Historians Dan Jones and Dr Suzannah Lipscomb and engineer Rob Bell explore how London faced daring invasions, catastrophic fires and deadly plague. Also, how it grew from a small Roman trading post, to the capital of the British Empire, and ultimately to the thriving megacity we know today.

Suzannah discovers what evidence Westminster Abbey holds about the contest between the Crown and the City, while Dan fills in the holes left by the nursery rhyme as he reveals the little-known true story of the businessman-cum-mayor Dick Whittington, who went on to control the fortunes of kings.

Dan Jones, Suzannah Lipscomb and Rob Bell examine the Great Fire of London, which swept through the city in September 1666, and the rebuilding process that took place in the years afterwards, accelerated by the Industrial Revolution.

The programme examines the impact of both World wars and a Spanish flu pandemic on the city, as well as the marketing campaign that tempted millions to relocate to London's vast suburbia.