NARRATOR: Here comes William Whiskerson in his amazing travelling globe!
WILLIAM WHISKERSON: Greetings adventurers! I am William Whiskerson the famous mouse explorer.
NARRATOR: Where has our intrepid mouse explorer landed today? William is in a big city with a river and lots of important-looking buildings.
WILLIAM WHISKERSON: Cheese phone, reveal my location.
NARRATOR: The cheese phone shows William where he is in the world.
CHEESE PHONE: Hi William! Today, you're in the south-east of England in the city of London. London is the capital of England. It's the home of the Queen and the Houses of Parliament. You're just outside the main city, in a place called Bermondsey.
WILLIAM WHISKERSON: Wow! I've got a message coming through on my cheese phone.
KULALA: Hi William. I'm Kulala. Come and meet me at my flat. I want to show you London.
WILLIAM WHISKERSON: How exciting! Kulala's going to take me on a city adventure. Lock the location cheese phone!
NARRATOR: The map shows William where to meet Kulala.
WILLIAM WHISKERSON: Explorers away!
NARRATOR: On his way to meet Kulala William sees lots of traffic and lots of people. There are eight million people living in London. Because the city is quite crowded, many people like Kulala, live in flats which are homes built on top of each other, to save space. Here comes Kulala and her mum.
WILLIAM WHISKERSON: Hello Kulala. Pleased to squeak you.
KULALA: Konichiwa William.
WILLIAM WHISKERSON: What does that mean?
KULALA: Hello.
WILLIAM WHISKERSON: It means hello? In which language?
KULALA: Japanese.
WILLIAM WHISKERSON: Oh! Are we in Japan then?
KULALA AND HER MUM: No.
WILLIAM WHISKERSON: Oh! Then where are we?
KULALA AND HER MUM: London.
WILLIAM WHISKERSON: Kulala? Would you show me around London?
KULALA AND HER MUM: Yes!
WILLIAM WHISKERSON: Oh, thank you! That sounds like a real adventure. Explorers away!
NARRATOR: There are lots of ways to travel around London. Bicycle, red London bus, taxi, and car, or even a boat. Today, Kulala and William are going on the London Underground.
WILLIAM WHISKERSON: Where are the trains Kulala?
KULALA: This way William.
NARRATOR: They're going to take a train that travels deep below the ground. First they pay for their journey with a travel card. Then they take the escalator down to the platform under the ground.
WILLIAM WHISKERSON: What's this?
KULALA'S MUM: This is the map of the Underground, showing all the train lines.
WILLIAM WHISKERSON: Each line has a different colour. Which coloured line are we travelling on today?
KULALA: The silver line.
KULALA'S MUM: From Bermondsey to Green Park.
WILLIAM WHISKERSON: Oh! Oh! I can hear the train coming! Explorers away!
NARRATOR: The Underground is also called, the tube, named after the round tunnels that the trains move through. It's still the quickest way for tourists, and people living in London to travel around the city. On his way out, William passes a jolly busker performing with a guitar.
KULALA'S MUM: Here we are William. This is the centre of London.
WILLIAM WHISKERSON: The streets are even busier here! Look at the rows of tall buildings.
NARRATOR: There are also tourist shops and smart hotels.
WILLIAM WHISKERSON: And so much traffic!
KULALA'S MUM: There are also green spaces in London William.
WILLIAM WHISKERSON: Where?
KULALA: Come and see.
NARRATOR: Green Park is one of the five Royal Parks. People come here to relax, keep fit, play, and escape the bustle of the city.
WILLIAM WHISKERSON: What do you like doing in the park?
KULALA: Playing on the swings, and slides, and roundabouts.
WILLIAM WHISKERSON: What sort of animals live here?
KULALA: Squirrels and mouses like you.
WILLIAM WHISKERSON: Mice like me? (giggling)
NARRATOR: Next they go somewhere really special a huge palace known as Buckingham Palace.
WILLIAM WHISKERSON: What a magical place. Who lives here?
NARRATOR: Buckingham Palace is the Queen of England's official home. The palace is very big and has 600 rooms. Outside the Queen's Guards are marching up and down. Can you see their bearskin hats?
WILLIAM WHISKERSON: There's a flag on top. What do you think it means?
KULALA: It means the Queen's at home.
NARRATOR: Now something really exciting happens. Two beautiful carriages go past. Perhaps, it's special visitors for the Queen. Next come the Royal Troops on horseback. Look at their magnificent capes. They also have shiny helmets and swords. Now Kulala's mum takes William and Kulala to an area called Westminster.
WILLIAM WHISKERSON: Wow! Look at those grand buildings!
KULALA'S MUM: That's the Houses of Parliament.
WILLIAM WHISKERSON: They look very important. Who lives there?
KULALA'S MUM: No-one lives there. That's where the Prime Minister works.
NARRATOR: Here the Prime Minister and a group of people called the government make important laws that affect everyone in the country. This is a very famous clock. Do you know what it's called?
WILLIAM WHISKERSON: That's the biggest clock I've ever seen! What's it called?
KULALA: It's called Big Ben.
WILLIAM WHISKERSON: That's a funny name. Why is it called Big Ben?
KULALA'S MUM: It was named after a big bell and it chimes every hour and lots of tourists go and see it.
WILLIAM WHISKERSON: Oh. I can see why.
NARRATOR: William spots a huge wheel, called the London Eye.
WILLIAM WHISKERSON: Can we go on it?
KULALA'S MUM: Yes we can. Let's go.
NARRATOR: The London Eye is one of London's most modern landmarks. Kulala and William board a special carriage called a pod.
WILLIAM WHISKERSON: We're going up into the sky! I can see the whole city from up here. It stretches on for miles! Look at that big river! What's it called?
KULALA: The River Thames.
KULALA'S MUM: It's the longest river in England and it stretches throughout the city.
NARRATOR: Like many cities London grew up around a river which leads all the way to the sea.
WILLIAM WHISKERSON: Why are so many bridges on the river?
KULALA'S MUM: That helps people to cross one side to the other side of the city.
NARRATOR: They go to take a closer look at one of the most famous bridges.
WILLIAM WHISKERSON: Look at that bridge. It's giant! What's it called?
KULALA: Tower Bridge.
WILLIAM WHISKERSON: Is that because of the two towers?
KULALA AND HER MUM: Yes.
WILLIAM WHISKERSON: I see.
NARRATOR: Just then a tall ship arrives and something very unusual happens. The road across the bridge is raised to let the boat through! Not many bridges can do that!
WILLIAM WHISKERSON: Oh! And what's that castle there? Do you see it?
KULALA: Tower of London.
NARRATOR: The Tower of London was built over 900 years ago. It was once a prison but now it houses the Queen's jewels.
WILLIAM WHISKERSON: I've had a wonderful time. Thank you for showing me around.
KULALA: I've got a present for you.
WILLIAM WHISKERSON: Oh wow! It's a red London bus! Thank you Kulala. I'll squeak you later.
KULALA: Mata ne!
WILLIAM WHISKERSON: Bye!
NARRATOR: Can you remember where William went today? He visited his friend Kulala, who lives in the city of London. Kulala and her mum took William sightseeing. They travelled by tube. Can you remember the places they visited? They went to Buckingham Palace, the Houses of Parliament, the London Eye, and Tower Bridge. Kulala gave William a toy London bus, so he could remember all the wonderful things he'd seen.
WILLIAM WHISKERSON: Now it's time to fly explorers. We're off on another adventure!
NARRATOR: See you soon William!
Video summary
William Whiskerson meets Kulala who lives in London, the capital city of England and the United Kingdom.
We follow them as they journey from her flat and take the London Underground to the city centre.
Along the way, William learns about the diverse range of people who live and work in the city and the transport that they use to travel around.
They then visit some of the key landmarks in the city including Green Park, the Houses of Parliament, the London Eye and Tower Bridge.
They even see a royal procession at Buckingham Palace.
This clip is from the series William Whiskerson.
Please note that the film refers to London and Buckingham Palace as the official home of Queen Elizabeth II. It was made prior to the accession of King Charles III in 2022.
Teacher Notes
Children could use freeze-frames from the clip to sketch London landmarks for a wall display.
With your help, they could go on to use a London A to Z or an online street map of London to find some of the locations mentioned in the clip.
Challenge pupils to find all the stations shown on a particular map, or square, of the A to Z.
Can the children see any signs of other kinds of transport (for example, roads, railway lines, airports, bridges or river piers)?
On a map of the underground, can pupils find Bermondsey, where Kulala, the little girl who they saw in the clip, lives?
Guide children to trace the route Kulala and William took.
The class could go on to make a survey of a nearby road, to discover how many different vehicles use it over the period of an hour.
This clip will be relevant for teaching Geography.
This topic appears in KS1/KS2 in England and Northern Ireland, Knowledge and Understanding of the World Foundation Phase in Wales and Early/1st/2nd levels in Scotland.
Jobs and tourism in a seaside town. video
William Whiskerson visits the seaside town of Weymouth. He explores the beach and sees tourists on the esplanade.
How honey is made. video
William Whiskerson meets Sophie and Ben and they visit a bee farm.
Travelling on a canal boat. video
William Whiskerson meets Sophie and Harry on their narrow boat and they take a trip along the Birmingham and Worcester canal
Exploring a cave in Yorkshire. video
William Whiskerson meets Emily and together they explore a cave in Yorkshire.
Living in an eco-village. video
William Whiskerson meets his friend Ewan, who lives in an eco-village in Shropshire.
A visit to the Caledonian Forest. video
William Whiskerson travels to the Highlands of Scotland to meet his friends Lewis and Breya.
Fossil hunting along the Jurassic Coast. video
William Whiskerson meets a fossil expert and learns how fossils were formed from the remains of plants and animals that lived millions of years ago.
Mountains and electricity. video
William goes to Scotland to see his friend Euan and visit a power station deep inside a mountain.
Growing and picking orchard fruit. video
William Whiskerson meets Lucy and Laura in an orchard. He learns about the different types of fruit that grow there including berries, cherries and apples.
How our milk gets from the farm to the shop. video
William Whiskerson meets Theo on his family farm. He learns how female cows make milk and then takes a trip around the farm where he sees a calf being born.
Life on the Isles of Scilly. video
William Whiskerson travels to the Isles of Scilly, a group of islands lying off the Cornish peninsula of Great Britain.
听