2015 The Lord Mayor's Show

Welcome to the heart of London where today the streets

have been cleared to make way for one of the greatest parades to

Right now, people from the city, the country, in fact the whole of

What have we got? We have motorcyclists on parade, a flying

pig 63 musketeers and this, which isn't my! It belongs to the villain

in the James Bond movie. We also have 23 bands, 150 floats.

So sit back and relax, it is, of course, the Lord Mayor's Show.

I'm standing on the balcony of the Lord Mayor's residence at Mansion

House. There is a very different atmosphere here this year. The

annual celebration takes place in the shadow of the terrible events in

Paris and the people in Paris will be in our thoughts later today when

we will be observing a two-minute silence at 11am. But all of the

participants are determined to mark what is an extraordinary piece of

history. This year is the 800th anniversary of the Lord Mayor show.

It was one of the world's first live television broadcast in 1937 and has

been broadcast by the BBC almost every year since. But it is -- if it

is your first year, here is a quick guide.

The Lord Mayor's Show can be a little confusing...

Especially when Boris Johnson doesn't emerge

That's because he is the Mayor of London not the Lord Mayor who is

The City is the oldest, most historic part of London, established

seven years after the Roman invasion.

It's the place from which the modern city grew.

This year marks the 800th anniversary since

King John granted the City the right to elect its own mayor, but only

on the condition that once a year the Lord Mayor would show his face

The Lord Mayor's Show was born and 800 years later it is still

It has changed a bit across the centuries to become what it is

today. It's an annual mix of pomp,

pageantry, It's ancient, its modern, it's

amazing. Sit back and enjoy. There is the Lord Mayor's iconic

coach coming round the corner from the 18th century gold coach.

The Lord Mayor will be processed to imagine house, preceded by members

of the Household Cavalry -- to Mansion House. You can also see the

dogged coat and batsmen, participants in the world longest

running sporting events. All the way from London Bridge to Chelsea this

year. It is a big year for anniversaries, we'll be hearing

about some the others later. You have those wonderful shire

horses drawing the coach. The position of Lord Mayor is not

just ceremonial. The Lord Mayor spend time promoting the City of

London and Sonali is going to grab a few words with Jeffrey Mount-Evans,

the new Lord Mayor. Lord Mayor, the crowds have come out for you today,

how are you feeling? Terrific, they are wonderful crowds in this

terrific weather. But we are all cast down by the appalling events in

Paris, our hearts and prayers are with the people in Paris, those who

are injured, we are thinking of the French people and we will not let

terrorism triumph. What will the next year be like for you? Also is

of exciting things, I'm looking forward to travelling and promoting

Britain, many individual events. Thank you. He is about to alight

from the coach, looking all right. Apparently people get a bit seasick

in there but he is a Mariner, as we will be hearing through the parade.

Out comes the sword bearer and the Sergeant at Arms. APPLAUSE

The sword bearer is on the left. James North carrying the Pearl

sword, which according to legend, was used by Elizabeth first in the

first Royal exchange in 1571. The Lord Mayor and his party can

head up onto the balcony. There he is talking to Dominic Reid who is

the Pageantmaster, he has been doing this job since 1992. He has been in

charge of this extraordinarily complex logistical operation,

shutting down central London and providing food and drink for the

thousands of people who have turned up to take part.

A wonderful shot of the collar of as is around his neck, a chain of 28

old emblems in the shape of the letter S.

The Lord Mayors party is now heading to inspect the guard of honour. You

can see the sword bearer. Also Colonel Geoffrey Godbold, the

Sergeant at Arms, holding that great maze of government, made in 1735. --

Mace of government. The troops being inspected our 101 City of London

Engineer Regiment. 48 officers and men and they will be awarded the

title of Privilege Regiment Of The City Of London. Highly appropriate

because it is the 75th anniversary of bomb disposal this year. This

time in 1940, bombs were raining down every night on the city and the

surrounding area and bomb disposal became a vital skill.

Without the permission of the Lord Mayor, arms troops of warlike

appearance are not allowed in the city! This convention dates back to

Edward the. -- Edward the third. They will be able to fix their

bayonets and have their drums beating and march through the city.

As the Lord Matt inspect the guard of honour, the parade floats are

moving into position -- the Lord Mayor. Somewhere among them is Gyles

in a rather nice car. It is a Jaguar from the James Bond film. He doesn't

look like Daniel Craig, you are taller than him! He is the shortest

James Bond! I was doubling for the actor in this. You are a stunt

driver? It is driven by Mr Hinx, he is the bad guy will stop the actor

is Dave Bautista. He is an American wrestler. You have found somewhere

in the City of London to park which is amazing! You know that the lord

mayors show features in a James Bond book. If this your favourite car?

Yes, that is the best car for me. You look a bit like a James Bond

villain! I hope you don't get a ticket. Three miles of amazing

floats coming up. I have already seen one and excited about which is

a bus from Yorkshire where they are flying the trigger law, thinking of

the people of Paris -- trickle of -- Tricolore. There are 110 livery

companies in the City of London. The premier company is the Mercers and

Dick Whittington, the most famous Lord Mayor, he was one of them.

Usually in the parade they have some children who come dressed as Dick

Whittington and I would love to find some of them. Without the

umbrellas, it wouldn't really be the Lord Mayor 's show without a bit of

rain on our parade. Who is this? These are great traditional

characters. Do you know all about them? Yes, they are here to protect

the City of London. Where are you from? Canada. Welcome to London.

Where are you from? The Guild of young free men. You are the future!

And these wonderful things have been guardians of the City of London for

800 years. And I am with the future. This is my kind of morning. Gyles

mentioned Dick Whittington. The unit you are seeing inspected here are

known as the Black Cats. Named after equipping ten's cat, Tommy will stop

they like the association because the cat has nine lives. Because bomb

disposal is extremely dangerous, they need those nine lives. These

units are very busy in Iraq and Afghanistan dealing with improvised

explosive devices. They were as brave as their forebears who, 75

years ago this autumn, were very busy if using German bombs --

diffusing. One of which almost destroyed St Paul's Cathedral. A 2

tonne bomb buried 30 feet into the ground just outside the West

entrance was diffused by a team of Royal Engineers. Extremely dangerous

job, working in a and night and after three days, it was driven out

to Hackney marshes and detonated, saving the Cathedral.

The Lord Mayor is about to present the commanding officer with a

scroll. Overhead, a typhoon with 1940s

markings. The Lord Mayor and his attendance

heading back up to the balcony now. -- attendants.

Guard of honour, form three ranks. Today, the parade will start

differently. We are going to be observing a two minutes' silence for

the people of Paris and all those affected by last night's attack,

once the Lord Mayor reaches the balcony.

Feel free to contact us. We would like to hear from you, the Lord

Mayor is show, you can tweet at #BBCLMS. I am particularly

interested in your suggestions about any events around the world that are

as old as 800 years, what other organisations or bodies have marked

the same occasion almost every year for 800 years? Remarkable

continuity. We will read out some of your suggestions later on.

Silence in the City of London, the city that has always been our equal,

our twin, for centuries we have inspired each other, a haven for

each other's rebels, copied each other's ideas, inventions and

fashions. We have been allies who have, on occasions, as we have been

hearing today, argued as only siblings can. The thoughts of

everyone here today lie with our wounded friend only just over 200

miles away to the south-west. Major Oliver Donaghy now leading the Royal

Engineers. They are now allowed to march through the City with their

bayonets fixed and their flags flying.

Guard of honour, by the right, right wheel, quick march!

And the Lord Mayor's parade begins! First up, the combined Royal

Engineers band, marking their comrades' honour today in receiving

the state is of privileged regiment. -- status. Two mounted officers,

Brigadier Richard Smith is riding Merlin, nicknamed the mouse, as he

scares easily. Alongside him, Corporal Griffiths, riding

Dreadnought. And the 101 now passes. They have to

be prepared to deploy all around the world, but they also have to be

prepared to deal with threats at home, whether it is an exploded

World War II munitions or anything else. And we now see some of the

equipment that the Royal Engineers use.

Extremely modern equipment they can now use to lessen the threat to

themselves there, which is robotic bomb disposal, following the

Mastiff, which you can see to the left of frame. A BA cult that has

proved extremely valuable on recent deployments the British Army has

made. -- a vehicle. Gog and Magog that we saw earlier

with Gyles, made by the worshipful company basket makers in 2006, still

looking pretty good, made up mostly willow, nine months to build. -- the

Worshipful Company of Basketmakers. 1940s people waving away, reminding

us of the city's darkest hour in many ways, the Blitz.

So as we watch Gog and Magog leave, Gyles is down on the streets. Well,

I am marching alongside a fine floats that is honouring the RAF's

contribution to the Second World War. That looks to me like a

Spitfire, is it? It certainly is! It is a long way away. Why are you

here? This year is the 75th anniversary of the Battle of

Britain, and we are commemorating the people who fought in that

particular campaign. You are from Jersey, and you? Did your family

know Jersey during occupation? Yes, Mike grandparents were there all

through the war. -- my. Do they talk about it much? Yes, I was largely

brought up on details of the hardship, especially in the final

year of the occupation, when it was cut off from the rest of the world.

A grim reminder of the realities of war, enjoy the rest of the parade!

It is the 800th anniversary of the Lord Mayor's Show. Many of you will

have noticed it is also the 800th anniversary of Magna Carta, which we

were talking about a lot of this summer. It is not a coincidence,

because this tradition dates back from King Charles giving these idiot

London a charter in that year, which stipulated that the new Lord Mayor

must swear an oath of allegiance to the sovereign and show himself to

the people, and they have been showing themselves to the people

almost every single year since then. The Lord Mayor is the managing

director of Clarksons, the larger shipping service provider. The Lord

Mayor is a passionate advocate of Britain's maritime destiny. He

points out that 80% of world trade is carried by sea, and London plays

a critical part in that trade. It is a tug boat pulling it along, it is

called the Lord Mount-Evan, and there is a play on words, that is a

long tradition stretching back hundreds of years.

We are going to see 7000 people today, 180 horses, 140 vehicles,

assorted dogs, a sea monster! Reindeer, pigs, two Father

Christmas, I hope my daughter isn't watching! The James Bond car, Henry

V, and this is the CCA art bus, it talks about the anniversary of the

Lord Mayor's Show. Sir Peter Blake has created a special image to

celebrate, a silkscreen hanging on top of the bus, and a flag in front.

Each scene is going to show a different, a parade from a different

century. The art bus was an idea that was...

Oh, the pearly king and queen, the Bow Bells Pearly King and Queen

accompanying the art bus, a great idea, it was a rock 'n' roll tour

bus for art, using an old Liverpool boss. The top is an art gallery, the

bottom is a bar area. Here comes the Worshipful Company of Shipwrights,

who have built no -- Noah's Ark. Somalia is down there. I am with one

of two charities that will benefit from the Lord Mayor's appeal, this

one supports diabetes research in children, 29,000 children are

affected by and one of them is 13-year-old Daisy. I love the

seesaw, what was the thinking behind it? It represents what we have to go

through every day, the balance between the high blood sugar and

lows. How much have you raised so far? We raised over ?1000 for type 1

diabetes. We have done various cake sales and things. How are you coping

with it all? Have you got it all under control? I do have it under

control, but it is difficult to manage. Well done for raising so

much money, enjoy your first Lord Mayor's parade. Yeah, thank you very

much. You probably will not be aware that

it is raining because everyone looks so cheerful, but it is raining here,

and that has not, in any way, dampened people's excitement in

taking part, you can see. We have got the Bank of England down there,

you may have seen Britannia being pulled past, she has been on every

banknote recently. Coming up now, a coach being drawn, the most famous

battles in British history, immortalised not as much by what

happened at the battle in 1415 but Shakespeare's rendition in Henry V,

stirring speeches, one of the finest bits of the finest bits, Dick

writing in the English language. -- finest bits of dramatic writing.

Young and old people dressed as participants in the Battle of

Agincourt, a terrible, bloody battle fought in northern France in the

1415. Jaguar Land Rover going past. The new car driven by the James Bond

villain in Spectre. They made a 7 cars for the film, two electric

hybrids for the static shots, five for stunt driving. Two Land Rovers

there with HMS Queen Elizabeth emblazoned all over them, the new

aircraft carrier of the Royal Navy which we will be hearing a lot more

about in the next few years. A wonderful view from the

helicopter. The parade turning the corner in front of Mansion House,

cheering the new Lord Mayor. Hamburger Morgan 's brighter --

Hamburger Morgensprache, on the top deck of an 1895 horse-drawn omnibus.

Another packed top deck. That is the Worshipful Company of Wheelwrights.

Charlotte is with the livery company of the wheel rights, appropriately

enough. Why are you here? I am here to support the wheel rights who give

money to help fund might wheelchair basketball sports physio. You hope

to be a Paralympian? I play wheelchair basketball for Great

Britain and I am hoping to go to the Paralympics next year. And you

already have a gold medal? Yes, with the under 25 ladies team in China

this year will stop and the The wheel rights help to make it

possible? Yes, I also get funding off the lottery and the government.

Good luck, I look forward to seeing you in Rio de Janeiro, enjoy the

parade! The Batmobile, from the original film in 1989. It is seven

feet wide. And there is the happy! Joker, his nemesis. -- there is the

Joker. The Batmobile has flame-throwers. The Society of

maritime and histories are here. That is a giant high-tech wail with

translucent skin. About 12 metres long. It is pulled by an electric

truck, emphasising the importance of renewable energy research in the

maritime industry. Here comes the Dogs Trust.

Disappointingly, the dog is not moving! But it does nod. And a lot

of little dogs accompanying the Dogs Trust today. The Dogs Trust takes

care of 17,000 dogs each year, 20 oh Inc centres across the UK. --

homing. We are seeing the priorities of the city, generating wealth

alongside the sharing of that wealth through charities. And we will see a

lot of young people here today as welcomer apprenticeships and

training are very important ambitions of the Lord Mayor.

A lot of military units coming up. A reminder that London might feel like

a place of business and trade and fun but it is the UK's largest

military centre. Huge numbers of regular and reserve soldiers,

sailors and bear men come from London -- airmen.

The London Regiment, expanded to 92 battalions in World War I. Many men

would have been recruited in the Lord may show in 1915. -- Lord

Mayor's Show. It is the largest Regiment in the British Army. It has

a huge pool of people that it can recruit from. We have got the

paratroopers coming up on their Jackal, very high-tech new vehicle.

The Parachute Regiment identifiable by their berets. It is carrying a

massive 50 millimetre cannon on top. And these are Londoners,

reservists, but ready to be deployed, joining the regular

Parachute Regiment within five days. Very impressive to keep up the

training and fitness required whilst also holding down day jobs. These

are the Rifles. Another reserve battalion. One gentleman is wearing

a 1950% uniform. A big year for them, not only were they in action

100 years ago this year where one of them won a Victoria Cross. Geoffrey

Willie deigned that honour -- Today it is significant that they

are marching past the joke of Wellington, commander of the Battle

of Waterloo 200 years ago this June -- the

this is hauling an ancient howitzer. These tractors were used on the

front line to get through the difficult conditions on the Western

front to get guns like this into position. These guns saw action in

the Battle of the Somme which we will be marking the anniversary of

next July. These weapons show the evolution of

the Royal Artillery's weapons, from vast pits of iron and steel to

easily portable bits of kit which pack quite a punch. The Royal

Artillery also at the apple of Waterloo 200 years ago this summer

-- Battle of Waterloo. You can send us your comments. What

else is 800 years old? Please let us know. This is the London Fire

Brigade. A lot of young people, the future of the Fire Service. And they

have their new mini rapid response fire vehicles. They were pioneered

for the limbic games and are still in use. -- the Olympic Games.

Next year is the 350th anniversary of the great Fire of London. 100,000

people became homeless. People think Fire is something of the past but

think again. This year alone, the London Fire Brigade has attended

over 18,000 fire incidents. Sonali is by one of the floats. I am

on a float which is part of an appeal to raise money for the common

Street hospital. This is Eva Higgins who had a heart operation in April.

How are you? I'm much better now. I had a heart condition which made my

heart go at 240 beats per minute. You had to go into the hospital?

Nobody likes that. What was it like? You don't really think it's a

hospital, it's much better than hospital. Did you have a favourite

nurse? She wasn't really a nurse but she played games with me, she was

called Vicky. And you have been raising money for the hospital? Yes.

I'm glad you're feeling better. Well done for raising money. Thank you.

And enjoy the show! Thank you. That was Sonali on the Great Ormond

Street Hospital float. And it has its Peter Pan walkers. JM Barrie

gifted the rights of Peter Pan in perpetuity to great Ormond in 1929.

-- The Grey Gatsby. The Worshipful Company of Paviors ab

hold the stops out this year -- have the stops out.

I think every Londoner is used to seeing roadworks, we may not love

them but they keep the city moving. The pig is there because they were

very common on the streets of London in the 14th century. They cleaned up

the streets, they ate everything! It was Edwards second who got rid of

them. The task fell to the behaviours.

For harking back to a forgotten bit of history.

The Automobile Association. 1905 Renault Phantom. All sorts of other

vehicles. The motorcycle and sidecar and the Renault Midland truck. The

iconic minivans from the late 60s. They have the old pushbikes and

motorbikes as well as a concept car which is what they think they will

be driving in 2020. Unsurprisingly, this is the gardeners. They have

tractor loads of greenery which they will Ake rate all over the place.

They are decorating bank station as we speak, covering it with flowers.

-- Bank station. 36 members and supporters walking alongside the

tractors. A particular favourite of Lord

Mountevans's wife, and they are celebrating their current project,

future gardeners, encouraging youngsters to consider a career in

horticulture, as well as emphasising that urban spaces need as much green

as they can get. Gyles is down with some heroes from

the RNLI. I am with the guys and girls from the RNLI, entirely funded

by volunteers and staff by volunteers. When did you start? I

started in 2002 when the lifeboat started on the River Thames in

central London. And this is your lifeboat. This is our newest, which

operates around the UK. We operate a smaller lifeboat in London. And

doing good work, is this a busy station? Yeah, the London lifeboats

are the busiest stations in the country, last year we saved the

lives of 27 people. How much time do you give to it? I give two 12 hour

shifts a month, and we have countless volunteers around the

country who are given pagers... We have got to get a move on,

congratulations, doing good work on the River Thames!

Very busy, the RNLI on the terms. Tower RNLI is the busiest in the

whole of the UK and the Republic of Ireland. Even though, and this is

one of my favourite facts, even though London is actually one of the

smallest cities by population in Britain. Of course, by that, I am

talking about the old City of London, not Greater London! The old

historic part of London, ill on the footprint left by the Romans,

established 2000 years ago, a tiny population, very few people live

there. It doesn't stop the lifeboats being buzzy. The UK and China

International Exchange Association, we have just had a visit by their

president, and the Duke of Cambridge visited Beijing earlier in the year

to begin a year of cultural exchange. We have 25 walkers in

colourful Chinese costumes from the Ching Dynasty period. Behind it, a

truck with all the signs of the Chinese zodiac.

We have got the Royal Military Police, the RMP, coming up. Some

impressive whacking there we just saw! Many reservists, they are

regular police officers in their civilian lives, and they volunteer

as Royal Military Police. Wearing protective coverings, taking a

beating in the back of that track. I am not sure why, but he probably

deserved it! -- truck. 256 City of London Field Hospital, reservists

can bring such important skills in the field of medicine to the armed

forces. London, of course, is a huge reservoir of highly trained medical

practitioners, and many of them volunteer to serve as reservists in

the armed forces. Highly valued and respected members of the armed

forces as a result of the experience they can bring.

The Transport Regiment Royal Logistics Corps, doing the

unglamorous business of reading, equipping front line soldiers, but

without whom the front line soldiers simply could not function.

The Hong Kong delegation here, fantastic Chinese dragon roaring

down the street. The dragon dance is performed by the Medway Dragon And

Lion Dance Sports Association, with some traditional drummers alongside

them, here they are. A special dragon dance going on right in front

of the Lord Mayor. Under this is a double-decker bus decked out to look

like the Star ferry from Hong Kong. Hong Kong means fragrant Harbour in

Chinese, one of the busiest ports in the world with very close links with

London, the port of London, and as we will see coming up, the port of

Singapore as well. That is the Claygate Scouts and

guides, formed a few years ago with just ten members, but now they are a

full marching band, and as you can hear, they can play very well.

The worshipful company of Solicitors coming around the corner now.

Following the Scouts, the Scouts and Guides band, fabulously dressed as

fish and sea creatures. St Paul's Cathedral there. The Worshipful

Company of Listers are all dressed up as landmarks or fish, because of

the maritime theme. -- Worshipful Company of Solicitors. A couple of

barristers as well, all sorts of things going on.

A wonderful view from the helicopter of a great shoal of fish walking

down one of London's most important streets.

The cloud cover not low enough to ruin our day, a fantastic view of

the City of London there. The parade is over three and a half miles long,

it is going to build the whole space between Bank and Northwich, it will

end at 2:30, so it goes on for a long time. The Barts Hospital

volunteers, 30 or 40 volunteers and children, who have spent generations

making it an easier and happier place to be a patient or a visitor.

They help around the hospital, they will come patients, and they raise

money, ?50,000 a year. -- they welcome. Sonali is on the streets. I

am with the Worshipful Company of Butchers, one of the livery

companies that forms the history of the City of London. Many do not have

a history with your trade, but you are actually a butcher. I am, fourth

generation, I have been badgering for 30 years, very proud to be

involved in the livery. -- butchering. We believe it is the

most relevant in the whole City of London. This is my fourth Lord

Mayor's Show, very pleased to be participating, getting the kids

involved as well. How many? Just the three. Are they interested in the

family business? They are at the moment, but it is early days!

Russell, thank you very much, enjoy the parade.

There is the famous inflatable rib. It is believed the tradition started

in 1343, London butchers were allowed by the Lord Mayor to

slaughter and wash their beasts in the river, and every year they would

give them a lovely cut of meat. London City University, a vintage

Routemaster, beloved by Londoners. 30 current students dressed in their

academic gowns. As well as everything else, there is

also a very prominent university crammed into the City of London.

Well, here comes a rather extraordinary sight, a monstrous

sight! The Lord Mayor is about to receive is offering from the

butchers. It is actually going to be a Norwegian salmon, because the Lord

Mayor's grandfather was a polar explorer. Also, his wife is

Norwegian, so keeping him happy there. Cleansing in the City, Binbot

is made of purple wheelie bin lids, highlighting the importance of

recycling. If he told me not to litter, I would not let! Keeping

cities clean is one of the greatest challenges faced by the new

megacities, these guys telling their recycling to demonstrate the job

they did and the importance of it. -- towing. Without the work of

people like these, we would be drowning in our own mess and refuse

within hours. The Royal Yeomanry there, the

army's light cavalry Regiment. They used vehicles to cover Grant --

cover ground quickly. They get their first and they pack quite a punch

when they get there. Actually now part of the seventh Infantry

Brigade, known as the Desert Rats, famous for their role in North

Africa in 1942 onwards. Well, here we go! That is

impressive, the Royal Signals motorcycle display team, the White

Helmets, performing a 5 bike fan. Even managing a smile or two there!

They were actually formed in 1927 as dispatch riders. They would pass

messages on the battlefield, because a big lesson from the First World

War was how difficult it was to get messages back to headquarters for

generals to make decisions. The reason they are all messing around

as they are is because, being young men, they would mess around on their

bikes, and they started doing displays and officially. It was

decided, if you can't beat them, join them, give, give it the seal

of, and now this is one of the rather unusual specialisms. 80% of

their new recruits have never ridden a bike before. By the end of the

training, they are standing up and juggling on bikes. Here they go

again! The soldier on top is Lieutenant

Corporal Grant Fraser who has been with the team for a year. He looks

confident. The Military Intelligence Battalion

behind them, the 75th anniversary this year of the Intelligence Corps

as people try to work out what the enemy was thinking. Trying to decode

and understand what the enemy was up to. Now we have the first aid

nursing -- the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry.

Famously they walk. It is also the 75th anniversary of

the formation of the special operations executive which was a

secret force of men and women who Churchill ordered to set Europe

ablaze. A lot of the women who joined had originally been Fanys and

they performed heroic tasks. Nancy Wake was one such heroine and she

would cycle around France, German held territory, and was known by the

Germans as the White Mouse because she was so elusive. Women today

taking an ever more prominent and equal role in the Armed Forces and

this reflects some of the rich heritage stretching back 75 years

and beyond. Another Scout and guide band here. This time from Kingston

and Malden. Let's see what Gyles is up to. I am with the British Red

Cross. They have brought Christmas somewhat early! It is still

November, why are you here? We are here to remind you of the

extraordinary work done by the British Red Cross both at home and

abroad at an extra ordinary time in our history. There is a humanitarian

crisis unfolding with 15 and a half million people misplaced because of

conflict and violence. We're here to remind you of that and ask you to

give generously at this time. You have a Christmas market? Yes, on the

30th of November and the 1st of December at the Guildhall in the

City of London, you can look at it on the Red Cross website. Willie be

able to see the reindeer? -- will we be able to. I'm not sure! This is

Cracker and Sparkle. I hope you have a sparkling Christmas and I shall

come down to the Christmas there. Thank you.

We have a float here with a wonderful 17th-century scene, Samuel

Pepys with either his wife or mistress! It is The Company of

Watermen Lightermen. You have child second with his long hair --

Charles II. Some more rowers from that race. Samuel Pepys was hugely

important in the development of the Royal Navy, helped turn it into the

world beating force it became but was known more for his diary. This

year, the National Maritime Museum is supporting the Maritime theme and

there is an exhibition about Senor Pepys down the river in Greenwich

next year -- about Samuel Pepys. This is Variety, the children's

charity. The variety as four coaches and they carry children and carers

on their areas activities, organising days out for people so

they don't have too worry about the cost. Mostly children with special

needs, they transport thousands of youngsters every day.

They have brought with them some clowns and other supporting cast

members, bringing a real energy to this fantastic charity's display.

It should be said, the word float comes from the fact that the Lord

Mayor used to process down the river, that is how people got

around, along the Thames rather than through the streets. And we still

call these vehicle drawn displays floats as a result. We now have the

Worshipful Company of Farmers John Deere. Worshipful Company of

John Deere has thrown in a few tractors. The national farming union

on board. They have the old four track tractor. Sorry, this is the

brand-new one. It is described as the transformer because it is game

changing. Infant of it is that lovely 1950s tractor. But this one

is the future of farming. Not much farming in the City of London but

the links are always there. Nowadays, new technologies include

drones that allow farmers to get a eye view of their crops and identify

any areas that need any help -- Birds Eye view. These are the

Pimlico Plumbers. 100 dancers from the local group, Streets Ahead. Five

fans around the float. They all have funny numberplates which customers

can write in and suggest. That van is literally floating. You

can see that we have moved from boats to floats to things that float

through the air. What is next? That is a material handling machine, part

of Blue Group. It is normally used to pick up scrap metal. It supplies

equipment to the recycling industry, the Blue Group. It has been

transformed into a sea monster with the maritime theme. The whole crane

arm has been wrapped in vinyl to make it look like scales.

We can go and see what Sonali is doing. I am marching with royalty,

five giant representations of the Queen to celebrate her maddest eat

becoming Britain's longest serving monarch. And the dresses have all

been made by Mitic designer Matthew O'Brien. -- British. About a year

ago I was approached to produce 64 Queens! I am not a giant builder but

it just came naturally to a upscale my designs. I touched upon different

inspiration points which were the Commonwealth countries. And I write

in thinking that the Queen approves of these creations and think they

are quite flattering? I believe so! I understand she is happy with what

we are doing. Well if Her Majesty approves, so do we.

The Els Mayport Giants -- the Ellesmere Port Giants have worked

hard to be here. They left home yesterday.

When the school moved into the centre of Rochdale there was no

playground so the headteacher set up a band and it has flourished ever

since. Former band members have gone on to join the Coldstream Guards and

they also have a former member playing in the band on Strictly Come

Dancing. The Port of London authority. That

is a traditional Thames cutter. It used to taxi people along the river

for hundreds of years. It is here today to talk about the work they

are doing on cleaning up the Thames and taking it from being almost a

dead river 40 or 50 years ago to one of the cleaner rivers in the

industrialised world. For centuries, London was one of the busiest ports

in the world, in fact it was the busiest. It still is busy but now

that activity has moved up the Thames to places like London

Gateway, newly built container ports.

As we hear from the band of Her Majesty 's Royal Marines I'm sad to

say that we are going to say goodbye now because there is a special news

bulletin coming up in a few seconds. That will bring you up to date with

events in Paris. We wish the Lord Mayor of London all the best for his

year in office. Thank you to Gyles and Sonali who I have enjoyed

watching from the comfort of my commentary box! From all of us here,

goodbye.