Podcasts by Fierce City: A London History Podcast

#16 Nell Gwyn: A Star is Born from 2018-10-07T16:38:23

In which we meet London's most famous royal mistress, and follow her as she conquers the theatre, the public and the heart of King Charles II.

#15 The Hatton Garden Heist from 2018-08-21T19:56:01

In which a gang of elderly criminals pull off the caper of the century. Featuring: impenetrable vaults, diamonds and gold, shady accomplices and a mysterious cassette tape. 

#14 What London Stole from 2018-06-17T20:38:49

In which we roam the halls of London’s museums, mainly the British Museum, and figure out where all those precious objects, stones, marbles and bronze heads originally came from. Featuring shady...

#13 God Save the Queen: Vivienne Westwood starts punk from 2018-05-01T22:21:31

In which Vivienne Westwood meets Malcolm McLaren, makes the Kings Road cool again and invents the punk look. Featuring the Sex Pistols, 1970s London and the world's least consumer-friendly shop....

#12 The Gin Panic from 2018-04-01T22:22:31

In which Londoners in the early 1700s enjoy their gin, the toffs try and take it away from them, and the street hawkers come up with some ingenious ways to keep everyone sozzled. Featuring the g...

#11 Suffragettes' Darkest Hour: Black Friday from 2018-03-04T22:13:23

In which the Suffragettes battle the police to reach the doors of Parliament. Featuring: Churchill, Mrs Pankhurst, a gang of roughs, and a band of tough ladies.

#10 London Christmas Traditions from 2017-12-24T00:02:25

In which we find out how people entertained and fed themselves in London at Christmas from the 14th to 20th centuries. Featuring: mince pies, holly-sellers, the workhouse, Boxing Day and the ger...

#9 The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood from 2017-11-26T18:59:56

In which three young rebels use art to defy the establishment and form a secret society. Can their friendship survive public scandal and romantic passion? Featuring: Victorian supermodels, the R...

#8 The London Monster from 2017-10-29T21:12:17

In which we flee in horror from the infamous London Monster, and learn there's never a dull moment when you're caught up in the crowds of 18th-century London. Featuring a mob, the Old Bailey, pi...

#7 Downing Street Part II: Cats and Catastrophes from 2017-09-24T22:08:58

In which we visit Number 10 Downing Street for the second time. Pick a card, any card to play... Downing Street Cats and Catastrophes.

Featuring Larry the Chief Mouser, Winston Churchill,...

#6 The Notting Hill Carnival from 2017-08-20T23:02:18

In which we learn how Notting Hill Carnival came to be, the two very different women who founded it, and - along the way - the five elements that make up carnival: calypso, steel drums, soca, re...

#5 Sherlock Holmes - True or False from 2017-08-04T01:16:32

In which we invite you, the dear listener, to guess which of our Sherlock Holmes "facts" are true and which are false.

A special episode on the greatest consulting detective in London's l...

#4 The Trials of Oscar Wilde from 2017-07-02T14:50:07

In which Wilde fights for love and becomes a reluctant martyr for gay rights. 

Oscar Wilde is a man who needs no introduction and in this episode we chronicle Wilde's downfall ac...

#3 Downing Street Part I from 2017-06-03T22:50:01

In which we visit the boggy ground of Downing Street for the first time.

Over the centuries, a rogue's gallery of residents has occupied 10 Downing Street, from debauched aristocrats to m...

#2 The Birth of British Vogue from 2017-06-03T22:47:58

In which skirts get shorter and Vogue gets an avant-garde lesbian editor.

Who was the first editor British Vogue and what was it like to have that job? In the 1920s, Vogue's editors had g...

#1 The Tower of London Menagerie from 2017-06-01T15:15:57

In which an elephant gets drunk and Christopher Wren appears.

The Tower of London Menagerie was open for 600 years: take a tour around the zoo of kings and across the centuries, fromsligh...