Believe it or not, the splendor of today’s London can be traced back to the mire of the 14th century. This program uncovers the grimy truth as it illustrates just how filthy Britain’s capital once was, and how medieval Londoners took desperate measures to combat rubbish buildup. With detailed computer animation revealing London’s streets as they were 700 years ago, the film literally steps into a typical pedestrian’s shoes—wooden platforms designed to transcend the mess underfoot. Viewers also learn what it was like to be a medieval muckraker tasked with removing human waste, while the impact of butcher shops and their refuse is also examined. Finally, the program studies the remains of a plague victim to discover how the catastrophe forced a cleaner London to emerge from the muck of the past. A BBC/Discovery Coproduction. A part of the series Filthy Cities: A History of Public Sanitation (or Lack Thereof). (52 minutes)