The first of The London Society‘s documentary podcasts about areas of the capital undergoing major change came out last autumn and explored the latest plans for regenerating Earl’s Court. I researched, scripted and presented it, and top BBC Radio producer Andrew McGibbon produced it at his west London studio.
The podcast was well received and Andrew, the society and I soon teamed up again to make the second in a series called London Explained. This time our subject was Fleet Street and the area around it served by the Fleet Street Quarter business improvement district.
Fleet Street itself is, of course, still synonymous with the newspaper industry, even though it moved from the area years ago. Andrew and I had some fun with archive material from that era, notably a 1961 British science fiction disaster movie called The Day The Earth Caught Fire.
But at the heart of the podcast is the future and the ways in which this part of the Square Mile, sitting between Chancery Lane, High Holborn, Blackfriars and St Paul’s, is seeking to adapt to changed working habits, the new office requirements of businesses, and the desire of the City of London Corporation to bring fresh life to a part of the capital that is both a an economic powerhouse and a heritage delight.
Featuring interviews with influential figures in the transformation process, along with the sound of the River Fleet coursing toward the Thames below ground, it was released quietly to London Society members and On London supporters over the festive season. It is now blowing its own trumpet to the world. Listen to the podcast HERE.
Threads: The London Society and DaveHillOnLondon. X/Twitter: The London Society and On London. Photograph from Fleet Street Quarter BID website. Support OnLondon.co.uk and its writers for just £5 a month or £50 a year and get things for your money too. Details HERE.