Episodes

  • Ep 194 Merry Christmas live at the Tap

    Ep 194 Merry Christmas live at the Tap
    Dec 25 2024
    Well here it is, the second half of our live record evening. We set out to discover the most important/ best/ typically London/ Londitudinal building. Can the champions of Regent St sway the room, to win against The Barbican? Will rock, paper, scissors, finally settle the age old question, is Roman stuff more important than Greenwich? And, critically, is St Pancras railway station better than the Wanstead Tap? Joined once again by Leo Hollis, plus lovely listeners, Dan from the Tap and friend of the pod, Katie Wignall, Alex and I ask you to put on a silly hat, maybe have a glass of something to hand, or even one in both hands, just in case, and brace yourselves for the silliness ahead. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
    Show More Show Less
    59 mins
  • Ep 193 Industrious Ealing: Beavers gotta beave

    Ep 193 Industrious Ealing: Beavers gotta beave
    Dec 18 2024
    Our story this week is of a hardworking immigrant family, beavering away to improve the quality of life for Ealing. But first there’s hills made of rubble, classic comedy capers (we find out which world leader was their biggest fan) and the first incline lift in a tube station. An experiment is underway at Paradise Fields, to see if Beavers can live in an urban setting. Since moving in last year the family have been coppicing trees, damming lakes, and filtering the water. We chat about why beavers were hunted to extinction in Britain, their extraordinarily useful fur and secretions, and how they are making a comeback. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
    Show More Show Less
    45 mins
  • Ep 192: Lilian Bader and women of colour in World War Two

    Ep 192: Lilian Bader and women of colour in World War Two
    Dec 11 2024
    We're still on an airfield this week. But it's all about the woman wielding the tools, keeping the planes aloft. It's 1941 and Lilian Bader is one of the first women to qualify as an instrument repairer. Her Barbadian father had served in the Navy, her husband drove tanks, her son flew helicopters. Across the generations her family served across the forces, and gave back more than they received. Lilian not only broke barriers as a woman of colour, she campaigned to remember the contribution made from across the commonwealth. Her unit were the first women in the WAAF to be given overalls rather than wearing skirts. Overalls that hang on the Women of World War two memorial in Whitehall. The uniforms and clothes adopted by women to commemorate all those who served, military and civilian. Plaster wedding cakes, Pilots of the Caribbean and Who wants to be a millionaire? Plus Christmas trees, singing and an Easter egg. What's that you say Ben? BONG. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
    Show More Show Less
    40 mins
  • Ep 191: Classic crime in Croydon

    Ep 191: Classic crime in Croydon
    Dec 4 2024
    Mayday, M'aidez! I'm worried that Alex is turning to a life of crime! Croydon: The international airport of London in the golden age of glamorous travel. Even the cargo was golden, and enticing. And this week we're learning why you should organise your own getaway car. Plus a superstar kidnapping caper. It's all go. Just as well Alex has had a relaxing holiday. No, I'm not jealous at all, I've been living it up in London with Bert. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
    Show More Show Less
    40 mins
  • Ep 190 Life lessons from Historical Women with very special guest Eleanor Morton

    Ep 190 Life lessons from Historical Women with very special guest Eleanor Morton
    Nov 27 2024
    We are slightly overexcited this week, as we're chatting with comedian and writer Eleanor Morton. Her fabulous book of lessons from historical women features many of our favourite women. And a host of, maybe, less familiar ones. From mountaineering and marathons to creating familiar music and much loved characters, we're casting the net wide this week. Who slapped who, and why? Who found adventure in the most dangerous of journeys? How does hiding in a cupboard help anyone? Plus ghosts, tour guiding, the month of Edinburgh, and another potential podcast outing. No animals were harmed in the making of this episode, although Rusty does join in. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 17 mins
  • Ep 189 Camden cures all featuring Elizabeth Garett Anderson

    Ep 189 Camden cures all featuring Elizabeth Garett Anderson
    Nov 20 2024
    We're taking a stroll through the medical powerhouse that is south Camden and focussing on Elizabeth Garrett Anderson. She's been on the fringes of many an episode - her sister and her daughter have already featured, now she gets the limelight. And boy does she deserve it. She overcame hurdles and jumped through loopholes, even learning another language in her fight to become the first female Dr to practise (while presenting as a woman) in the UK. Her co-founders of the London School of Medicine for Women, were equally determined, playing the establishment at their own game to learn their skills. Inspiring women whose legacy still lurks along the Euston Rd. Plus a miniature distillery in Scotland. Cheers! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
    Show More Show Less
    54 mins
  • Ep 188 The British Empire Exhibition - Baffling displays back in Brent

    Ep 188 The British Empire Exhibition - Baffling displays back in Brent
    Nov 13 2024
    In a new guessing game Alex tries to pick the material chosen to sculpt the Prince of Wales. 100 years ago the crowds were gathering in Wembley for the extraordinary spectacle that was the British Empire Exhibition. A showcase for trade, manufacturing and, it turns out, people. Problematic? Just a tad. But there was a miniature railway, a palace of engineering, a palace of art including the teeny tiny wine bottles in Queen Mary's Dolls House. And a regular display of destruction of the House of Commons. What's not to like? When the empire was at it's height, but with the cracks beginning to show, an exhibition was bound to be both brilliant and disturbing. Join visitors John Betjeman and Virginia Woolf as we explore the exhibition together. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
    Show More Show Less
    50 mins
  • Ep 187 Brilliant Bexley - Crossness pumping the poop

    Ep 187 Brilliant Bexley - Crossness pumping the poop
    Nov 6 2024
    Calling all penny farthing enthusiasts, we need answers! New records have been set, and we want to know more. Alex takes a dive into the Thames this week. Not the modern Thames, oh no, she's bravely gone back to 1858, the year of the Great Stink. What's that got to do with Bexley? The Crossness pumping station, that's what. An important part of Bazalgette's solution, his new improved sewage system, to transport the poop of London out the East. A very functional building then, presumably. Wait, have you met the Victorians? And will our funky theme tune be hitting the charts or clubs any time soon? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
    Show More Show Less
    53 mins