London's Burning (1986)
London's Burning is a British television drama programme produced by London Weekend Television for the ITV network that focused on the lives of members of the London Fire Brigade, principally those of the Blue Watch at a fictional fire station called Blackwall. It was broadcast between 1988 and 2002 in the United Kingdom and was shown in Canada on digital television station CBC Country Canada. In the UK, Discovery's entertainment channel, DMAX have also shown repeats of the later series, mainly 11 through 14.
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Episode 1 - Episode 1
Release Date: 1995-09-06A bus is hijacked by a group of young, drunken punks who crash into a bridge. Cutting people out of the squashed upper part takes time. During the next night shift, Recall is kidnapped and gets his beard shaved off. Blue Watch is then called to a fire at a stripclub, where they can just about rescue a young black stripper trapped in her dressing room.
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Episode 2 - Episode 2
Release Date: 1992-09-13One crew is called to a posh office, where a worker got stuck in the photocopy machine after trying to photocopy his own naked arse. Laura mentions to Recall that she'd like to return to Scotland. Hallam realizes that Patti has walked out on Pearce, but he refuses to talk. George tries to repair a leak in the attic and crashes through the living room ceiling, just as Kelly's parents turn up. Ariadne realizes that Nick hasn't told anybody about their relationship or her pregnancy and is upset that he doesn't socialize with the watch and treats her like a secret that must be hidden. Sicknote gets into a argument with a big-headed worker who parks in front of his house, waking him up every night with false car alarms. Consequently he sleeps through the alarm during night shifts. Blue Watch is called to a fire in a supermarket. Hallam and Billy get locked inside a storage room and nobody hears them for Sicknote, who's on stand-by in the pump, is talking to cops outside. The fire is in the wine + spirit storage room, causing explosions, but everything is resolved.
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Episode 3 - Episode 3
Release Date: 1992-09-20One crew is called to an old woman's house as her cat is trapped inside the chimney. The row between Sicknote and the car parker escalates when he rides over his bike and Sicknote in turn scratches the car. Kevin and Billy go out to a posh casino with Lauren and another girl, but Kevin has only bad luck, gets into a quarrel and thrown out. George and Kelly finally move to another flat in a rather shabby estate. Blue Watch gets involved in a football game for the fire brigade with DO Scase as the referee and Pearce as a linesman, upsetting the others. During the next shift, they are called to a flat that went on fire after a furious jealousy row and they have to evacuate a nude guy who was trapped in his bathroom. Blue Watch is asked to donate blood for the local hospital and Billy and the others cook up a prank on Sicknote who's scared stiff of the blood donation.
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Episode 4 - Episode 4
Release Date: 1992-09-27Sandra is worried about Patti's absence and goes to check. She finds the house empty, but sees a freshly digged square of earth in the garden. She tells Hallam that she worries about Patti being murdered. Lauren goes to see Kevin and just as she is leaving, Billy appears. They have a row about her. DO Scase comes to see Nick about an official complaint about Sicknote damaging the car. A protestor gets trapped high up on an industrial chimney and they have to rescue him despite the risk of everything falling apart. Hallam spreads the rumour of Pearce having murdered Patti and buried her in the garden around the watch. During night shift, Blue Watch is called to a suspected fire on a cemetary and Sicknote almost wets himself when he has to walk around the spooky cemetary with Pearce. They happen onto a Satanic mass and decide (after some threatening of the chief weirdo) to leave them alone. Recall and Laura go out to restaurant while Claire babysits their sons. Jamie has an attack and is taken to hospital.
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Episode 5 - Episode 5
Release Date: 1992-10-04The paranoia among Blue Watch increases as the murder suspicions grow. They are called to a scrapyard, where a bagger has gone on the loose and trapped workers under demolished cars. George helps his Pakistani neighbour after racist youths attack him once more and grows more and more uneasy about the estate where they are living now. Laura suggests to move to Scotland as she wants to be with her family, but Recall wants to stay with the brigade in London. Billy quarrels with Lauren over her occupation as stripper. A young woman docks her boat next to Kevin's boat and he likes her at once. Sicknote sees a tandem in his bike shop and gets an idea. During the next night shift Blue Watch is called to a fire in a Chinese restaurant. Pearce is sent to evacuate a group of drunken women from one room, but they mistake him for the stripper they were actually expecting.
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Episode 6 - Episode 6
Release Date: 1992-10-11Sicknote gets another reprimand for his behaviour, Nick explains that he has to keep up the honour of the fire brigade even off-duty. As the paranoia of the watch reaches a new height, Pearce demands an explanation for their bizarre behaviour which results in a big row and him refusing to join the others when the alarm goes off. Nick gets to hear the full story, reprimands Pearce for not attending to the shout and then the whole watch for having got so carried away with their nonsense as to actually suspect a watch member of murder of his own wife. Kevin's no-good brother Mickey shows up on his boat, begging for money. During night shift, a children's musical in a community hall gets on fire and they have to evacuate the kids. Ariadne, sick of her family's attitude to her relationship with Nick, goes to talk to Uncle Yanni. After a furious row, she falls down some stairs.
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Episode 7 - Episode 7
Release Date: 1992-10-18Ariadne is in coma, but the baby is unharmed. Nick stays with her all the time. Jean causes a car crash and as the haulage company takes her and the damaged car away, it gets on fire, so she directs it to the fire station, where Sicknote is stunned. Kevin tries to get rid of Mickey, who's only causing trouble. Sandra goes on holiday, leaving Hallam behind on his own. With Nick gone, they get a standby replacement for the next shift, a weirdo nicknamed Clingfilm, who makes friends with Pearce. Blue Watch is called to a house fire and when they return they happen onto DO Scase and the new ACO Baxter. Scase overdoes his rude behaviour like always and in turn, gets a furious reprimand by Baxter. Ariadne dies.
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Episode 8 - Episode 8
Release Date: 1992-10-25Nick gets some days off in mourning, Sandra leaves on her holiday. A nervous pupil who's supposed to take his exams, causes a false fire alarm. Hallam lectures the pupils on the cost and senselessness of hoax calls. Mickey appears at the fire station in search of Kevin. He finds Maggie on her own and knocks her down to steal her purse. DO Quinn appears after Scase got sacked, he's a friend of Nick and tries to comfort him over Ariadne's death. Kevin suspects Mickey of having attacked Maggie and gives him a trashing. Hallam meets Jenny, a beautiful student who wants to interview him about the work of the fire brigade. Sicknote buys the tandem to get Jean to share his passion, especially after her car crash. She isn't too happy. Nick attends to Ariadne's funeral. Her parents wonder what he'll do with the baby, Costas. Blue Watch is called to a huge warehouse fire, where Billy loses balance and crashes into a large tub full of some acid broth.
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Episode 9 - Episode 9
Release Date: 1992-11-01Warehouse fire continued. Billy is rescued and taken to hospital. George and Kelly have finally found a decent house and move again. Nick decides to keep Costas with him and not give him up to foster parents. Billy decides to go in search of real mother, much to his Nan's distress. Kevin pours his heart out to Remy about Mickey's attack on Maggie and she suggests that he returns her stolen ring quietly, so that it appears as if she had lost it. A letter bomb is sent to an animal-testing cosmetical plant, causing an explosion both in the company and in the van of the postman. Billy finally finds his Mum.
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Episode 10 - Episode 10
Release Date: 1992-11-08A bomb explodes in a pharmacy, causing a huge blaze. Nick, under much strain from his domestic affairs, has a row with Hallam. Billy talks to his mother for the first time. Kevin and Remy finally go to bed. Laura gives Recall an ultimatum, but he remains firm about not going to Scotland. Hallam and Jenny almost get to kissing, but Jenny sees Pearce spying on them through the door. Policemen appear at the fire station to talk to Kevin about the attack on Maggie and his brother, but he keeps mum.
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Episode 11 - Episode 11
Release Date: 1992-11-15A worker is stuck high up on a tree, badly hurt from his chainsaw. Pearce and Clingfilm get him down. Mickey calls Kevin at the station. Pearce listens to his conversation and goes investigating on his own, talking to Maggie about the attacker. Billy's Mum explains to him why she walked out on his father ages ago and left him behind. Nick takes little Costas home from the hospital. Ariadne's parents are with him to take care of the baby when he goes to work. Sandra returns from her holidays. Maggie takes self-defense classes and meets Derek, the instructor and hair-dresser. Evgenia tries to persuade Nick to let them take Costas to Cyprus with them. Blue Watch gets to train on the fire brigade helicopter. George is scared of flying, but overcomes his fear. During night shift, Blue Watch is called to a huge blaze at a shabby council house.
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Episode 12 - Episode 12
Release Date: 1992-11-22There's an investigation after the fire and DO Quinn decides to close down the house because fire precautions aren't met. Nick is upset, thinking of the tenants who have nowhere to live now. Recall says goodbye to Laura and his sons, as they leave for Scotland. Jean has had enough and sells the tandem, much to Sicknote's dismay. Hallam quarrels with Sandra about her career and lack of time for him. He goes to see Jenny and sleeps with her. DO Quinn gets in trouble with the greedy landlord of the council house, who wants the house open to get his rent. Pearce suggests to Hallam to tell Nick about Mickey being the attacker. One crew is called to a house to get a stuck hamster out of a tuba. Nick calls Kevin to his office about Mickey. Blue Watch is called to a street, where smoke is coming out of a manhole. A cover explodes, throwing Bayleaf to the ground.
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Episode 13 - Episode 13
Release Date: 1992-11-29After the manhole cover missed him by inches, Bayleaf decides to quit the brigade and concentrate on the restaurant he is about to open with Claire. Blue Watch is called to a fire at a registry office. Remy and Kevin quarrel about Mickey, as she can't understand why he protects his brother. Blue Watch is exercising, just as a motorbiker gets trapped under a heavy lorry. The local brigade gets stuck in the mud with their pump and Blue Watch is sent to help with the helicopter. A female firefighter can just about pull the trapped guy out before the lorry crashes down. Bayleaf announces to the watch that he is quitting, everyone is shocked. Hallam decides that he cannot see Jenny anymore now that Sandra is back. Patti turns up again.
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Episode 14 - Episode 14
Release Date: 1992-12-06Blue Watch is called to a fire, which turns out to be some weird gypsy funeral and they decide to leave them alone. Sandra wants to repair her marriage with Hallam. Nick relieves his heart to Quinn and explains that though he hates himself for it , he's going to send Costas to Cyprus with his grandparents so that he can concentrate on his work. Patti attempts to make up for running away, but Pearce isn't convinced. Hallam says goodbye to Jenny to return to Sandra. Nick takes Costas and his grandparents to Heathrow and says goodbye to his son. George gets Jaffa a job in the local pub. Sicknote is forced to take care of Jean's gymnastics group and finishes off one of the pensioners. Blue Watch is called to a street, where a guy has cracked up and taken another one hostage in his car. He has poured petrol over them and threatens to blow them up. They can't save the guys. Back at the station they play a goodbye-prank on Bayleaf, sending him into a heap of foam as he slides down the pole. Kevin gets a phone call from Remy after Mickey has invaded the boat.
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Episode 15 - Episode 15
Release Date: 1992-12-13It turns out that Remy has overpowered Mickey, but Kevin is finally shocked enough to report him. Hallam sees Patti again, much to his surprise, but Pearce tells him to keep out of his private life. Remy leaves with her boat, leaving Kevin behind heart-broken. He goes to apologize to Maggie about the attack. Pearce catches Patti on the phone to her current lover. Kevin cracks up over his heartbreak and starts fighting at the pub. Billy and Recall take him back to his boat, where they find Remy's goodbye letter and realize. Billy goes to check on Kevin the next day, but he only shouts at him to leave him alone. Pearce spies on Patti and sees her meeting Kenny at a hotel. Sick of her, he finally throws her out of the house, not believing that Kenny only a friend. Policemen come to the station to inquire if Mickey was the guy who attacked Maggie, but everyone keeps mum to help Kevin. The watch is called to a car crash with fire, and Nick frees a man who's trapped inside a phone booth. Everyone goes to celebrate the opening of Bayleaf's restaurant, except Pearce who sulks at home and Kevin who decides to leave Blackwall.