East London vs The Fascists | A Family History Of... Cable Street

As fascism advanced on East London, whole communities fought back.

The Battle of Cable Street is remembered as the day East London stopped the fascists. But inside that famous story are very different lives, choices, and consequences.

Host and genealogist Jen Baldwin and Beth Gaskell from the British Library uncover the history of this day through ordinary people: Jewish brothers arrested amid the disorder, a young activist who spent decades defending its legacy, and a woman helping build support for fascism itself. Together, their stories reveal a day of resistance, division and conviction, and the people pulled into its path.

Listen from 29 September, wherever you get your podcasts.

Host: Jen Baldwin

Researcher: Jen Baldwin

Guest: Beth Gaskell, Lead Curator of News and Moving Image, British Library

Editor: Guy Bettison

Script editors: Madeleine Gilbert, Niall Cullen, and Daisy Goddard

Producers: Madeleine Gilbert, Ellie Ayton, and James Plumb

Designer: Michael McCosh

Social media: Sarah Cornes, Ellie Ayton, and Thomas Davis