Air date: 2004-05-07

Runtime: 60 min

From Boudicca's torching of the city to the Blitz raids, Ackroyd examines how London survives fire.

Air date: 2004-05-12

Runtime: 60 min

Historical figures recall the city's drama of crime and punishment, and its unquenchable thirst for spectacle, drink and sex.

Air date: 2004-05-19

Runtime: 60 min

In the Victorian era London finally achieves its destiny as the heart of a world empire, but Peter Ackroyd and historical figures expose the city's rotten underbelly.