London Nights - Episode 3

Writer Andrea Levy presents the third of ten anthologies of short pieces for radio that capture a certain off-beat spirit of London and Londoners - a whole world of experience within one sprawling city. Tonight, the rhythms of a north London estate with young musicians Kyle and Marius prompt Andrea to memories of her own childhood adventures, car-minding for sixpence near Highbury Stadium on matchday. She invites us to eavesdrop on an all-night suburban prayer vigil; and we hear a spooky modern ghost story of unaccountable disappearances from Brockwell Lido... Plus: in the nightly feature, Pairs in Squares, Jonathan Glancey's pin lands in the map-section devoted to Soho, as revealed by ad-man John Hegarty. Andrea Levy was born in London and holds the city close to her heart; her experience growing up here as a black Londoner pervades her novels and is the thread woven through this mix of the day-to-day and the nocturnal... of pieces taking a sidelong glance as well as a more direct approach. A blend of poetry and prose, of the factual and the fictional that together make up this diverse and diverting nightly series. Executive Producer: Simon Elmes.