h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

If nutter-spotting is your thing (well it might be somebody's - maybe they're doing research in clinical psychology or something) then Brixton is truly the care-in-the-community capital of the universe. Brixton tube station itself is as rich a source of loons as any underground train; possibly they're too far gone to be able to buy a ticket or otherwise find their way through the barriers onto a train.

On any given day you will usually have at least one religious zealot with a megaphone, two ranting drunks (one complete with vicious dog who attacks anyone who gets within six feet, at which point the owner shouts something along the lines of "leavmahfungdoalon"), a very smelly man carrying the branch of a tree and at least one other - a 'guest nutter' if you will.

The regulars I have found to be mostly harmless, apart from the dog. Obviously I can't speak for any number of dangerous pshychos you may encounter, so the uninitiated should beware of all of them (but if you use the tube regularly, you're probably already eyeing up every co-passenger as a potential serial killer/rapist, so I don't need to tell you that). Oh, and if one of the religious types keeps insisting that Jesus loves you, and won't let the matter drop, just tell him "thank you". That's worked for me in the past.

If this whets your appetite for further nutter-spotting, Woolworths, just a short walk along Brixton Road, is another haven for local headcases, although many of these have proven dangerous in the past, including the staff, so extreme caution is recommended.