Appear Live on BBC1 at The Lords Mayors Show

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Sat 08 Nov 2014

The Lord Mayors Show is an institution for any Londoner, tourist, and all trumpet players, Brazilian dancers, and large inflatable ducks.


Here are 10 bumper facts ( and a map ) about the event, that will arm you for your next pub quiz, and ensure you don't miss any of the action.

1. The 687th Lord Mayor of London is Alderman Alan Yarrow CBE , chairman of the Chartered Institute for Securities and Investment. For the Lord Mayor's Appeal he has chosen the charities Scope and Mencap.


2. The origins of the Show date to 1215 (the year of Magna Carta) when King John gave the City a charter which stipulated that the new Lord Mayor must swear an oath of allegiance to the Sovereign and 'show' himself to the people.

3. You can tune into BBC1 at 10.45am next Saturday and join historian and commentator Dan Snow. He should be chatting about how the longest, grandest, and most meticulously organised procession in the world is still enjoyable for all the spectators in the pouring rain.


4. The procession starts at 11am at Mansion House, travels 1.7 miles and returns to the Embankment between 1-2pm. The river pageant starts at 8.30am by Westminster Bridge and sails to Tower Bridge arriving at 925am. The fireworks start at 5.15pm and last for 15 mins max (with the launchpad floating in the river between Blackfriars and Waterloo).

5. During the procession the 686th Mayor in his/her State Coach[ will stop at the Royal Courts while he gives his oath. The fireworks are a celebration for the Mayors first day in office.


6. You will see Gog and Magog leading the procession, They are heavily-armed wicker giants which are the traditional guardians of the City of London. They first walked at the head of the Lord Mayor's procession around five hundred years ago during medieval times, and were brought back to life in 2006 by a voluntary group called The Company of Basketmakers.


7. The Lord Mayor lives at the Mansion House for the year. The House also doubles as an office, holds conferences, banquets, meetings with around 50,000 people visiting the House between now and next October.

8. In the old days, the procession was more of a float as it travelled to Westminster by boat. Everything changed in 1711, when Sir Gilbert Heathcote fell off and broke his leg. Ever since then, the Lord Mayor has ridden in a coach. To begin with a coach and four was hired, but it was upgraded in 1757 when Sir Charles Asgill commissioned the magnificent State Coach from Joseph Berry of Holborn. If you were to rebuild the coach today it would set you back a meagre £2 million.


9. On this day only you can join some free tours of the city with expert guides . They start at 3pm after the returning procession has finished. You just need to head for No 1 Poultry. That's the big pink and yellow building opposite Mansion House, near Bank tube station. It's marked on the map and in the Show's app.


10. I'd like to place a bet on the likelihood on the crowds kissing David Cameron if he joined the procession on a micro scooter wearing a feminist t-shirt this year. As in 1761 the then Prime Minister William Pitt took part in the show, and he was so popular at the time that the crowds mobbed his carriage and kissed his horses.

Now then, there's a sticky toffee apple prize for the first person who can tell me how old the State Coach is, and which James Bond film features The Lord Mayors Show ? Answers on a postcard please.

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!date 08/11/2014 -- 08/11/2014
%wnlondon