London through the ages— staged in just one hour

A Banker who quit his job and bet a friend he could write a play which condenses the entire history of London into one hour is about to see his show on stage.

Tim Chapman, 37, was a business analyst for Barclays but dreamed of writing his own play after moving next door to out-of-work actors and chatting to them about the theatre.

“I liked my job but I sat next to all these older men who kept talking about how they wished they’d done something different but had never had the courage to,” he said. “I didn’t want to end up like that.”

Mr Chapman, who lives in Angel, quit work two years ago and went travelling before settling down to create The Complete History of London, despite having no previous experience or training in creative writing or theatre. The show opens on Monday and some performances are already sold out.

The play starts “50 million years ago” and in 60 minutes covers the Romans, Vikings, Middle Ages, Peasants’ Revolt, the Tudor kings and queens, Guy Fawkes and more recent history, combining historical figures with comedy “real” Londoners and their take on events.

Mr Chapman has taken over the basement of the Grade II-listed Draft House pub in Tower Bridge Road to stage his production, using his own money to pay the three actors he has cast and meet other costs.

*Visit completehistoryoflondon.com