The Great Stink of 1858
6.0Season 1Episode 1
Contagion
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Episode Overview
n the 19th century, thousands of gallons of raw sewage from across London was being dumped into the Thames every day. When a summer heatwave hit the city in 1858, it turned the river into a festering, noxious cesspool of filth. Xand van Tulleken reveals how the stench overwhelmed London, spreading sickness and fear.