The Story of London

Chapter 205- “Lombard street shall be exercised…” (1520-1550) 15.07.2026 52min

An episode where we look under the surface to see what the cities merchants were doing- and run into some surprising truths; this was London at the birth of modern capitalism, and this chapter takes you though the sophisticated financial operations taking place in the city, the newly emergent international trade in credit, why Antwerp was showing the way London had to follow, and introduce a family who would dominate trade in the city over a few generations; the Gresham dynasty.Welcome to the ground floor in the revolution that will change London forever… Cover includes altered picture of the Mercer’s Maid, symbol of the Mercer Livery Company, Dryden Street, London

Chapter 204- “No man dare speak against…” (1539-1544) 08.07.2026 54min

Henry VIII was a tyrant. He was a brutal, wilful, petulant king, whose desire to do whatever the hell he felt like and deal with the consequences later, had driven his country into uncharted and dangerous waters. And this is his reign made manifest upon the streets of London- a city filled with massive mock battles on the river, accidental shootings of washerwomen, new churches to prevent bodies being dragged through Whitehall Palace, confusing mass executions of both Protestants and Catholics on the same day, parades of soldiers never destined to fight, and the king going through wives faster than some residents went though a decent jacket.And in all of this- that highest ranked of all London residents, Thomas Cromwell was to fall from power and be put to death. The sheer madness of the king made manifest in a city just trying to cope with his whims… Cover includes altered version of the portrait of Henry VIII, done by Hans Eworth based on the original by Hans Holbein the Younger (1540-1547)

Chapter 203- Gregory Sweet Lips (1536-1540) 25.06.2026 52min

This weeks chapter examines four busy years in the story of our city- culminating in the first death by shooting in its history; along the way we explore a country descending into resentment, resignation and eventually rebellion as Henry VIII descends into tyranny. We examine the seeming madness of his actions, from the speed and ferocity with which he turned on Ann Boleyn, to the dramatic sudden marriage to Lady Jane Seymour, to suddenly being married to a German princess…Along the way we look as the city copes with massive rebellions in the north, violent turmoil in Calais, and crucially, explore why the city itself remained peaceful- discovering that while the king increasingly gave way to his own dark passions, perhaps driven there by a near fatal accident, London’s mercers and others began to look to each other for continuity.Cover includes detail from the portrait of Queen Jane Seymour by Hans Holbein the Younger.

Chapter 202- “With force and arms break down the gate” (1536-1550) 17.06.2026 54min

We take a pause from the narrative, to examine, in detail, what the dissolution of the monasteries of London meant for the city- literally, who gained the land and the buildings, what did they do with them, and how much money was made from this?What we see is series of deals that will influence London for the next few decades, as a plethora of new landlords and new homes erupted, and how a small bunch of people were able to make a fortune out of this.Cover includes photograph of the blue plaque denoting the site of Grey Friars Monastery, the City of London

Chapter 201- Down, down, down, down… (1533-1535) 10.06.2026 55min

We return with the story as we examine the circumstances that saw a drastic change in fortunes for the cities two most powerful residents- for Thomas Cromwell? His rise in power and status, and his leaving of a physical mark upon the very fabric of the city.For Thomas More? The opposite. The driven man, rushing headlong towards his own death, the circumstances of his life making it impossible to avoid.And around this, a city on the edge of panic, the politics of the new Queen, and much more, as the Story of London reaches the end of the saga of ‘The Boy from Milk Street’.Cover features the Portrait of Thomas Cromwell, attributed to Hans Holbein the Younger, c.1533, Frick copy of original.

Chapter 200- “She has raised a fire…” (1528-1534) 27.05.2026 57min

This week we examine the tale of Elizabeth Barton- holy woman, prophetess, political demagogue and the figure who openly defied Henry VIII over his desire to marry Anne Boleyn. But her story is one which drops us into a world of religious fervour, popular discontent, and public humiliation, as her extraordinary tale reveals the unspoken opposition and helplessness to what the king was doing…Cover contains a detail from ‘Portrait of a Lady’ by Rogier van der Weyden, c.1460, often erroneously said to be a portrait of Elizabeth Barton.

Chapter 199- “Long live the Conqueror” (Reformation 2/2) (1531-1534) 20.05.2026 50min

The complex and convoluted tale of Henry VIII’s break with Rome continues as the myriad passions of the King run headlong into his own doubt, a sudden need for international travel, the issues caused by him consummating his relationship with Anne Boleyn and more.Meanwhile Westminster was being completely rebuilt, lepers were being cast out onto the streets, and murderous cooks are being boiled alive- welcome to London at the start of the Reformation!Cover features detail from ‘Portrait of Henry VIII’, c 1520’ by unknown artist.

Chapter 198- “…The Devil should have right” (Reformation 1/2) (1529-1531) 14.05.2026 49min

Surprisingly, the forces that drove the most dramatic changes in England, were born, cultivated and found expression within London. The Story reaches a moment of grand political crisis- Chancellors fall, parliament flexes its muscles, the capricious King makes up arguments as he goes along, and London carries on, providing intellectual and emotional fuel for it all. And while this happens, Thomas More, the judge from Milk Street, ascends the highest position in all the land, while still presiding over cases of London criminality, and being the face of the kings sudden desire to start killing heretics… welcome to the open salvos of the Reformation.Cover includes a detail of the portrait of Sir Thomas More, by Hans Holbein the Younger (1527),

Chapter 197- The Great Matter (1527-1529) 06.05.2026 54min

A episode that explores one thing above all else- the rather soap opera type melodrama of Henry VIII seeking to end his marriage to Catherine of Aragon; but while this story dominates domestic and to a degree international politics over these years there is more than just that happening… London has to cope with drought and food shortages, a brutal outbreak of Sweating Sickness, and a growing campaign of religious dissent within the city. A fraught two years indeed…Cover includes sketch by Hans Holbein the Younger, recently identified by one team as possibly being that of Anne Boleyn; this claim is contested by many.

Chapter 196- ‘Strange Devices of Masks’ (1524-1527) 29.04.2026 55min

The mid-1520’s was an era where London was witnessing events both strange and tumultuous; Thomas More was leading armed raids into the homes of German merchants; the war with the Holy Roman Empire against France, suddenly became a war with France against the Holt Roman Empire; where Christmas pageants saw the careers of senior lawyers left in ruins and where a rich young northerner got into trouble for falling in love with an English girl with French style.This was a few years where the cities life was following a simple trajectory, carrying on as it always did, with new livery halls, and wild bonfires and celebrations and jousts at good news… but behind the mask of the era, something terrible was coming.Cover includes detail from portrait of Martin Luther, by Lucas Cranach the Elder, c.1525

Chapter 195- The Still Christmas (1521-1524) 22.04.2026 53min

The early part of the 1520’s was filled with many tales; royal bestsellers provoking a flame war in print; royal visits that saw new bridges built over the Fleet River; scandalous and brutal murders involving beautiful young noble women. Around them all, London continues, coping with mild mass hysteria, Mayors who refuse to take their posts, and a plague outbreak that causes the city to go so quiet with fear, that December it was known as ‘The Still Christmas’.Cover art features portrait of Charles V, copy by Ruben’s from an original by Titian.

Chapter 194- Troynovant & Amaurotum (1517-1521) 15.04.2026 53min

The story re-focuses itself on the city over the next few years; quiet ones in the chronicle of the place, and yet ideal to look over London and its sense of place. By the end of this decade it was to undergo massive changes, so now is a perfect time to remind ourselves of how it looked and felt; from the rise of the booksellers of St Paul’s Churchyard, to the blatant militancy of the Guilds towards foreigners regardless of the Kings fury at the rioters in last chapter; from the curious case of the murder of a tailor whose death started a debate that was to have huge implications in the years to come, to how its houses were built- this is an episode about its sounds, its smells, its people and more. The city was poised between two ideas of itself- the mythic Troynovant, ancient, unchanging, defined by its traditions; and the imaginary Amaurotum, its dark mirror as reflected in Thomas More’s bestseller, Utopia. And of the event in distant Germany which was to herald in the new age…Cover features photograph of The London Wall.

Chapter 193- The Dance of Evil May Day (II: Pugna Pro Patria) (1517) 08.04.2026 58min

On April 30th, 1517 a meeting between an Italian diplomat and the King of England takes place in Richmond Palace. This starts a sequence of events that sees London that night suddenly plunged into a cauldron of violence- a mob of young men rampage from one end of the city to another. And yet… no one is killed. The damage is slight. The riot is over as quickly as it began.But what comes after that, starting the following dawn, is one of the more horrific events in London’s history; something so traumatic, it is felt a generation later and impacts upon the city for decades. Presenting part 2 of the tale of the Evil May Day Riot.Cover contains detail of ‘The Taking of Christ’ by Caravaggio, 1602

Chapter 192- The Dance of Evil May Day (I: The Beginning of the Grudge) (1514-1517) 01.04.2026 55min

May. 1517. London is rocked by a riot directed towards the foreigners living within its walls, an orgy of violence forever known as the ‘Evil May Day’. But just how bad were these riots? Were they as savage as the authorities made them out to be… or is the memory of them influenced by the response of a capricious and vengeful king?The Story of London examines the background and events of this event to try and work out why the city found itself plunged into a sea of violence that summer, most of it done by men in uniform. This chapter we explore the context- the background of events in Europe, England and London that fed into the riots themselves…Cover contains detail of ‘The Taking of Christ’ by Caravaggio, 1602

Chapter 191- The Fire of Westminster (1410-1415) 26.03.2026 58min

Henry VIII began his new reign with a desire to earn glory in war- and plunged the nation headlong into an unexpected and large scale war with France, all seemingly driven by his fiery passion to show his prowess in battle. But around him, much was happening. To the north, the rules of naval conflict were changing forever, to the south, his Father-In-Law was showing how untrustworthy he was; across Europe the fortunes of nations rose and fell dependant upon politics, and here in London? We see a city continuing old traditions of faith, leading protests against the war, and witnessing a fire that was to change the Palace of Westminster forever.Cover shows a detail of portrait of Henry VIII as a young man, c. 1515-1520; Anglesey Abbey, Cambridgeshire.

Chapter 190- …and the boy from Putney (A Tale of Two Toms 2) (1500-1512) 18.03.2026 46min

Continuing the fascinating tale of the early lives of two of London’s most infamous residents of the time- Thomas More and Thomas Cromwell. Picking up with More a trainee barrister in Lincolns Inn, with a growing academic reputation, and Cromwell being a soldier in a French army invading Italy, we follow the two men as they ride the waves of passion of the age, and complete their journeys to bring them to the centre of their story… the city of London.Cover features ‘Portrait of a man in a red cap’ by Titian (c.1510)

Chapter 189- The Boy from Cripplegate… (A tale of two Toms 1) (1478-1503) 12.03.2026 50min

We take a pause in our narrative to go back a few years to look at the childhoods, and backgrounds of two men from London- both called Thomas, both growing up in and around London (even if their experiences were very different) and both would go onto have huge impacts into the story of the city and the politics of Henry VIII.This then is the story of Thomas More, and Thomas Cromwell, whose stories were to illuminate life in the city; its passions, its shadows, the smallness of it all, and also how experiencing it could shape a young mans life. This then is the tale of the two Toms…Cover shows ‘A laughing boy’, by Guido Mazzoni, c.1498.

Chapter 188- Volo (‘I Will’) (1508-1509) 05.03.2026 56min

The opening years of the reign of Henry VIII were quite paradoxical; for a king who would become known as a radical, a man who changed the nation so completely as he did, the first years of his reign represented something else- a return to more traditional ways of doing things. This week we examine why London would have felt that especially so, while also covering the first major policy decision of the young kings long reign- why he suddenly decided to marry Catherine of Aragon, when by all accounts he was under no obligation to do so.Cover includes detail from ‘Portrait of Lady Margaret Beaufort’

Chapter 187- The Last Days of Henry VII (1508-1509) 25.02.2026 50min

Henry VII was dying… but as the first Tudor monarch slowly drifted towards death, in London the city was stilled gripped by the terrible regime of his loyal lapdog, Edmund Dudley. As the kings health began to decline, the arrests continued, the terror remained, but around him, various figures, from the desperate Catherine of Aragon, to the kings elderly but wise mother, began to sense the growing anger towards the regime, and made careful moves to make sure the correct scapegoats were prepared.This week we follow the incredible transformation of young prince Henry, the intricate politics of the court, London surviving oppression and epidemic, and the final retribution inflicted upon those chosen to take the fall for the late King’s folly’s.Cover shows the terracotta portrait bust of Henry VII by Pietro Torrigiano.

Chapter 186- The Spanish Gambit Part 2 (Storms) (1506-1507) 19.02.2026 55min

In the second part of ‘The Spanish Gambit’ we start to draw together the diverse threads of this story- Henry VII’s changing foreign policy ambitions, the ambitions of the Hapsburgs, the desperation of Catherine of Aragon, the Pope’s fury at the Alum smuggling network, the power of the Italians in the capital and above all… Edmund Dudley’s onslaught against London itself. With elections being nullified, innocent men and women being locked up for no good reason, with a cohort of some of the seediest criminals now seemingly dominating everyone from the mayor down, the city was plunged into an era of darkness it had not seen for hundreds of years. The Spanish Gambit had dark implications for London…Cover art includes detail from “Portrait of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor”