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00:01It's the most visited palace and fortress in Britain.
00:05We're surrounded, we're literally saturated in history here at the Tower.
00:08The Tower of London has seen everyone from powerful royals...
00:12Elizabeth didn't know how long she was going to be held here,
00:15or even if she would leave alive.
00:18...to famous prisoners.
00:20Sir Walter Raleigh.
00:22Controversial!
00:24They've all set foot inside its walls.
00:27This is my favourite execution, but I love this one.
00:30...and it's still got plenty more stories to tell.
00:33Definitely a skull. I can see teeth.
00:37This time, we reveal the gory truth behind some of the Tower's most gruesome episodes.
00:43As chief historian Tracey Borman and curator Kate Clements...
00:47He gives the signal and the executioner strikes.
00:51...discover exactly what happened when traitors were put to death.
00:55They'll uncover the secrets of the executioners.
00:59These are real people, and this is a horrific way to die.
01:03...and reveal how public deaths became popular entertainment.
01:08You could come and watch people being publicly beheaded.
01:11You could buy food, you could buy souvenirs.
01:14It really was a day out.
01:16Also in this episode, for the first time in years,
01:19the two top dogs from the yeoman body leave at the same time.
01:24They are two huge characters, and they will be missed.
01:27And the search to find their replacements is on.
01:30We're going to open it up to any serving yeoman water to apply.
01:33We've got to get this right.
01:34This is the Tower of London.
01:45It's showtime at the Royal Palace.
01:49My first task at the beginning of the day is to open up the Tower of London.
01:55Make sure that the signs are in the correct position.
01:59Make sure people know where to go.
02:03Yeoman warder Paul Langley has worked here for four years.
02:07So he's used to preparing this very old fortress for its very modern visitors.
02:12The first place we'll start is the medieval palace.
02:15Turn all the lights on, the projectors, and make sure everything's good to go.
02:22There's about 20, 30 doors to be opened every morning.
02:27Paul joined the Tower after 35 years in the Royal Air Force.
02:31But this isn't a cushy posting.
02:34It opens at nine o'clock in the morning.
02:36So before about half past eight, everything needs to be done and ready.
02:43Every part of the Tower now, everyone's cutting around,
02:46making sure that the Tower's in good order, ready for the public to come in.
02:51The Tower may be a world-famous tourist attraction,
02:54but some areas remain off-limits.
02:57People live here, so we don't want the members of the public stumbling into people's houses.
03:01We put these barriers up.
03:03We just make sure that all the Yeoman Warders, the Constable and the Deputy Governor's houses are secure.
03:10If I've got my timings right, that means I can get off now, get some breakfast,
03:13get my uniform on and ready to start work.
03:20But before the public can be let in, there's another vital job to do.
03:26Yeoman Warder and Raven team member Gary Thine is getting the Tower's feathered flock ready for the day.
03:33I'm on Raven duty master today.
03:35They get fed in the mornings, and then they get fed when we put them back to bed at night.
03:41Hey guys, come on in.
03:43Morning. Morning.
03:46If the Ravens don't get their breakfast before opening,
03:49Good boys.
03:49They're more likely to nick sandwiches from the unsuspecting tourists.
03:55Come on in. Come on in. Come on. Yeah.
03:57You coming down?
03:58You coming down?
04:01Once Gary is happy that everyone's had enough to eat,
04:04they're let loose on the grounds.
04:06There we go.
04:08They'll just be up there stretching their wings.
04:11And there we go. Done.
04:13Just in time for the visitors to flock in.
04:17Hey guys. Morning.
04:18Welcome.
04:19They've come loaded with questions.
04:22Why was Lady Jane Grey executing?
04:25While other regulars realise they've missed breakfast.
04:28Hi. Hello.
04:31Oh no.
04:32I've took them out of my pocket.
04:34I haven't got any.
04:35I'm sorry, dude.
04:36The 35 strong crew of beef eaters take it all in their stride.
04:41That's fine.
04:42You take your time around until 5.30. No rush.
04:45Yeah.
04:45Leading tours.
04:46Behind us, guys.
04:47This is the White Tower.
04:49And sharing the tower's history as its official guides.
04:52Guy Fawkes.
04:53William the Conqueror.
04:55As they have done ever since Queen Victoria opened the fortress
04:58to paying visitors in the mid-1800s.
05:02It might look like business as usual,
05:05but something extraordinary has just been announced.
05:08The two most senior beef eaters.
05:10Hello.
05:11Chief Yeoman warder Rob Fuller.
05:13Hello, Ted.
05:14What can we do, mate?
05:14And Yeoman jailer Clive Towle.
05:17Do you want a coffee?
05:17I'll have a coffee, please, Rob.
05:19Okie dokie.
05:20Have decided to retire.
05:22And it's the first time in modern history that both posts have become vacant at once.
05:27Oh!
05:29I don't make them that often.
05:31It's a special occasion.
05:33It didn't seem that long ago that we walked in here together as chief and jailer.
05:39And then when we realised we both wanted to leave,
05:41I'd come in here and said to you, Rob, I've got something to say.
05:44And then you kicked in.
05:45I've got something to say.
05:47I'd actually come to the conclusion,
05:49well, we did at the same time,
05:51that we thought the anniversary of us starting two years ago
05:55would be more poignant than ever.
05:59Rob and Clive have been at the Tower for nearly 15 years.
06:04Before he became chief, Navy veteran Rob served as the Yeoman jailer,
06:09a post which Army vet Clive has held for the past two years.
06:13But after leading the Tower's Beef Eaters,
06:16and after more than four decades in uniform,
06:19they're ready for a slightly slower pace of life.
06:22For Rob, that means spending more time with his grandkids.
06:26I'm looking forward to it, mate.
06:28And being a living granddad.
06:30And Clive and his wife are planning a grand sailing adventure.
06:35You've got your boat, haven't you?
06:36Boat, yeah, hopefully sign for that at the end of this month,
06:38and then we've got to just learn to sail,
06:40and then we should be fine.
06:42Their joint retirement means a big shake-up in the Yeoman body,
06:46and the opportunity for some to apply for promotion.
06:52That board will be having a lot more movement.
06:55All the things that we've done, they'll get to do and mould the roles according to their wishes.
07:02So someone else has to buy the biscuits, that's all I can say.
07:04Yes.
07:05Coming up, the search for someone to take over the top beef eater jobs begins.
07:09These two posts are critical in setting the tone of the tower.
07:14We've got to get this right.
07:15And Tracy discovers how grisly beheadings became hugely popular viewing.
07:20It was hard to keep up with the city's insatiable appetite for the drama of a public execution.
07:36Right, shall we do some more executions?
07:39Yes!
07:41The tower has a bloody history.
07:43Over a hundred people were executed just outside on Tower Hill,
07:47and a further servant including three queens of England.
07:51Queen Anne Boleyn.
07:52Queen Catherine Howard.
07:53Lady Jane Grey.
07:54Lost their heads right here on Tower Green,
07:57making this one of the most famous execution sites in the world.
08:01But only the most high-profile prisoners were beheaded behind tower walls.
08:07Chief historian Tracy Borman is investigating what really went on at these gruesome events.
08:13I have here a ballad all about the execution of Sir Robert Devereux,
08:182nd Earl of Essex, and the last person to be beheaded on Tower Green.
08:24Devereux was one of Queen Elizabeth I's favourites until he attempted to overthrow her.
08:29He was arrested, charged with treason, and thrown in the tower.
08:34The account of his beheading in 1601 makes for gripping reading
08:38and reveals surprising details about just how public these executions really were.
08:46This ballad shows that even private executions inside the tower walls could be major events
08:53because there wasn't just the lieutenant of the tower and the executioner there.
08:57There were lords and guards and VIPs from Elizabeth's court,
09:02so clearly quite a big event.
09:04And this wasn't the only tower execution witnessed by large crowds.
09:10Around 1,000 people watched Anne Boleyn's beheading.
09:14But the account of Devereux's execution also contains an incredible detail
09:19about the man who wielded the axe.
09:22It goes on to actually name Devereux's executioner, and that's very rare.
09:27He's a man called Derek, and what's even more astonishing is that Derek and Devereux know each other.
09:34Derek, thou know'st, at Calais I saved thy life, lost for a rape there done.
09:42So Devereux actually saved Derek's life after he was accused of rape
09:46when the two men served together in the military.
09:53Devereux offered him the chance to live if he became an executioner.
09:57But then you get the twist of fate, because it's Derek who goes on to be the executioner of the
10:03man who saved his life.
10:05Like Thomas Derek, most executioners were forced into the role.
10:11It was seen as unclean and dishonourable work.
10:15Executioners were shunned from society and lived under constant threat of revenge from families of their victims.
10:22Butchers and criminals eager to avoid a death sentence were the most likely candidates.
10:29Once an executioner, there was no route out of the job.
10:33You were feared and ostracised by society, but also an essential part of it.
10:39London certainly had a high demand for executioners,
10:43and it's thought that Derek himself actually dispatched up to 3,000 people.
10:50But beheadings behind tower walls were only the tip of the iceberg.
10:56Before long, like in Roman times, brutal executions would be turned into mass public entertainment.
11:06These days, the beef-eaters take a slightly more lenient approach to guarding the tower.
11:11There's rarely an axe to be seen.
11:14It's all right, don't worry about me, I'm just security.
11:16Just checking your bags.
11:17Have you been into the white tower yet? Not yet.
11:19When you come out and do torture, you've just got to put up with the ghosts.
11:22Ryan Brown became a yeoman warder just a few months ago.
11:26He's the 423rd member of the yeoman body in its 500-year history.
11:32Joining the ranks of the beef-eaters is a thrill that hasn't worn off.
11:36Boy who dreamed, really.
11:38What drew me was the iconic state dress.
11:41You know, I've seen that image as a boy and it's always stuck with me.
11:44There you go.
11:45It's not as if you can get it off the shelf down the street.
11:49This afternoon, jailer Clive Tal is showing Ryan where all the ceremonial uniforms are stored.
11:56On the top floor of the Bywood Tower.
11:59Right, Bernard, come on in. Let's get you fitted out for a set of reds.
12:04Ryan is finally getting sized up for his own set.
12:07They can only be worn by beef-eaters of the Tower of London.
12:11And he can't take them with you when you leave.
12:13Sir Clive will have to hand his back when he goes.
12:16Old uniforms are reused by new yeoman warders when they join.
12:21Some of them go back years.
12:23Can I have a quick look in those?
12:25Spike Abbott.
12:26He wore this actually on the coronation day.
12:28Yeah.
12:29Bob Brown wore it, so there's a lot of history in all senses of the word.
12:34Yeah.
12:34These uniforms are built to last, and it's the jailer's job to keep them in good order.
12:40Let's just try it on. Let's have a look.
12:41It does look a little bit on the big side.
12:45That's way too big. Look at the arms.
12:47Right, how about this one?
12:48We don't like to waste anything and, you know, we are resistant to change here, you may have noticed.
12:53So nothing is wasted.
12:55We change the badges, we let them in, we let them out.
12:59Shoes, the hats, everything really.
13:02And it does our bit for the environment.
13:04Hmm, that doesn't look half bad, does it?
13:07Fits well.
13:07We may need to take it out a bit because you will need room for manoeuvring this.
13:12But otherwise, that is looking pretty good.
13:15How does it feel?
13:16Yeah, feels good.
13:18This is it now.
13:20I look apart me.
13:21We will need to change something straight off.
13:23Obviously the ER.
13:25Yeah.
13:25We'll change those front and back.
13:27Some of these uniforms still bear the cipher of Queen Elizabeth II.
13:32This is the image that made me want to become a member of the human body.
13:36So it's quite exciting to be able to get the estate dress on.
13:41Ryan's new threads will be updated with King Charles' insignia, then nipped and tucked to make sure it's a perfect
13:48fit.
13:49It's got to be right, so when he puts it on he feels proud to be wearing it.
13:52Excellent.
13:53Right, let's get you back on the ground.
13:59The yeoman warders might be the face of the tower, but they're only one part of the team that keeps
14:05it running.
14:06Behind the scenes, there's a small army of staff working around the complex.
14:10Morning.
14:11Morning.
14:12You okay?
14:13Yeah.
14:13From the people in the tower's grounds and gift shops, the warders who look after the white tower and the
14:20crown jewels,
14:21to the maintenance crews, conservators and many more.
14:26The one man in charge of keeping all those teams happy is operations manager Dan Hawkins.
14:32I always say to people, my job feels like if you're playing one of those little games with the tiles
14:37and the spare tile,
14:37and it's just moving those parts around all the time.
14:40I feel like it gets more and more complex every year that I'm here.
14:44Dan started working at the tower 15 years ago, straight out of school.
14:49I joined as a front of house apprentice.
14:51That was in warding and the ticketing team were shops.
14:54So it was a really good way of experiencing the tower at the bottom level and understanding what it is
14:58day to day that we do.
14:59And he's had a meteoric rise through the ranks in the years since.
15:04About 18 months ago, I was then promoted to operations manager.
15:08So essentially looking after the entire site.
15:10It's a big job and Dan now also has a hand in recruiting people for the senior ranks of the
15:16yeoman body.
15:17And with Chief Rob Fuller and jailer Clive Towle retiring at the same time, he's got a massive task on
15:24his hands.
15:24It's unique and it's a huge privilege for me to be able to help support such an iconic group of
15:29people.
15:29I want to get this right just as much as the next person.
15:33Just down the corridor, in the Waterloo block, Tower Governor Brigadier Andrew Jackson is about to get the recruitment process
15:42rolling.
15:43Hello Andrew, you alright? You got five minutes to talk about the young ward recruiting?
15:45Yeah, of course I have, yeah.
15:46Appointing a new chief or jailer is usually straightforward.
15:51The jailer would typically step up to the chief's role and a sergeant would be promoted to jailer.
15:58But with the double retirement, that won't be possible.
16:02It's a good opportunity for us to revisit how we do the recruitment process.
16:06We're going to open it up to any serving yeoman warder to apply for any of those posts.
16:12Absolutely.
16:12Which is a really exciting thing to do.
16:14Yeah, it is, yeah.
16:15But it could be quite a challenging process.
16:17The roles of chief and jailer are vital cogs in the smooth running of the tower machine.
16:22So the chief of course is a post that not only is looking after the yeoman body and managing them,
16:29but it's more than that.
16:30This is the face of HRP as well.
16:32I'm really looking for somebody that's confident, that has the natural leadership skills to manage not just 34 other young
16:40warders, but 34 other people that have been leaders in their field before.
16:43The jailer, this is a unique role, looks after all the uniforms, looks after the budget, has a role in
16:49the discipline of the body and that comes with carrying the axe.
16:52Yeah.
16:53Whoever gets the top jobs will not only take over the day-to-day running of the yeoman body, but
16:58will also be responsible for leading the beef eaters in ceremonial duties, both at the tower and state occasions.
17:05Yeoman body, fire to the left. Quick, out!
17:09It's people who are prepared to take on that additional responsibility.
17:12They might have been at the tower for a short time, they might have been here for longer.
17:16Yeah.
17:16But there's a common denominator that they've got to be prepared to put the hours in.
17:21These two posts are critical in setting the tone of the tower.
17:25Absolutely.
17:25How it looks and feels to anybody who's coming to visit.
17:29100%.
17:29So, yeah, we've got to get this right.
17:31With a choice of so many worthy contenders, Andrew and Dan have got their work cut out.
17:36And one man who is considering throwing his hat into the ring is yeoman warder John Donald, nicknamed JD.
17:44He's known the current jailer, Clive Tal, for longer than anyone else at the tower.
17:49I first met Clive in 1986 when I joined my regiment, the Royal Azars, in Fallenbostel in Germany.
17:55This photograph was taken in 1988.
18:00I was just shy of being 20 years of age.
18:05So, there's Clive.
18:07So, yeah, young boys as we were then.
18:09Our paths did cross on a regular basis.
18:11And as our careers went through, I was always following Clive in his footsteps.
18:16Huge mentor to me.
18:18Then, in 2014, an opportunity to serve alongside one another came up at the fortress.
18:25He'd only been here for two years.
18:26So, he gave me a bit of advice, a few tips for me, you know, having served alongside him for
18:3140 years.
18:32His friendship means a great deal to me.
18:37Now, as Clive prepares to leave the tower after 13 years, JD has decided to apply to succeed him as
18:44the next jailer.
18:49It's my chance, my opportunity.
18:52But, definitely, there's big shoes to fill, put it that way.
19:00The vacancies of jailer-in-chief will be open to any of the 35 yeoman warders who wish to apply.
19:07And with each beefeater boasting a long and exemplary military career, the competition is stiff.
19:15Over in the casemates, yeoman warder Paul Langley is enjoying a morning off, with a cuppa in his home on
19:22Mint Street.
19:23It's filled with reminders of his long military service.
19:27I represent the Royal Air Force Regiment Gunner on operations.
19:31And as you can see on the bottom, it's sent to Warrant Officer Paul Langley.
19:38I have my dog tag from one of my first detachments in Belize, in Central America.
19:44To me, it represents 35 years of service.
19:50Paul reached the rank of Warrant Officer, completing multiple tours of Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as serving in an
19:58RAF ceremonial unit.
20:04Even though he's only been at the tower for four years, he's been lucky enough to take part in several
20:10historic royal events.
20:13Being part of, as it was, Queen Elizabeth, a bodyguard extraordinaire, to then take part in the Queen's funeral, I
20:20think stands out as a highlight.
20:23And we also then had a coronation.
20:27I feel very privileged to be involved in them.
20:32Now Paul is weighing up the possibility of another career move.
20:37Looking at what the Chief Human Warder does here at the Towerland, it's not too dissimilar to what any Sergeant
20:43Major would do.
20:45I feel I do have the relevant experience to take on one of those roles.
20:52He's still got something to offer, which I feel I do.
20:55I should apply and I would be doing myself a disservice if I didn't.
20:59So, as they say, I'd like to put my hat in the ring along with everybody else and see what
21:04comes of it.
21:12Coming up, Tracy follows the final steps of one of the last prisoners to be beheaded on Tower Hill.
21:18He sees the block, the axe, the scaffold, the crowds, his coffin. This is a horrific way to die.
21:25And the new chief and jailer are revealed.
21:28Whoever takes over from them, they've got big shoes to fill.
21:39So we are now standing on Tower Green, the village green of the Tower of London.
21:44We even have our own execution site!
21:47Yay!
21:48Chief historian Tracy Borman is investigating the Tower's sinister reputation for gruesome executions.
21:56Today, a memorial stands on Tower Green to the seven people who were beheaded here.
22:01But these executions just begin to scratch the surface.
22:09Tracy has been joined by curator Kate Clements at the top of Legs Mount in the Tower's northwest corner.
22:17So, Kate, you've brought me up here on the roof overlooking busy London. Why are we here?
22:23It is very busy around here and it would have been busy during public executions
22:27because unlike the more private ones that would take place in the Tower,
22:30you could come and watch people being publicly beheaded here on Tower Hill.
22:35Tower Hill, just a stone's throw from the fortress, was one of London's public execution sites.
22:42But there were others.
22:45Heretics were burned at the stake in Smithfield in the East End.
22:50Pirates and smugglers were hanged and drowned at Execution Dock on the Thames.
22:55And at Tyburn, close to what is now Marble Arch in central London, common criminals were hanged.
23:03But it was at Tower Hill, generally reserved for traitors to the crown, where the celebrities of the day were
23:10beheaded.
23:11They're earls, they're lords, they're people that you'd have heard of.
23:14You'd go and watch the execution. And I've actually got here an engraving.
23:18This is from 1641, the execution of the Earl of Stratford. And you can just see the huge crowds.
23:23I had no idea. I mean, this is like Wembley Stadium. It's got people as far as the eye can
23:28see.
23:29Yeah, huge numbers. I mean, there were events. You could buy food, you could buy souvenirs, you could buy drinks.
23:34It really was a day out.
23:36And people turned up in their thousands. Accounts of public executions were even published in magazines.
23:45I've got here a report from 1746. And it starts at 6am with a thousand of the foot guards.
23:51So they are marching across from St James's Park over in Westminster, all the way here to Tower Hill,
23:56to make sure that the place was secure and ready for the crowds that were going to show up.
23:59It's sort of similar to a modern day big royal event, isn't it? With all the military getting into place
24:05very, very early.
24:06That's it. It's very ceremonial. And then it goes on to describe how they go down and they knock on
24:10the door of the tower to ask for them.
24:12And I thought we might be able to retrace their steps because it's all described here.
24:15Oh, let's do it. OK, let's go.
24:18The prisoners were two Scottish nobles, the Earl of Kilmarnock and Lord Balmerino.
24:25They'd been convicted of trying to overthrow King George II.
24:30As they were led up to Tower Hill, the men saw the thousands of spectators who'd gathered to watch their
24:36deaths.
24:38So now the Earl of Kilmarnock sees the block, the axe, the scaffold, the crowds.
24:44His coffin, the executioner, turns to his friend and says, this is terrible.
24:48Oh, that's heartbreaking, isn't it? And I think that detail, it makes the whole thing so human, doesn't it?
24:55Because these are real people and this is a horrific way to die.
24:59The men were allowed to pray and given a final meal of bread and wine before, one by one, they
25:05were brought to the scaffold.
25:07The Earl of Kilmarnock goes up to the scaffold and he greets the executioner who is so affected by the
25:13Earl's, you know, demeanour
25:15that he himself actually starts to cry that he's so affected.
25:19The atmosphere must have been kind of so tense and, you know, the emotion of the occasion, clearly it's even
25:25got to the executioner.
25:26Yeah, absolutely, yeah.
25:28Finally, he's ready, he kneels down, he gives the signal which is a drop of his handkerchief and the executioner
25:34strikes.
25:39The final beheading on Tower Hill took place just a year after the two Scottish nobles were executed in 1746.
25:48And then in 1780, the last criminal was hanged, bringing to an end 400 years of brutal executions on this
25:56spot.
26:03Thankfully, these days, the tower is a lot less cutthroat.
26:07The crown jewels are up there.
26:09Yeah.
26:09And there's a big shake-up on the horizon.
26:12As the beefeaters prepare to lose their chief yeoman warder, Rob, and yeoman jailer, Clive.
26:18You see them daily and they're just a big part of the village.
26:21Rob, life and soul of the party, you know, always had good stories to tell.
26:24He also lives next door to me and actually invited me around for dinner in my first few weeks of
26:28being here.
26:29Right, left, right, left and all that.
26:31And Clive is known as a dog whisperer, so he'll be sorely missed for that reason.
26:37They're really a couple of good guys, yeah.
26:41They are two huge characters and they will be missed.
26:44Rob is famous for his tea and biscuits in the Bywood town, not that I got in there very often.
26:49And Clive, obviously, is larger than life.
26:51Whoever takes over from them, they've got big shoes to fill.
26:59For weeks, Tower Governor Andrew Jackson and Operations Manager Dan Hawkins have been putting a handful of yeoman warders through
27:07their paces to find the best possible replacements for Rob and Clive.
27:12It was quite a lengthy process.
27:14The people who applied had a series of interviews and a series of aptitude tests so that we could ensure
27:20that we were selecting the right people.
27:22They're the beating heart of the yeoman body and the yeoman body helps us set the culture for the Tower
27:27of London.
27:27The chief and jailer lead the 35 yeoman warders in their job as tour guides, caretakers of the thousand-year
27:35-old palace, and as part of the royal bodyguard.
27:38They're incredibly demanding roles.
27:40This is one of the most important recruitment decisions we've had to make at the Tower for some time.
27:47And I'm pleased to say that we've just had a meeting today to go through all the results.
27:54And we've decided to appoint Paul Langley as the chief yeoman warder and John Donald as the yeoman jailer.
28:03Paul has only been a beef-eater for four years.
28:07Hello, you all right?
28:08He will become the second former RAF chief in the Tower's history.
28:13Paul has really impressed us with the way he approaches his daily work.
28:17He's brilliant with the public.
28:19You look after yourself.
28:20He's really good at handling crises and handling events happening through the day.
28:26He's also really highly regarded by his colleagues in the yeoman body.
28:30We're just waiting for all the youngsters to come down.
28:33Hey up, sailor, you all right?
28:35John Donald has spent 11 years at the Tower.
28:38He will now become the yeoman body's second-in-command, taking over from his mentor, Clive.
28:43John is excellent at interacting with the public.
28:47Both out, yes, you go across the square.
28:49But more than that, he's a great manager.
28:51So those sort of administrative roles yeoman jailer takes on, he's really well qualified to conduct.
28:59I think we're in for a really exciting time at the Tower.
29:04Operations manager Dan has just given Paul and JD the good news
29:08and invited them to the governor's office to toast their new roles.
29:14Come on in.
29:16Hello, Paul. Hello there.
29:17JD. Hey, congratulations.
29:19Thank you very much. Well done.
29:21Thank you. Thank you, Adrian.
29:22Yeah, that's brilliant. Thank you.
29:25In Tower tradition, the promotions are sealed with a glass of port.
29:30Well, I'm really looking forward to the next few years of working with you
29:33because I think together we can do some great things.
29:36So, please join me by drinking a toast to the Tower of London.
29:41Cheers. Cheers.
29:42Cheers.
29:43Thank you very much.
29:44Well done.
29:45Couldn't be more pleased and just a big well done because it's been really tough, but the hard bit starts
29:50now.
29:51And I know with Rob and Clive leaving, we've got some big shoes to fill and I hope we fulfil
29:58their expectations and the trust you've given us.
30:00So, thank you very much, Ian.
30:02Paul and John will have a short while to shadow their predecessors before officially assuming their new roles.
30:09Leading the world famous Tower Beef Eaters.
30:14So, so, so excited and very, very proud to have been selected.
30:18I'm looking forward to carrying the iconic axe and I'm very, very excited for the future, yes.
30:28I'm quite thrilled and really surprised. I also feel very, very proud.
30:33Cheers.
30:33Cheers.
30:34I feel there is a massive step up for me to take, but I think both Rob and Clive have
30:39set myself up for success.
30:42Yeah, I'm the new chief human boarder.
30:47It might be all smiles now, but 500 years ago, Paul's predecessors had another role, to keep prisoners under lock
30:55and key before their execution.
30:57Back then, anyone from a petty thief to a traitor, to someone who had looked sideways at the monarch, could
31:03be dragged in front of an executioner.
31:06Tracey Borman has come to one of the Tower's former prison cells to follow the case of two men awaiting
31:12their deaths right here in December 1541.
31:18It was in a cell like this that Francis Derham and Thomas Culpepper were imprisoned, accused of having affairs with
31:26Henry VIII's fifth wife, Catherine Howard.
31:38And a traitor's death was the very worst kind of punishment the state had to offer.
31:48First, you would be drawn or dragged to the scaffold, then hanged before being taken down still alive and cut
31:56open and disemboweled.
31:58And finally, your body would be chopped into pieces.
32:02It was the most brutal and feared method of execution there was.
32:09Traitors' body parts were displayed on the main roads into London.
32:13In some cases, they'd be on show for months, even years.
32:18On the 10th of December 1541, both men were drawn by horse, not to Tower Hill nearby, but to another
32:27notorious site a few miles away, Tyburn in central London.
32:34So I'm here on the spot where the Tyburn executions took place all those centuries ago.
32:40And it's quite extraordinary because it's in the middle of a traffic island.
32:43And I can't imagine that many of the thousands of people who drive past here every day have any idea
32:49what used to take place here.
32:52As with Tower Hill, Tyburn executions drew huge crowds.
32:56Up to 50,000 spectators at a time would turn up to catch a glimpse of criminals being killed.
33:04But seeing courtiers hanged, drawn, and quartered was rare.
33:08Tyburn was better known for hanging common criminals.
33:12On the eve of execution day, the bells of St. Sepulchre Church near Newgate Prison were run
33:19and condemned prisoners given the chance to write a final letter to loved ones.
33:23They were taken by cart along what today is London's Oxford Street, stopping for a final drink along the way,
33:31before they reached the gallows.
33:35Just behind me, you can see three trees.
33:38Now, they symbolise the so-called Tyburn tree.
33:41That was a device developed during the reign of Elizabeth I that could hang 24 people at one time.
33:49So, brutally efficient.
33:51The Tyburn tree was a three-sided wooden gallows that stood six metres high.
33:58It could hang eight people on each of its three long beams.
34:02A cart full of prisoners would be wheeled under the structure, and each person attached to the beam by a
34:08rope.
34:09The cart would then be pulled away, leaving the condemned to hang by the neck.
34:13It could take as long as 15 minutes to die.
34:18This slow asphyxiation was known as the Tyburn jig.
34:23And families, or just those who took pity on the condemned, were known to pull on their feet to end
34:28their suffering.
34:32Hanging days at Tyburn became regular events, and were even declared public holidays for the working classes.
34:40Tens of thousands of people were executed right on this spot.
34:45Thieves, rapists, witches, traitors, and a handful of unlucky nobles who'd been imprisoned in the Tower of London.
34:56After 700 years, the last hanging took place at Tyburn in 1783.
35:03But it would be another 85 years before public executions in Britain finally came to an end.
35:09The last one was outside Newgate Prison, now the site of the Old Bailey Criminal Courts in central London, in
35:161868.
35:18It's extraordinary to think that these grisly public spectacles went on for so long.
35:25The executions were used as a powerful tool of the state, and turned into entertainment for the masses.
35:33Eventually though, taste changed, and suddenly a day out at the gallows wasn't quite so appealing.
35:42Coming up, a new beef eater finds out just how tricky moving into the fortress can be.
35:48The last thing I want to be doing is hitting anything with this truck.
35:51There's like four spiral floors getting in.
35:54And Chief Yeoman Warder Rob has to say goodbye.
35:57I still love the place, and I always will.
36:05The tower is closed, and Yeoman Warder Baz Grey is waiting for a special delivery.
36:11It's just outside on the wharf now, because I couldn't bring it in until the public have left.
36:15A removals vat filled with his furniture and belongings.
36:19I was brought up in a military family.
36:20I've moved quite a few times since in my own adult life.
36:24I've never moved into a place like the Tower of London.
36:28Like all new recruits, Baz spent his first six months at the tower by himself,
36:33in what is called a probation flat.
36:35Now he's been sworn in, Baz has been given a bigger family home.
36:40But moving in can be tricky.
36:42The last thing I want to be doing is hitting anything with this truck.
36:47He's nabbed one of the most in-demand properties in the entire fortress.
36:52And approaching Tower Green at my new home.
36:57Seven Tower Green.
36:59It's been occupied by Chief Yeoman Warder Rob Fuller and his family for the past 13 years.
37:05Rob has just moved out, ahead of his retirement.
37:08And Baz is wasting no time in getting the moving in process underway.
37:13All good. Here we are.
37:15And some wonderful colleagues come to help.
37:17He's managed to twist the arm of some fellow Tower residents to assist with the heavy lifting.
37:24If we can put these on the stairs, that would be amazing.
37:28The two-storey house is around 300 years old, complete with tight, winding staircases.
37:34There you go. Down.
37:35Not designed to accommodate large, modern fridge freezers.
37:39Feel that?
37:41Yes.
37:43There must be a dead body in this.
37:45As you can see, I'm sweating buckets.
37:47We're about halfway through.
37:49And there's like four spiral floors getting in.
37:52But all the effort is worth it for the views, which you literally couldn't get anywhere else in the world.
37:59Outside my kitchen window here is the village green of the Tower of London.
38:03You know, three queens of England would be headed, you know, outside of my kitchen window.
38:08I'm next door to the king's house.
38:10You'll never get used to that.
38:12Though living in a listed monument does come with some drawbacks.
38:16Now I'm entering the master bedroom.
38:19But as you can see, if I stand tall, my head touches the ceiling.
38:23That's the quirkiness of some of the properties here in the Tower of London.
38:27With any luck, Baz won't have to move again for a while.
38:31You all right?
38:32The lads have turned out and working wonders for me, which is fantastic.
38:36Not too long after this will be the animals and the family.
38:39And we will all be in and this will be home.
38:43As Baz settles in, departing chief Rob Fuller is taking care of some final business
38:50before leaving the Fortis after 14 years.
38:53My grandkids love the fact that Grandad lives in the castle.
38:58And so do I, to be honest.
39:01You know, how lucky am I to have worked here at the Tower?
39:05And today, after two years in the top job,
39:09he's handing over the responsibility to his successor, Yeoman Warder, Paul Langley.
39:14When you become chief young warder, the onus of responsibility is firmly on your shoulders.
39:21So, daunting for him.
39:25But Rob has an important accessory he wants to pass on to help Paul adjust to his new role.
39:32I've got the baton here, and this is the badge of authority for the chief young warder.
39:39I've already added his name so he can carry it round, hopefully with the same amount of pride that I
39:44did.
39:45Paul has come to the chief's office for his final handover with Rob.
39:49Hi, Paul.
39:50Hi, chief.
39:51Come and have a sit down, mate.
39:53I'll see you again, Mucca.
39:54Before taking over the role.
39:56Wow.
39:58Huge congratulations, Mucca.
39:59Thank you very much.
40:00Well done.
40:01Looking forward to it.
40:02Absolutely, yeah.
40:03Yeah.
40:04I can't wait to get started.
40:06However, a bit of trepidation, big shoes to fill, etc.
40:10Mine are only size nine, remember that.
40:14Despite being relatively new to the tower, Paul's 35 years in the RAF saw him leading regiments in operational tours
40:22and on ceremonial parades.
40:24It's that leadership strength that will come in handy in his new position.
40:29You got any advice for me?
40:31Mate, all I can say to you is just be yourself, because that's what got you into the position you
40:38are now.
40:38And if you want to carry favour with the guys in the office, buy biscuit.
40:46Chocolate biscuit.
40:49All that's left is to pass the baton from one chief to another.
40:55This is yours now.
40:57Wow.
40:58It's like kryptonite.
40:59I can feel the power in it already.
41:03And you've got my name on the bottom already, yeah, wow.
41:05You'll close me out to 2025, and you'll be the 21st Chevy and Warder.
41:12You'll do a good job here, mate.
41:14No, I really appreciate that, Rob.
41:16Thank you very much.
41:17God bless, mate.
41:18Thanks, buddy.
41:19So much, Rob.
41:20God bless, Michael.
41:20Take care, buddy.
41:22With a new chapter for the Yeoman body just around the corner, Rob looks back on his remarkable tower story.
41:29I love being the executioner of the tower.
41:31I never thought I'd say this, but I'm running out of tights to you.
41:34As jailer, he helped lead the Beefeaters through some of the biggest royal milestones in a century.
41:40I'll just raise the old Tudor bonnet.
41:41Give her to the Queen Elizabeth!
41:46I want to give her a good send-off, so that's my personal farewell.
41:51Before taking up the helm as chief himself.
41:54Come on, buddy.
41:55Shit!
41:56Here we go.
41:57The chance to be part of tower history.
42:00Just a normal day at the tower.
42:02Is one that Rob and his family will never forget.
42:07My son got married here.
42:09My daughter got married here.
42:11My grandchildren have all been christened here.
42:14It's led to some lifelong friendships.
42:17I'll be missing the jailer as he sails the seven seas.
42:22But I think he's hankering for a crew member now and again.
42:26The novelty of being in the tower never wears off with me.
42:30And I still love the place.
42:33And I always will.
42:40Next time, curator Kate uncovers a shocking event from the tower's past.
42:45This was where spies in the First and Second World War were executed.
42:50And meets the granddaughter of the last man to be put to death within its walls.
42:54All they knew was that he died during the war.
42:56He just disappeared off the face of the earth.
42:58The jailer hands over his axe.
43:00We are here for a historical blink of an eye.
43:03While another beef eater makes history.
43:05I will be now the first ever female yeoman sergeant.
43:08I'm still in shock.
43:12And you can see that next Wednesday at 8.
43:15Meet the people who stayed in their city despite Mother Nature leaving it an ash-covered ghost town.
43:21Ben Fogel and the Buried City is Friday at 9.
43:24Coming up, a five original drama based on real transcripts from a case that shocked the world.
43:30Under suspicion, Kate McCann is brand new next.
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