London Nights - Episode 5

Writer Andrea Levy presents the fifth of ten anthologies of short pieces for radio that capture a certain off-beat spirit of London. In tonight's programme: The Other Side of the River - South Londoner Arthur Smith conducts musician Suggs round his manor in a vain attempt to convince the north Londoner that his is the better end of town. On Monday, Suggs returns the compliment. Also: writer Peter Blegvad rings a doorbell in Hammersmith and is ushered into the fantasy world of the Central London Hatcheries and Conditioning Centre - or is he? Plus, the regular feature Pairs in Squares, in which Jonathan Glancey randomly selects a section from the grid of London's famous streetmap and explores it in company with a well-known London companion. 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.