The Ballad of The Hackney Mole Man

“I’m just a man who loves to dig”, said William Lyttle, an Irish civil engineer who died in 2010 but who burrowed such an extensive network of tunnels beneath his home in north London that he became known as The Mole Man of Hackney.

Unlike the billionaires who build vast basements beneath their mansions, William Lyttle dug purely for pleasure. “There is great beauty in inventing things that serve no purpose,” he said.

This is the story of a life’s work: a grand solo project undertaken over 40 years, slowly, secretly. It’s a tale of dirt, darkness and escape, of finding your own space and making your own way as an immigrant in a new country. And it’s the story of how one man’s obsession impacted the people around him.

We hear from former neighbours Nick and Sue Bunker, writer Iain Sinclair and artists Karen Russo and Tom Hunter who met Mr Lyttle.

‘The Ballad of the Hackney Mole Man’ features the song ‘Down I Go Again’ specially composed for the programme by Ríoghnach Connolly and performed by Ríoghnach with Ellis Davies on guitar. Engineered and mixed by Biff Roxby.

Sound design and additional music by Charles Watson
Voiceovers by JP Devlin and Sue Elliott-Nicolls
Produced for Debbie Productions by Debbie Kilbride with executive producer Sukey Firth