Providing up to 5 million passenger journeys a day, the London Underground is integral to the city's infrastructure.  It's impossible to imagine how the city would function without it. But why would something built for purpose become a source of admiration and entertainment?  A Transport for London style guide provides powerful evidence: "Every Underground station should include at least one moment of delight and surprise, to improve customers' journeys and the working environment for staff." A-ha! Let's meet some Tube superfans. Jen tells a story about Underground trainspotters and ..read more

At Yesterday’s London Times, we are all about inquiry, questions and stories, particularly stories that are new to us or that we just want to know on a deeper level. We seek out people, places, and facets of history that are lesser known, quirkier, or even downright strange. We also like to shine a spotlight on those who really do - or have done - amazing things, but perhaps have been forgotten over time, or lost in the shuffle of a typical news cycle or history text. We especially love discovering stories about people who contribute to the collective good of humanity in some way.  Early ..read more

A little romance? What began as a fluff piece about an eccentric romance novelist turned into a snapshot of a century through the eyes of someone who lived it to the fullest. Meet Barbara Cartland: extravagant, exaggerated, and … pink. As author of 723 books, she remains the most prolific romance novelist of all time. If you’ve ever seen her, you won’t likely forget her, dripping in jewels, layered in make up, clad in fuchsia, and riding in her classic white Rolls Royce.   We’ll follow Barbara through the Great War, to 1920’s London with the Bright Young Things, to writing, motherhood, po ..read more

Bears. Cute. Cuddly.  But when we looked at them through the long lens of London history, it got complicated pretty quickly. Join us as we take the ursine plunge, and think about…. the bears that roamed Britain 7000 years ago  the Tower menagerie, blood sports such a bearbaiting, especially popular during the Elizabethan period, the invention of the stuffed bear and its significance in the Great War,  Pooh and Paddington, two special bears with London ties, and share unexpected commonalities Plus, to kick off our exploration of underground and rail stations this year, we’re go ..read more

It's a Yesterday's London Times tradition - the Boxing Day episode! Relax along with us as we look back at some of the people and places we met on the podcast this year. Half of our episodes sent us time traveling throughout the Sixties in different centuries of British history, and the other episodes were our regular mix of quirky yet thoughtful takes on the city we love. We  present our annual YLT awards to some people who are unforgettable.  And not always in a good way.  The final award is always our Defender of the Collective Good Award, presented to the character(s) that m ..read more

WELCOME TO OUR 50th EPISODE! In the final stop of our ‘60s YLT Time Machine, we touch down in the 1560’s just in time for a Tudor Christmas. In a deeply divided nation in which religion is politicized, we’ll see how the young Queen Elizabeth finds her own path. The Tudor Christmas was a respite from work and from unrelenting poverty. It was a time of revelry and a loosening of societal roles. Our visit to the Tudor Christmas will ignite our senses.  Along the way, we’ll … Share a dramatic moment with Queen Elizabeth at her first Christmas service as sovereign, Spruce up the place with se ..read more

In our 2021 episode, “Here is Vogue, In Spite of it All!”, we explored how the British edition of the iconic fashion  magazine evolved into an outlet for groundbreakingVogue wartime journalism. As we studied the reasons behind that seemingly unlikely transformation, we met some strong, creative, and intellectually brilliant women, among them the complex and multitalented Lee Miller. In this episode, we examine her fascinating life of contrasts more deeply, and: - consider the impact of intense childhood trauma in her art and writing  - learn of her contributions to the surrealist ar ..read more

It’s getting all wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey at YLT as we celebrate a huge milestone in British culture: the 60th anniversary of the iconic Doctor Who! In this episode, we :  look at the unlikely-for-the-time trio who launched Doctor Who back in 1963 discuss the basic premise of the show examine its importance as a British cultural phenomenon reflect on the symbolism and deeper messages within the series consider the discourse surrounding the show and how it contributes to progressive society explore the show’s legacy and importance in 2023 For some, Doctor Who is a campy romp that pro ..read more

Let's do the Time Warp... it's the Rocky Horror episode! Though many people have seen the cult classic film, few people know about its origins in a 63 seat London theatre.   In this episode, we :  delve into the creative team and cast responsible for its deviant mayhem, sharing their back stories and how they all converged in time and place in early '70s London, take a trip back in time to its first performance, follow the Rocky Horror road to Hollywood,  pinpoint when this movie became a new creation based on a fan-conceived and fan-scripted interactive experience, consider Ro ..read more

In this 60’s time travel event, we explore deep! We’re in the 1060s, further, in history than we’ve ever gone on YLT. How can a simple craft help us to think about a complex, political and military event? We examine the Norman conquest, the battle of Hastings, through the Bayeux tapestry. You’ll meet the major players and dig deeper to discover some of the incongruous and enigmatic characters on the art piece. We’ll think about how the embroidery has survived a millennium while being threatened and used for political power. And finally, we’ll consider the Bayeux embroidery as inspiration for h ..read more