Nr 10 Downing Street - The Seat of Britain’s Executive Power
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- čas přidán 31. 01. 2023
- Discover the rich history of 10 Downing Street, from its early beginnings to the scandals that have rocked the British Prime Ministers who have called it home. See how each Prime Minister has left their mark on the iconic residence.
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Also voted London's best (and only) nightclub in 2020.
xD
💀
Nah, still shit. Full of Tory boys in suits. Can't imagine how bad the music must've been.
10 Downing Drinks Street is just the place to be don'tcherknow?
Nerdy interjection: if it was London's only nightclub in 2020, it was therefore also London's worst nightclub in 2020.
Larry the cat is the only inhabitant of 10 Downing Street that will always be worthy of respect
A few PMs have owned dogs. Gotta count them, too.
Larry for PM, I say.
Definitely.
I hear Mr. Chicken was a good guy.
@@Skorpychan Seconded!
Larry the Cat is the first resident in the history of No. 10 to show up with honest intentions, a clear agenda and the resources to carry it through.
He didn't intervene during the lockdown parties, so he's equally responsible for the scandal.
I hear there is another cat that does the catching and Larry just lies around all day. So he is pretty much just like the rest of em
For anyone not from the UK, you should know that Larry the cat is a National Treasure.
Seriously.
He's should be, he's been the most productive occupant of the building for years :-)
That is great to know. Larry's existence is my main takeaway from this video.
@@hi_flops He has much better press coverage (deservedly) than the human occupants (hes currently on his 5th PM), theres plenty of videos of his exploits. He also has his own twitter account, its hilarious!
Larry for PM! Gets my vote 🤣
Still don’t understand why, given the staggering amount of Prime Ministers over the last decade, structural improvements haven’t included a revolving front door 🤔
Because of over use it would need to be replaced too often Or make our Prime Ministers dizzy and therefore more effective ?🤔🤣🤣🤣
They wouldn’t be able to find the funds for it
Larry The Cat deserves his own Biographics episode.
YES! This.
By all accounts, he's a terrible mouser and is quite lazy.
Labour Party stalwart Sue Gray deserves her own Biographics video
He fits to the rest of the other inhabitants
If you haven't seen it yet, I highly recommend the British series' "Yes, Minister" and "Yes, Prime Minister".
It has been said that various officials have watched it and their reaction was basically "I won't admit anything specific but that's pretty much how things work."
It's also sometimes pretty funny.
that and the thick of it sums up British establishment politics to a T
It turned out, admitted years later, they had a politician and a civil servant as consultants on the shows and some of the episodes like the Saudia Arabia episode were based on things that actually happened. IIRC, it wasn't a war room in reality but a communications room, but the illicitly getting drunk at a dry party really happened.
My dad was a career civil servant (was even a private secretary during the early 80s when the show was on funnily enough). Loved the show and always kept telling me it was a documentary when we watched it. Didn't get the joke as a kid, definitely do now.
Totally! Yes, Minister is still one of the best primers for understanding UK politics (or just politica in general), not to mention delightfully funny too
I´ve rewatched it just recently as the series might be 40 years old but the jokes are still spot on in every way...
Larry is the most powerful cat in the world. He has outlasted many PMs and will hopefully retain his office for many more years. Long live Larry!
" I guess that got him out of Azkaban."
🥁🥁🥁🥁⚡
Two in one episode.
Fact Boy is on a roll!
I would like to see a Biographics of Larry the Cat.
As a Canadian, I'd appreciate an episode of 24 Sussex Drive. The way you present videos reminds me of some of my favourite teachers in highschool. Thanks for the absolute TON of knowledge you've given me across multiple years, and channels.
As a fellow Canadian I second this
Not much to say about 24 Sussex except to says it's falling down and lacks historical history and historical objects
"You could even say that he flew the coop."
🥁🥁🥁🥁⚡
Or "chickened out" ?
Yes, please more fancy government houses and offices.
I watched this with the hope that you would mention Larry the Cat, and you did. Thanks! Great video :)
That image of the Queen sat stoically, alone in mourning was heart wrenching. To find out later those utter clown shoes called politicians were partying the night before left a sickening feeling in me. They should have all been hung.
She obeyed their stupid laws while they flouted it.
"There is no curse in Elvish, Entish, or the tongues of Men for this treachery."
"To find out later those utter clown shoes called politicians were partying the night before left a sickening feeling in me." - Its worth pointing out it was only Conservative politicians partying.
@Truman Error Well obviously, they're the ones in power and live at Downing Street.
@@salicazsali Yeah I still think its worth pointing out. By using just "politicians" it lets the tories off the hook and feed into the "bOtH sIdEs" arguments.
That doesn't mean the opposition aren't clowns either.
I would love to hear more of the four pawed civil servants. There been several that have served as Mayors in the USA.
A lot people from outside the UK seem to think that the King/Queen runs the country - actually the PM and cabinet run things on behalf of the Crown. Although the monarch has reserve powers they aren't enacted unilaterally, the king only acts on the advice of the PM and ministers. The monarchy has been virtually ceremonial for over 200 years now.
The question is - and it is a bit of a diversion - how much power does the monarchy really have against the tabloids? I'm specifically talking about the Harry/Meghan affair - my daughter and I come down on different sides of that argument. I'm of the opinion that the monarchy could have sued the tabloids; issued a proclamation or just been stoic about the whole damn thing. What is the take from someone inside the UK and more familiar with practice?
@@JimAllen-Persona The royal family can only go through the courts when regarding the press. In the past the press used to censor itself. Those days are long gone.
@@JimAllen-Persona The royal line is "Never complain, never explain". So no, the monarchy cant/wont sue the tabloids, issue proclamations etc. At least Harry knows this, theyve been cleaning up his mess for 30+ years, but he and Meghan apparently do not care. No matter how horrible smears Harry and Meghan spew through the tabloids, they claim to hate, no matter the complete lack of evidence, no matter how many provably false stories they invent, u will never hear anything in public from the Palace.
The British public knows this too. Which is why Harry and Meghan have gone from being extremely popular to being extremely despised in just 4 years. So much so, that poll after poll show a majority of Brits wanting them stripped of their titles, and theres a signature campaign in Sussex to have them no longer affiliated with/fouling up the name of that county.
But regardless of it all, from the Palace, the Royal Family it will still be "never complain, never explain". Coz nothing can be improved by a public fight with the tabloids, nor by a public family feud. And if Meghan thinks, she was treated badly, thats nothing against, what many other Royals, especially women marrying into the RF, have endured and still do from the bottomfeeding tabloids.
@JimAllen-Persona I'm deeply uncomfortable with the monarchy. Many of the working class lap up the monarchy when the system as a whole was built on the subjugation of there ancestor's
@@minton5388 Always interesting to hear your comments, Mr. Fawkes.
It will be a very sad day when Larry the Cat catches his last mouse, or maybe poses for his last photo, and heads to the Rainbow bridge with all the other pets and working animals who have served and comforted their owners.
He is not the first Chief Mouser, he was preceded by a long line of other moggies conscripted to that duty. Nor is he the only cat employed as a vermin deterrent, as his rival Palmerston stalks the corridors of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
All those early tenants, reads like the street names of all Australian city’s streets named after the regality
Simon did a Today I found out on the true English hero Larry.... God save the Cat.
“Flew the coop” made me laugh way more than it should have.
I thought he was going to say he ( chickened out ) 🤣🤣🤣🤣
0:50 - Chapter 1 - A brief history of n°10
4:25 - Chapter 2 - N°10 at war
6:55 - Chapter 3 - Gearing up for the 21st century
8:45 - Chapter 4 - Harry potter & the guardhouse of lawsuits
11:50 - Chapter 5 - 1st day on the job
14:45 - Chapter 6 - Byob
I follow British politics pretty closely, I've always found 10 downing street fascinating
I'm British but following American politics better that UK politics lol
@@thetezz0001
It's more entertaining for sure
@@thetezz0001 I'm the opposite - I'm American and I find UK politics fascinating. With the exclusion of BoJo (your version of DJT) your implementation of government has been relatively sane. I also love listening to Jonathan Pie's assessment of the goings on. Not sure I can forgive the UK for giving us the tabloids though... although arguably we had them before you (i.e. Hearst/Sinking of the Maine).
@@JimAllen-Persona The American 2 party system ( and No the Tea Party is not a real party ) is very boring imho. Prime Ministers question time (PMQ ) would never dare to be adopted in the US.
I've always found it odd that Americans have so much choice in everything and generally champion individually but they only ever want 2 political choices.
@@JimAllen-Persona I agree with most of your assessment, except the part when you compared BoJo and DJT.
Other than have funny hair and leading a right-leaning party, they have nothing else in common.
Despite his appearance and PartyGate, he was a very effective politician and didn't attempt a coup.
All these great PM's making worthwhile changes to the property all the way up to the tenure of Johnson who then took it back to the days of the gin bars and brothels.
Loved this! Anything besides “Ancient Rome” or “WW2” gets a like from me!
The British Prime Minister using a terraced house as an official residence compares favourably to Presidents of Republics all over the world who mostly live in large palaces.
Your mistake is comparing the PM to a President. The roles are completely different. A president needs a bigger pad as they are head of state, a PM isn't
As an Irishman, who grew up during the 1970's/80's, I find the lack of security at No. 10 at that time extremely surprising and worrying. It is not just the center of British politics, but is obviously an important cog in transatlantic and European political communication and military preparedness. Unless there were undisclosed security measures in place, complacency seemed to be an occupant of No. 10 as well.
I love how open London is compared to some political capitals - very refreshing when compared for example to the idiotically over the top security in the USA
This was really cool. Any chance we could see a video on 24 Sussex and Rideau Hall in Ottawa?
Why? No one cares about buildings of little historical history
@@piusx8317 There are people who are interested in things beyond your tiny little bubble of a world, sweetie.
@hancocki Unlikely...but, keep dreaming luv
Hello and Good Afternoon Simon
Went into this episode expecting some epic shade and Indeed There Was Shade
Fascinating location, great script - thank you Simon and team!!
As a frequent visitor to the USA the most common conversation I have with Americans is explaining that the monarch doesn’t actually rule and that the Prime Minister is the person in charge (a little simplistic but accurate). They genuinely seem to believe that the UK is still some kind of feudal society
Unlikely...but good try
Well they can't understand that the Head of State and Head of Government do not need to be the same person
Simon, I really like this episode… Thank you.
My takeaway from this Geographics... Larry the cat is a legend, invite Noel Gallagher to any party & BYOB 😂
Larry the cat is a national treasure 🐈🌸💗🌸
Yes, it would be nice to have more official residences.
I swear, in the far future when people look back to now the way we do the Bronze Age, the two most significant cultural impacts left behind by my country will be the Voyager probes and everything being named "something"-gate.
Can you cover what's been discovered in the amazon with lydar, prior advanced civilisation, there were lots of people from eras who sailed threw the amazon and logged it and reported it back to there countries but we're not believed.
It was a very interesting video. I'd love to see similar ones.
Sending appreciation for the exceedingly rare dry and subtle wit peppered gingerly throughout your many YT hostings. One thing I missed in this one was what happened to the building during the great fire?
It didn’t exist back then so very little happened to it
TBH I'm kinda disappointed we didn't have a new PM by the time this video came out
When I was a wee boy it was common when visiting London to walk right up to the door of Number 10 for a photograph - usually the coppers on duty were happy to smile and pose with visitors for a pic. Nowadays the idea that anyone could just walk up to that door seems as odd to us as the days when people grazed sheep on the White House lawn and could just wander inside for a chat
Yep, I got me photo taken outside No.10 and that was at the height of the IRA bombings! No security but a single copper
I remember having my picture taken with a bobby in front of tye door, too.
I love your videos. I would like to hear about Singer and or Boldt Castles in the Thousand Islands Region of the St Lawrence River. Thank you
I think instead of a human prime minister, Larry the cat should be promoted to Prime Minister in perpetuity. At least then the government could say that the prime minister has always been beloved.
This was way more interesting than I thought it would be
Only honest one in that building currently is Larry.
Cheers! Really enjoyed this. I like it when you’re all stern and to the point!
Harry Potter (the barrister) did a really interesting series on BBC2 called "The Strange Case of the Law", detailing the history of the English legal system. Sadly, it's not currently on iPlayer, which is a shame.
24 Sussex would be interesting. Apparently it’s too far gone to ever be used as a residence again
Why would it be interesting? What history has ever taken place there? PM's didn't start living their till the 50's. It has zero history
I love 10 Downing! It is a 100% simple building on the outside that it proves that it doesn't have to be anything elegant with marble pillars or any of that lol
Shiniest door I've ever seen. So shiny...
One missed fact from this is the
£20k a roll wallpaper! I think Blair ordered it an Brown paid for it an got slated lol
@0:11 did Simon say Drowning Street? 😅🤣🤣
Ooh yes.
OMG... Please do a Biographics episode on Disraeli... the man should be a legend with the quotes he left us... like "Parish Councils exist to raise hell, when hell needs raising" and "lies, more lies and statistics" (Gladstone is probably worth am episode too!).
0:11
"Number 10 Drowning Street"
I'm glad i'm not the only one to notice that
Bring a video on Belem Palace in Lisbon, current residence of the Portuguese presidents, not to mention you guys could explore the whole Belem parish in Lisbon, as it has among others, Belem tower, Belem cultural center, Jerónimos Monastery, iconic Restelo stadium belonging to CF os Belenenses. :)
Most Presidents of Republics live in palaces 🤣🤣🤣🤣
@@PaulJohn01 Well, yeah xD
Why build a new place if you can adopt one from the previous regime? xD
Larry, serving no less than five PM's in seven years...what a joke. To quote Hudson 'maybe they should put him in charge'!
Was anyone else distracted by the chip on Simons cup?
How about a Biographics episode on Larry?
Have you done an episode on Camp David?
I'd like to call for an episode dedicated to Larry and all the former Downing St cats .There are records for his predecessors dating back to the 1920s .Of course to do them justice it might have to be an extra long episode .
this dude's voice is like a glass of warm milk, I just keep him on in the background serenading me.
All I can see is the chip on the cup on the table Simon!!! 😩🤣
Hey Geographics, is there any chance you could a Biographics episode on Sir Robert Walpole, Britain First Prime Minister?
Dignitaries and visitors often pose for a photograph outside the door.
No 10 is located in the UK, therefore the correct abbreviation for number is ''No'' as in No 10 while the US requires the use of a full stop as in ''No. 10''. One should only see the abbreviation ''Nr'' in relation to the construction industry.
I swear you say number ten drowning Street. Which is hilarious and about right
Only Simon could make that jacket look good.
I know we're not the most well known country, but how about The Lodge, the official residence of Australian PMs
I have heard of Australia. It is a European country south of Germany, north of Italy, east of Switzerland and west of Hungary. I have always wanted to take a trip to the Australian Alps. 😉
The Lodge.......it's just a normal average house 😂😂 What the hell can you say about it???
You should do a video on 24 Sussex Drive in Ottawa where not a single PM has dared do any renovations since the 1970s...
As soon as Simon read the part about putting the subs under allied control I immediately thought so haul ass to the us & put them under our command got it
Yes Prime Minister ☺️
Such an unassuming building to contain one of the biggest circus of the modern era.
Larry quality chap
Good coverage, but if you must have a mug on your desk, get one that doesn't have a massive chip on the side facing the camera. OCD triggered
Simon your coffee mug has a huge chip in it !
I kinda want to buy Simon a new mug 😂 that one has a chip in it
I’ve oddly always found Downing Street a lot more interesting than other places such as Buckingham Palace…
I mean, it’s just a set of flats. It was just a small street filled with terrace homes. And yet it houses the second most important politician behind the King.
Could you do a piece on vorkuta?
How did your Mug get chipped? Is that a Biographics tale in itself?
King Charles III should give Larry the Cat an official Knighthood and bestow on him the title of Sir Larry the Cat 🐈
There is a Downing St. In Tahlequah, Ok which is the town of my alma matter (NSU). Im also a registered Cherokee Nation citizen and have done some genealogical work on my family tree, and am actually truly related to those Downings. Can't help but think those English inter bred with the Cherokee at some point?? Crazy I don't think so 🤔
George Downing and his family lived in Salem, Massachusetts for a number of years so it's more than possible.
Downing himself wasn't a nice guy however. After the restoration, he hunted down people who were once his closest friends so they could be hanged drawn and quartered for the regicide of Charles I.
11:50 the party ended at 4:20 hahaha I wonder why!
The mentioned Harry Potter is in fact a quite high-profile criminal barrister, and has produced and presented a brilliant 3-part documentary on the history or Common Law in Englad. Do check it out, its quite a watch.
Love the snarky comments in this one!
Kinda interesting that in America we have a White House while in uk they have a black house. That feels kinda intentional yet according to the vid isn’t which is pretty incredible that it just happened to turn out that way.
Nr 10 Downing Street - The Best Little Brothel in London
"How No.10's occupants work hard, and Work Event even harder".
I got quite a long time into this before I realised it was no longer about an ice moon as I must have skipped onto the next story by mistake. 😭
5:18 Man didn't wanna take his eyes off Hitler for even a second
0:11 "Number 10 Drowning Street" anyone else hear this?
lol.. "10 Drowning Street".. best Freudian misspeak right at the beginning.
Larry deserved far more screen time than you gave him. 😢
Because of the short period between elections and taking office, isn’t there a shadow cabinet that’s basically ready to assume duties on short notice with minimal transition?
Doesn't the Chief Whip live at 12 Downing Street? Regardless, I would have figured he'd be in and out of there all the time. I'd be pissed too if security gave me a hard time when they should have obviously known me as a regular.
The Whips office has now moved to number 9
@@pedanticradiator1491 All the same, the Whip is in and out of Downing St. on a daily basis. The Security Guards had to have known who he was.
Lord North created the famous entrance to No. 10 … but he also lost the American Colonies.
Lesson WAS learned. They learned that the cost of their party was 100 quid on top of whatever else the costs were.
Could you do an episode on Ceausescu's folly?
Already done one
Does the chipped cup annoy anyone else?
Larry for PM
Those must be some wild cheese and wine parties to keep getting issued fines. Probably political backbiting but maybe not. The thought of Boris Johnson with a lampshade on his head while eating a wedge of cheese is pretty funny.