TfL’s new Mind the Gap podcast delves into the history behind the Suffragette line

06 September 2024
In the latest episode of the Mind the Gap podcast presenter Tim Dunn speaks with Helen Pankhurst, the great-granddaughter of Suffragette Emmeline Pankhurst, plus comedian and writer Cally Beaton
"This autumn, the London Overground line connecting north west and east London will be named the Suffragette line to commemorate this historic campaign, which helped gain women the right to vote"
Dr Debbie Weekes-Bernard
London's Deputy Mayor for Communities and Social Justice
  • The new episode explores the history of the Suffragettes ahead of the London Overground's Gospel Oak to Barking Riverside route being named the Suffragette line later this autumn
  • Each of the six London Overground lines will be given a new name and colour this autumn to make it easier for customers to navigate the network, while celebrating London's diverse culture and history

Transport for London's (TfL's) new Mind the Gap podcast episode delves into the history behind the London Overground Suffragette line, with interviews with activist and scholar Helen Pankhurst, Emmeline Pankhurst's great-granddaughter, and comedian and writer, Cally Beaton.

This autumn, the London Overground line connecting north west and east London will be named the Suffragette line and represented on the map with two parallel green lines, as part of the new names and colours for each of the six Overground lines, making it easier for customers to navigate London's transport network while also celebrating the city's diverse culture and history.

In episode four of the Mind the Gap podcast, presenter Tim Dunn visits Barking Riverside London Overground station, in east London, where he speaks with Helen Pankhurst. Helen is the great-granddaughter of Suffragette Emmeline Pankhurst, who was one of key Suffragette leaders from east London who campaigned for women's rights. During the interview Helen talks about the impact her great-grandmother and family had on her views on women's rights and her own work, the history of the Suffragette movement and current women's rights issues and challenges. Helen also talks about the work of her grandmother Sylvia Pankhurst, who was also a key figure in the Suffragette movement and had strong links to the working classes in the East End of London.

In the second part of the episode, Tim speaks with British comedian and writer Cally Beaton at Gospel Oak London Overground station. Cally talks about her journey of becoming the first female board member at ITV and a champion for women in business. Cally then speaks about how she became a comedian, the influence of comedy legend Joan Rivers, and how perceptions of women in comedy still have a way to go.

The London Overground Suffragette line has been named following engagement with local communities and honours how the working-class movement in the East End paved the way for women's rights. Barking, at the eastern end of the line, was home of the longest surviving Suffragette Annie Huggett, who died aged 103.

London's Deputy Mayor for Communities and Social Justice, Dr Debbie Weekes-Bernard, said: "This autumn, the London Overground line connecting north west and east London will be named the Suffragette line to commemorate this historic campaign, which helped gain women the right to vote. I encourage Londoners to tune into the latest episode of TfL's Mind the Gap podcast featuring Emmeline Pankhurst's great-granddaughter Helen Pankhurst to learn more about the history behind this pivotal movement and the inspiration behind the line's historic name change."

Emma Strain, Customer Director at TfL, said: "We hope that our new podcast episode with Emmeline Pankhurst's great-granddaughter, activist and scholar, Helen Pankhurst and comedian and podcaster, Cally Beaton will inspire our customers to find out more about the fascinating history of the Suffragettes.

"The podcast highlights the profound impact Suffragettes had to transform women's rights across the UK and beyond. Both women are truly inspirational, and we hope that our customers enjoy discovering more about this rich part of our history."

Helen Pankhurst, activist and scholar, said: "People travelling on the what will become the London Overground Suffragette line will be connected to a local, national and global movement for gender equality and women's rights, one that demanded that women should be counted as citizens and that their views should be represented in parliament. The line honours the past and I hope it will inform the present and the future. In terms of gender equality and political representation, we are not yet at the end of the line, there is still work to be done and the name of this TfL line will encourage discussion and remind us of how of far we have come."

Cally Beaton, comedian, podcaster and writer, said: "Wouldn't it be nice to think Emmeline Pankhurst would look at us now, over 100 years since some women got the vote, and think we'd got it sorted in terms of women's rights and equality. We still have work to do, building on the foundations she and her fellow activists laid, and I reckon they'd love that there's a Suffragette line to celebrate all they achieved. Until the day I never again hear the sentence 'women aren't funny', I'm all aboard."

The legacy of women's empowerment lives on, as Arriva Rail London (ARL), which operates the London Overground on behalf of TfL, makes strides in recruiting more women. The operator recently appointed Anjuli Ramburuth as its Finance Director, and she joins Engineering Director Kate Marjoribanks and Customer Experience Director Charlotte Whitfield, who together make up half of ARL's management team.

London Overground customers were treated to a surprise this week as an actress dressed as Suffragette leader, Emmeline Pankhurst joined them on what will become the Suffragette line this autumn to mark the release of Transport for London's (TfL's) new Mind the Gap podcast episode.

The final two episodes of the Mind the Gap London Overground series will delve into the stories of Weaver and Windrush lines later this autumn.

The 'Mind the Gap' podcast series was produced by 18Sixty and is released today on all major podcast platforms.

Notes to Editor

About the names for the London Overground lines

  • The Lioness line: Euston to Watford Junction. The Lioness line, honours the historic achievements and lasting legacy created by the England women's football team that continues to inspire and empower the next generation of women and girls in sport 
  • The Mildmay line: Stratford to Richmond/Clapham Junction. The Mildmay line honours the small NHS charitable hospital that has been caring for all Londoners over many years, notably its pivotal role in the HIV/AIDS crisis in the 1980s, which made it the valued and respected place it is for the LGBTQ+ community today
  • The Windrush line: Highbury & Islington to Clapham Junction/New Cross/Crystal Palace/West Croydon. The Windrush line honours the Windrush generation who continue to shape and enrich London's cultural and social identity today
  • The Weaver line: Liverpool Street to Cheshunt/Enfield Town/Chingford. The Weaver line celebrates an area of London known for its textile trade, shaped over the centuries by diverse migrant communities and individuals
  • The Suffragette line: Gospel Oak to Barking Riverside. The Suffragette line celebrates how the working-class movement in the East End paved the way for women's rights - recognising women as equals in our democracy, in the past, present continuing into the future
  • The Liberty line: Romford to Upminster. The Liberty line celebrates the freedom that is a defining feature of London and references the historical independence of the people of Havering

About TfL's Mind the Gap podcast series