Mind the Gap: The Official TfL Podcast

Tim Dunn enters a world he admits he knows absolutely zero about: the world of weaving. Plus - did you know that the fabric on TfL seats, moquette, is also woven?

Travelling on what will become the London Overground Weaver line to Bethnal Green station, Tim meets fine artist and maker Anna Ray, who has a special family connection to weaving and the incredible and dramatic history of textile production in east London that dates back to at least the 1700s.

Tim then discovers that the moquette seats he sits on every day on Overground trains, tubes, trams and buses are also all woven. After another quick train ride, Tim meets Honor Clough from Camira fabrics, who explains how they weave this amazing and historic material. Then Tim sits down for a chat with TfL designer Claire Dilnot-Smith, who has a very enviable job: she designs the patterns for the moquette seats.

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Weaving and textiles in East London have deep roots dating back to the 16th century, when Protestant Huguenots fled religious persecution in France and settled in Spitalfields. Skilled silk weavers, they helped to transform the area into a major centre for the silk industry. By the late 17th and 18th centuries, the weaving trade flourished, with workshops and homes intertwined in this East London district.

Spitalfields silk became renowned for its high quality, worn by the English aristocracy, and complex and beautiful patterns and designs would be woven into the cloth on the loom by the silk weavers.

However, competition from imported textiles and changing fashions led to the decline of the silk industry by the late 18th century. The rise of mechanized cotton mills in northern England further undercut traditional hand-weaving practices in East London.

In the 19th century, new waves of immigrants, including Irish and Jewish communities, revitalized the textile industry, focusing on tailoring and garment production. East London’s Whitechapel and Bethnal Green districts became hubs for garment manufacturing, catering to London’s growing fashion markets.

However, by the mid-20th century, global shifts in production led to the decline of East London’s textile and garment industries. Despite this, the area’s rich history of weaving and textile production left an enduring legacy, influencing London’s fashion and creative industries to this day.

In recent decades, the district has seen a revival of craft and design, with local artisans and designers drawing inspiration from its weaving heritage. Today, East London is known for its vibrant fashion and creative scene, a modern echo of its historical textile roots.

Levi Roots and Arthur Torrington are Tim's guides on the incredible and ongoing history and impact of the Windrush generation.

Celebrity chef and entrepreneur Levi Roots' life has been shaped by his personal Windrush story, and he sits down on a London Overground platform on the new Windrush line to discuss it with host Tim Dunn. Levi speaks about what it was like to leave Jamaica and his grandmother to join the rest of his family, as well as how his life as a boy in Brixton prepared him for his Dragon's Den triumph.

Tim is also joined by influential activist, campaigner and organiser Arthur Torrington, co-founder of the Windrush foundation, who explains the context of the Windrush history, including the Windrush scandal and how that affected those involved, and talks about the 'game changer' of having a line on London's transport network permanently named after Windrush.

With guests Helen Pankhurst and Cally Beaton.

Tim Dunn travels the entire length of the newly named Suffragette line to interview two incredible guests about the legacy of the Suffragette movement. At the new Barking Riverside station, Tim meets Helen Pankhurst. Helen is the great granddaughter of original Suffragette organiser Emmeline Pankhurst, and the granddaughter of East End Suffragette Sylvia Pankhurst. She is also a scholar, an activist, and a CBE - and quite possibly the best qualified person on the planet to speak with Tim about the legacy of the movement and what the Suffragettes mean to people still fighting for equal rights for women in 2024.

Then right at the other end of the line, at Gospel Oak, Tim meets stand up comedian, writer, podcaster and former TV exec Cally Beaton. She speaks to Tim about how gender equality runs through her work, her amazing career, how Joan Rivers inspired her to move into comedy later in life than some, and why it's so important we're still talking about the Suffragettes.

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Helen Pankhurst discusses her work with CARE International and Centenary Actin - more information on both organisations can be found here:

https://www.careinternational.org.uk/

https://centenaryaction.org.uk/

Discover Cally Beaton's amazing podcast at: https://callybeaton.com/podcast/

And you can follow Cally on Instagram TikTok and Threads: @callybeatoncomedian

Tim's journey across the new London Overground map continues with a dive into the weird and wonderful history of Havering and Romford on a truly unique part of the Overground: the three stops of the Liberty line. Why was that name chosen? What made Havering so special hundreds of years ago? What is a royal liberty? And are some of these places really haunted? Find out as we hear from some passionate and fascinating local history experts at the Havering Museum, and on a walking tour through Romford town centre.

England football heroes Leah Williamson and Chloe Kelly join Tim Dunn on the new episode - two years since they won the Euros on home soil.

Tim travels to St George's Park to sit down with the Lionesses to hear their thoughts about the newly named Lioness line on the London Overground - and what that represents for the women's game. They also talk about their impact on football and beyond, selling out Wembley Stadium, and how they’re still fighting to change perceptions.

It's a podcast of two halves, and in the second half Tim goes inside Wembley Stadium itself for an inspiring chat with the FA Grassroots Referee of the Year, Surekha Griffiths.

Follow presenter Tim Dunn

Mind The Gap is an official podcast from Transport for London (TfL).

An 18Sixty production. The producers were Marnie Woodmead, Verity de Cala and Clarissa Maycock. The Executive Producer for 18Sixty is Gareth Evans.

Additional writing by Tim Dunn.

The Executive Producer for TfL is Adrian Hieatt.

Tim Dunn starts his journey across the London Overground map to uncover the incredible stories behind the six new line names.

In this first episode, Tim travels to a hospital that Princess Diana visited 17 time: the Mildmay, a small but crucial charitable NHS hospital with a long history of helping Londoners in need, from the cholera outbreak in 1866 to supporting and treating patients affected by HIV and AIDS.

The Mildmay line journey

Tim meet former patient, campaigner and AIDS survivor Jason Reid, who tells his story of becoming seriously ill with AIDS in the early 2000s and the importance of Mildmay hospital staff supporting him and helping him to survive during an incredibly difficult time mentally and physically.

Tim is also taken on a tour of the facilities by Mildmay CEO Geoff Coleman, and speaks with social worker and safeguarding lead Beverley Nelson, who's been working at the Mildmay for 14 years and talks about the community lead approach and environment created at the hospital.

We’ll be travelling right across the map on the London Overground to speak to people who’s stories are interwoven with the names of the new names of London's Overground lines, and we'll be delving into some amazing stories about survival, equality, breaking barriers, and the history that’s made London what it is today.

Follow presenter Tim Dunn

Mind The Gap is an official podcast from Transport for London (TfL).

An 18Sixty production. The producer is Marnie Woodmeade. The Executive Producer for 18Sixty is Gareth Evans.

Additional writing by Tim Dunn.

The Executive Producer for TfL is Adrian Hieatt

Coming soon, the brand new series of Mind the Gap, the Official TfL Podcast. Join Tim Dunn for another fascinating look at the stories behind London's transport network. This time around, Tim takes a journey across the six lines of the London Overground, to discover the new names each line has been given, and why they're so significant for London and the world. Each episode focusses on one of the new identities, which are Mildmay, Lioness, Windrush, Weaver, Suffragette and Liberty. Expect amazing personal stories, incredible guests, and a few surprises along the way...

Join TV Presenter and Broadcaster Rylan on the ultimate Christmas commute! Tim Dunn gets special permission to take Rylan on a ride in the driver’s cab on a Central line Train, all the way from Oxford Circus to Epping. You may not know, but Rylan is a self-confessed Tube obsessive, and cannot hold back his excitement. He tells Tim about how he fell in love with the Tube in his childhood, the Tube station he's built in his garage, what the London Underground means to him and how it's shaped his life. Rylan and Tim get an incredible view of the tunnels and secrets you normally don't get to see from the driver's cab at the back of the train - and try not to push any buttons. The festive adventure, and Rylan's dream trip, continues when the pair board a vintage Routemaster bus, which takes them to a magical railway - and a very special Christmas steam train.

Thanks to the TfL staff, plus staff & volunteers of the Epping Ongar Railway - who helped us make this episode.

Follow presenter Tim Dunn

Mind The Gap is an official podcast from Transport for London (TfL).

An 18Sixty production. The producer is Marnie Woodmeade. Additional writing by Tim Dunn. The executive producer is Adrian Hieatt.

Like the Tube itself, Amy Lamé is a London icon and legend - and she asks Tim to meet her at one of London’s busiest stations for nightlife, Tottenham Court Road, to talk about her role with the Mayor of London as ‘Night Czar’. What does that mean - and how important has the night tube been for London’s communities and businesses, including Amy’s famous club nights?

For 160 years, the London Underground has been connecting people and places in so many ways, but a shared love for everything about the system has created a community in itself. Tim heads west on the Piccadilly line to meet his old friend, and one of the internet’s best-known Tube enthusiasts, video producer Geoff Marshall, Tim and Geoff chat about the joys, delights and friendships that the London Underground can bring – and how Geoff’s relationship with the Tube grew from an old London Atlas that was collected by his grandfather…

Follow presenter Tim Dunn

Mind The Gap is an official podcast from Transport for London (TfL).

An 18Sixty production. The producer is Marnie Woodmeade. Additional writing by Tim Dunn.

All aboard the newly refurbished Central line trains! Join Tim Dunn as he catches an exclusive first-ever ride to see the results of the biggest upgrade programme in the Tube’s history. Joining him is special guest Paul Marchant, the man behind the Central line’s new seating fabric and fascinating patterns (know as the moquette). That’s just one small part of an enormous programme of investment and upgrades on the Central line, that has seen years of work and planning go into new engines, new CCTV, and a long list of multiple system upgrades. Tim then takes you behind-the-scenes at the world-leading Railway Engineering Workshop in Acton to meet Aaron, Becky and Robbie - just some of the dedicated and highly skilled staff who work on maintaining, upgrading and repairing Tube trains all year round, on an incredible scale.

Follow presenter Tim Dunn

Mind The Gap is an official podcast from Transport for London (TfL).

An 18Sixty production. The producer is Marnie Woodmeade. Additional writing by Tim Dunn. The executive producer is Adrian Hieatt.