Fierce City: A London History Podcast

#6 The Notting Hill Carnival

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, reggae and masquerade. 

#5 Sherlock Holmes - True or False

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 long and chequered history of crime.

#4 The Trials of Oscar Wilde

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 across three trials which put gay people under a microscope and saw Wilde pitted against the moralistic sensibilities of Victorian era London.

#3 Downing Street Part I

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 maverick adventuresses. We find out how Downing Street came to be, and tell a few stories from its very colourful past.

Fierce City is hosted by PJ and Satu. For more visit fiercecity.co.uk

#2 The Birth of British Vogue

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 great artistic vision and sometimes unconventional personal lives. We find out how avant-garde art and fashion collided to forge Britain's Fashion Bible.

Fierce City is hosted by PJ and Satu. For more visit fiercecity.co.uk

#1 The Tower of London Menagerie

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, fromslightly singed lions to a crooked giraffe. Find out about their weird diets and how the animals fought back. 

Fierce City is hosted by PJ and Satu. For more visit fiercecity.co.uk