The Tower: A Tale of Two Cities

TV Series

2007

IMDb RATING

8.0/10

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Documentary

The Tower: A Tale of Two Cities is a British television documentary series based on the Pepys estate in Deptford, south-east London. The eight-part series premiered on 25 June 2007, on BBC One. In 2004, Lewisham council sold one of three adjacent public housing tower blocks on the economically deprived Pepys Estate to a private property developer. The tower was converted into luxury apartments and sold to people who, for the most part, did not grow up in the local area. The documentary was filmed over three years and chronicled the difficulties faced by some of the local residents in adapting to the changes sweeping the neighbourhood. Notable characters included heroin-addicted Leol and his alcoholic best friend Nicky, and the landlord of the local pub who is struggling with the challenges of satisfying his conservative 'old guard' and tempting the new arrivals - mostly young and relatively wealthy - into his traditional boozer. The Tower: A Tale of Two Cities won the best factual series BAFTA award in 2008.

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Episodes8

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Mon, 25 Jun, 2007

S1.E1Episode 1

Five years after Lewisham council sold off one of its riverside tower blocks to be transformed into chic apartments for young professionals, the transformation of the Tower is due to begin. Before the private developers can move in, however, all the old tenants must go. Les Brooks, a professional clown, is the last existing occupant in the Tower and he's refusing to go quietly. Elsewhere on the estate, his neighbours have their own private battles to fight.

Top-rated

Mon, 02 Jul, 2007

S1.E2Episode 2

The last tenant has been removed from the ex council tower block. The developers Berkley homes can now start the renovation. Their marketing department are keen to sell the virtues of riverside living, but on the estate there are others who are desperate to leave. Edith Corlis is expecting her seventh baby, her block too is due for redevelopment and most of her neighbours have left. However, she is stuck and the squatters have moved in and are making her life a misery. Although Kelley Garcia, Edith's best friend, has patched up her relationship with Wayne they have a more pressing crisis at home with their young son Tyrell. Lol Gilbert has failed to win his girlfriend back and has taken up again with the other love of his life, heroin. Strong language.