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201 episodes

Chapter 197- The Great Matter (1527-1529)
06/05/2026 | 54 mins.
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 | 55 mins.
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 | 53 mins.
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 | 53 mins.
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 | 58 mins.
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

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About The Story of London

Welcome to The Story of London, a podcast dedicated to telling the history of London as a single narrative tale; from its birth until the present day.Each episode takes us along that tale, a chronicle of the most fascinating and vibrant city on Earth.There is a lot of content in here and each listener can enjoy it in a variety of ways. You can listen to an episode by itself for a slice of life from London’s past; or, if you have a favourite period of time you want to explore, find the era and follow the Chapters in that section.Or maybe you want to join us on the grand journey, starting at the beginning and following along? Whatever option, welcome to the chronological tale of this amazing place.The Story of London covers events as they happened, from the actions of the great and the good, down to those of the poor and marginalised. We try to be as historically precise as possible, sometimes stumbling upon little gems of history that change the way we see the past, and never take ourselves too seriously.Feel free to join us… new episodes every week.

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