# London's Burning (TV series)
**London's Burning** is a British television drama produced by [London Weekend Television](https://www.edgepedia.org/london-weekend-television) (LWT) for the ITV network, following the professional and personal lives of members of the London Fire Brigade, principally the Blue Watch crew at a fictional fire station called Blackwall[1](https://www.justwatch.com/uk/tv-series/londons-burning). It began as a one-off television film written by [Jack Rosenthal](https://www.edgepedia.org/jack-rosenthal), broadcast on 7 December 1986, and then ran as a series of 14 series from 20 February 1988 to 25 August 2002[2](https://televisionheaven.co.uk/reviews/london-s-burning) • [3](https://epguides.com/LondonsBurning/).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Format | British drama series produced by London Weekend Television for ITV, centered on Blue Watch B25 at the fictional Blackwall fire station[1](https://www.justwatch.com/uk/tv-series/londons-burning) |
| Origin | One-off TV film written by Jack Rosenthal, shown on ITV on 7 December 1986[2](https://televisionheaven.co.uk/reviews/london-s-burning) |
| Series run | 14 series, first episode 20 February 1988, last broadcast 25 August 2002[3](https://epguides.com/LondonsBurning/) • [4](https://static.s123-cdn.com/uploads/4675589/normal_61b4cb08bf0b2.pdf) |
| Peak audience | More than 16 million viewers in 1994; the series averaged 12.1 million over its run[5](https://www.theguardian.com/media/2002/nov/27/broadcasting) • [2](https://televisionheaven.co.uk/reviews/london-s-burning) |
| Signature spectacle | Large-scale, elaborately planned fires costing up to £1m each[5](https://www.theguardian.com/media/2002/nov/27/broadcasting) |
| Awards | Royal Television Society award for best visual effects, 1992; BAFTA TV Award nomination for Best Make Up, 1995[6](https://www.euanmorton.com/television/londonsburning/aboutlondonsburning.html) • [7](https://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/london%27s-burning/1030283395/) |
| Filming base | Dockhead fire station, 8 Wolseley Street, SE1, used as the exterior for Blackwall from the pilot through series 12[8](https://se16onscreen.wordpress.com/londons-burning-1986-2002/) |
## The 1986 television film
Writer Jack Rosenthal, a dramatist known for work including [Coronation Street](https://www.edgepedia.org/coronation-street) and That Was The Week That Was, developed the idea from stories told by a London-based fireman, Les Murphy, a friend of Rosenthal and his wife, the actress [Maureen Lipman](https://www.edgepedia.org/maureen-lipman)[2](https://televisionheaven.co.uk/reviews/london-s-burning). Rosenthal said the Fire Brigade was "a whole world of its own... a uniquely dramatic one of clashing opposites", since firefighters are civilians who live at home with their families yet may at any moment be fighting for people's lives[2](https://televisionheaven.co.uk/reviews/london-s-burning).
The film was also shaped by current events. In October 1985 PC Keith Blakelock was murdered during riots on the Broadwater Farm Estate in [Tottenham](https://www.edgepedia.org/tottenham), North London, riots in which London's firefighters came under attack for the first time; Rosenthal had earlier gathered material from firefighters lured to the estate by hoax 999 calls and bombarded with paving stones[2](https://televisionheaven.co.uk/reviews/london-s-burning) • [9](https://www.doyouremember.co.uk/memory/londons-burning). To research the film he joined watches at Hornsey Fire Station, met senior officers and women firefighters, and spoke with Broadwater Farm residents[2](https://televisionheaven.co.uk/reviews/london-s-burning).
The two-hour film, produced by LWT, was screened on ITV on 7 December 1986 and repeated on 2 January 1988[10](https://cinepages.wordpress.com/2014/12/20/londons-burning-lwt-1986/). Its premise introduced the crew of Blue Watch B25 as Station Officer Tate awaited the arrival of Josie Ingham, the first female firefighter at the previously all-male station, a source of conflict and comedy that ended with the watch caught up in a ghetto riot[10](https://cinepages.wordpress.com/2014/12/20/londons-burning-lwt-1986/) • [11](https://www.thetvdb.com/series/londons-burning/allseasons/official).
## The series
LWT saw the potential for a long runner and the series returned in early 1988, retaining most of the characters from the film; the first episode aired on 20 February 1988[5](https://www.theguardian.com/media/2002/nov/27/broadcasting) • [6](https://www.euanmorton.com/television/londonsburning/aboutlondonsburning.html). The show mixed comedic moments with life-threatening incidents, combining large-scale fire set pieces with the crew's off-duty domestic lives[2](https://televisionheaven.co.uk/reviews/london-s-burning) • [6](https://www.euanmorton.com/television/londonsburning/aboutlondonsburning.html). Long-serving regulars included Glen Murphy as George Green and Richard Walsh as Bert "Sicknote" Quigley[3](https://epguides.com/LondonsBurning/).
**Filming locations.** Although set in London, the series was filmed across the southern counties as well as the capital[6](https://www.euanmorton.com/television/londonsburning/aboutlondonsburning.html). For the bulk of the run, from the pilot to series 12, the real Dockhead fire station at 8 Wolseley Street in [Bermondsey](https://www.edgepedia.org/bermondsey) stood in for Blackwall's exterior, while a full-scale reproduction of the station "mess" was built at a studio on Jacob Street, opposite Dockhead[8](https://se16onscreen.wordpress.com/londons-burning-1986-2002/) • [6](https://www.euanmorton.com/television/londonsburning/aboutlondonsburning.html).
**Spectacle and cost.** The series became famous for its large-scale, elaborate fires, which required meticulous planning and cost up to £1m each[5](https://www.theguardian.com/media/2002/nov/27/broadcasting). This craft was recognized with the 1992 [Royal Television Society](https://www.edgepedia.org/royal-television-society) award for best visual effects, and the show received a BAFTA TV Award nomination for Best Make Up in 1995[6](https://www.euanmorton.com/television/londonsburning/aboutlondonsburning.html) • [7](https://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/london%27s-burning/1030283395/).
## Ratings and cancellation
At its height of popularity in 1994 the show attracted more than 16 million viewers, and over its run it averaged 12.1 million[5](https://www.theguardian.com/media/2002/nov/27/broadcasting) • [2](https://televisionheaven.co.uk/reviews/london-s-burning). By November 2002 it was ITV's longest running drama after Coronation Street and [Emmerdale](https://www.edgepedia.org/emmerdale), but its final series was moved from its usual winter berth to a summer slot, the pyrotechnics were toned down, and emphasis shifted to the firefighters' personal lives[5](https://www.theguardian.com/media/2002/nov/27/broadcasting). Ratings began at around 8 million and subsided below 5 million over the run[5](https://www.theguardian.com/media/2002/nov/27/broadcasting).
ITV's drama controller had already signaled a desire to freshen up the channel's long-running dramas, and the network gave Granada, LWT's parent, an ultimatum to propose changes or lose the show[5](https://www.theguardian.com/media/2002/nov/27/broadcasting). The final episode was broadcast on 25 August 2002 in a two-hour slot[4](https://static.s123-cdn.com/uploads/4675589/normal_61b4cb08bf0b2.pdf).
**Final commissioning.** In the UK, ITV1 had commissioned a new eight-part series with producer LWT concentrating on hard-hitting storylines to bring "a bit of fire" into the 14th series[12](https://www.c21media.net/news/londons-burning-makes-hot-return/BEAJ%20%28Broadcast%20Program%20Export%20Association%20of%20Japan%29). By that time series 14 relied almost completely on soap opera-style story lines, with the number of fire "shouts" severely reduced[4](https://static.s123-cdn.com/uploads/4675589/normal_61b4cb08bf0b2.pdf).
## Aftermath and availability
ITV attempted a successor in 2004 with Steel River Blues, a drama about [Middlesbrough](https://www.edgepedia.org/middlesbrough) firefighters that drew 6.4 million viewers on launch; the Guardian questioned whether a cost-conscious ITV could still afford the elaborate fires that had driven London's Burning's success[13](https://www.theguardian.com/media/2004/sep/02/overnights).
The complete 14-series run remains available in the UK: as of September 2026 it streams on [Sky Go](https://www.edgepedia.org/sky-go) and free with advertisements on UKTV Play[1](https://www.justwatch.com/uk/tv-series/londons-burning).
## References
1. [London's Burning – streaming tv series online, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/uk/tv-series/londons-burning)
2. [London's Burning, Television Heaven](https://televisionheaven.co.uk/reviews/london-s-burning)
3. [London's Burning – a Titles & Air Dates Guide, epguides](https://epguides.com/LondonsBurning/)
4. [London, Burning (series reference PDF)](https://static.s123-cdn.com/uploads/4675589/normal_61b4cb08bf0b2.pdf)
5. [ITV ultimatum over London's Burning, The Guardian, 27 November 2002](https://www.theguardian.com/media/2002/nov/27/broadcasting)
6. [About London's Burning, euanmorton.com](https://www.euanmorton.com/television/londonsburning/aboutlondonsburning.html)
7. [London's Burning – Where to Watch and Stream, TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/london%27s-burning/1030283395/)
8. [London's Burning, 1986–2002 – SE16 on Screen](https://se16onscreen.wordpress.com/londons-burning-1986-2002/)
9. [London's Burning, Do You Remember?](https://www.doyouremember.co.uk/memory/londons-burning)
10. [London's Burning, LWT 1986, Talking Pictures (cinepages)](https://cinepages.wordpress.com/2014/12/20/londons-burning-lwt-1986/)
11. [London's Burning – Aired Order, TheTVDB](https://www.thetvdb.com/series/londons-burning/allseasons/official)
12. [London's Burning makes hot return, C21Media](https://www.c21media.net/news/londons-burning-makes-hot-return/BEAJ%20%28Broadcast%20Program%20Export%20Association%20of%20Japan%29)
13. [Bright start for ITV's new firefighter drama, The Guardian, 2 September 2004](https://www.theguardian.com/media/2004/sep/02/overnights)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › Scripted television and comedy series › Genre and subject-scripted series*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license