man Victor Lownes.
It was popular with celebrities including Woody Allen, Sir Michael Caine, George Best and Jack Nicholson and it was also the world's most profitable casino, raking in £20million in 1981. However, that year, Lownes was wrongly accused of irregularities by British gaming authorities.
Hefner sacked Lownes but the gaming licence was revoked and the London club closed. Over the next ten years his other clubs shut.
The company has long since recovered but it is hoped the worldwide return of Playboy Clubs will breathe new life into one of the planet's most recognisable brands.
But not everyone is happy to see it back. Members of Object, a women's campaign group, will protest outside the club today, claiming the bunny girl image is demeaning to women.
But Playmate Of The Year 2011 Claire Sinclair, 20, argues: "It will be great for London to have the Playboy Club back. It has been too long."
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