In this fourth instalment of London: Please Hold, comedian Saul Henry continues his hypnotic, line-by-line reading of the August 1939 London Telephone Directory. Picking up exactly where we left off—climbing out from the bottom of the Abbisses—we wade deeper into the 'Ab's, making our way steadily (but very slowly) toward the 'Ac's.

Along the way, we uncover a strangely soothing litany of pre-war businesses, military personnel, hotels and everyday households going about their lives just months before the outbreak of WWII.

Doxing the names, places and numbers of a metropolis of memories once again

We return to the streets of pre-war London with another dive into the 1939 telephone directory. In this episode, we navigate more 'A' names uncovering a cross-section of capital life just months before the outbreak of the WWII.

Apparently, reading the phone book is the ultimate test of endurance. I'm trying to bring it to life as something closer to an art form.

In this inaugural episode, we begin our journey through the August 1939 London Telephone Directory (Letters A-K). Expect names, titles, vintage exchange names, incredibly short numbers, and the strangely captivating rhythm of a bygone metropolis.