Seriously...

Fragments - The London Nail Bombings


Listen Later

It's 25 years since London suffered three vicious nail bomb attacks - holdalls filled with 4-inch nails and hand-made explosives planted in Brixton market, Brick Lane and in the bar of the Admiral Duncan pub in Soho, intended to cause damage to those in the immediate vicinity and to the notion of a tolerant, diverse capital city.

The attacks are recorded in photographs shared at the time by the press - of London streets strewn with damaged buildings and injured people, an x-ray of a toddler with a nail embedded in his skull, the wedding photograph of two victims (one killed, the other severely injured) and the police mugshot of the perpetrator, a far right terrorist who hoped to start a 'racial war in this country'.

Fragments looks again at these images - some taken by Chris Taylor who happened to be on assignment in Soho's market photographing vegetables - to consider what it means for an instant to be captured and to endure in our memories and understanding of traumatic events.

Including contributions from photographer Chris Taylor; Jonathan Cash, who survived the Soho attack, Emdad Talukder, who was injured in Brick Lane and business owner Leo Epstein.

Music composed by Alan Hall, with Eleanor McDowall (chimes) and Alan Hall (trumpet)

Producer: Alan Hall

A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio Four

(Photo credit: ChrisTaylorPhotography.com)

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Seriously...By BBC Radio 4

  • 4.3
  • 4.3
  • 4.3
  • 4.3
  • 4.3

4.3

257 ratings


More shows like Seriously...

View all
Global News Podcast by BBC World Service

Global News Podcast

7,806 Listeners

Newshour by BBC World Service

Newshour

1,067 Listeners

In Our Time by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time

5,514 Listeners

The Documentary Podcast by BBC World Service

The Documentary Podcast

1,799 Listeners

In Our Time: History by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time: History

1,881 Listeners

6 Minute English by BBC Radio

6 Minute English

1,869 Listeners

Learning English Conversations by BBC Radio

Learning English Conversations

1,068 Listeners

Friday Night Comedy from BBC Radio 4 by BBC Radio 4

Friday Night Comedy from BBC Radio 4

2,121 Listeners

The Infinite Monkey Cage by BBC Radio 4

The Infinite Monkey Cage

1,980 Listeners

Comedy of the Week by BBC Radio 4

Comedy of the Week

490 Listeners

Desert Island Discs by BBC Radio 4

Desert Island Discs

2,087 Listeners

Great Lives by BBC Radio 4

Great Lives

488 Listeners

Lives Less Ordinary by BBC World Service

Lives Less Ordinary

601 Listeners

Profile by BBC Radio 4

Profile

108 Listeners

Last Word by BBC Radio 4

Last Word

46 Listeners

Thinking Allowed by BBC Radio 4

Thinking Allowed

301 Listeners

The Audio Long Read by The Guardian

The Audio Long Read

841 Listeners

All in the Mind by BBC Radio 4

All in the Mind

63 Listeners

Private Passions by BBC Radio 3

Private Passions

51 Listeners

You're Dead to Me by BBC Radio 4

You're Dead to Me

3,205 Listeners

The Bomb by BBC World Service

The Bomb

1,041 Listeners

Life Changing by BBC Radio 4

Life Changing

74 Listeners

This Cultural Life by BBC Radio 4

This Cultural Life

123 Listeners

When It Hits the Fan by BBC Radio 4

When It Hits the Fan

49 Listeners

Young Again by BBC Radio 4

Young Again

49 Listeners