British Scandal
In a country obsessed with gossip, the great and the good fear one thing more than any other - scandal.
British scandals change the course of history. They bring down governments, overthrow the rich and cause the mighty to fall. Some are about sex, others about money. In the end, they’re all about power.
But often at the heart of a scandal, there are ordinary human stories. Stories of those caught up in the swirl of outrage.
Who was really to blame for what happened? Why did they do it? And when all is said and done, did anything really change?
From the creators of Business Wars, American Scandal and Ghost Story, comes British Scandal. Each week, hosts Alice Levine and Matt Forde delve into the murkier side of the British elite, from Phone Hacking to Profumo to the short-lived premiership of Liz Truss. Because sometimes the truth doesn’t set everyone free…
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- Update frequency
- every 7 days
- Average duration
- 44 minutes
- Episodes
- 241
- Years Active
- 2021 - 2025
Wondery Presents: How to Survive Against the Odds
Inspired by Wondery’s hit podcast Against the Odds—learn how to survive whatever nature can throw at you through gut-twisting true stories of survival on the brink How to Survive Against the Odds pl…
00:06:02 |
Mon 02 Jun 2025
Lord Haw-Haw: Germany Calling | How to Fight a Propaganda War | 4
Peter Pomerantsev knows a thing or two about propaganda. He's written three books uncovering propagandists' secrets. His latest delves into the British unit that played Lord Haw-Haw at his own game. …
00:30:57 |
Wed 28 May 2025
Lord Haw-Haw: Germany Calling | Last Gasp | 3
A captured Lord Haw-Haw fights for his life. In court, it comes down to one question: can he have betrayed Britain, if he was never really British?
Do you have a suggestion for a scandal you woul…
00:49:28 |
Wed 21 May 2025
Lord Haw-Haw: Germany Calling | Radio Reich | 2
Under Goebbels' wing, William becomes Lord Haw-Haw. Night after night he broadcasts Hitler’s message into Britain. But one Brit is having none of it: Winston Churchill.
Do you have a suggestion f…
00:51:47 |
Wed 14 May 2025
Lord Haw-Haw: Germany Calling | Chelsea Smile | 1
William Joyce wants to serve Britain. But when Britain's establishment rejects him, he chooses Hitler's Germany instead, becoming the plummy voice of Nazi propaganda. This is the story of one of hist…
00:49:26 |
Wed 07 May 2025
The Dirty Duchess | The Original Tabloid Queen | 4
The Duchess of Argyll was shameless, in all the right ways. That’s what drew historian, Lyndsy Spence, to write a book about her. She joins Matt and Alice to discuss why Margaret Campbell was the pre…
00:31:48 |
Wed 30 Apr 2025
The Dirty Duchess | Argyll vs Argyll | 3
The gloves come off in Britain's nastiest divorce as Margaret and Ian's years of marital warfare reach their explosive finale. But in 1960s high society, a woman’s reputation is guilty until proven i…
00:51:51 |
Wed 23 Apr 2025
The Dirty Duchess | Heirs and Affairs | 2
Margaret refuses to be burnt twice. She has already sunk her fortune into a castle she can never inherit. So, as her marriage crumbles, the Duchess goes to extreme lengths to secure what’s rightfully…
00:51:35 |
Wed 16 Apr 2025
The Dirty Duchess | Divorcée to Duchess | 1
Margaret Sweeney is rich, beautiful, and keeping London's eligible bachelors very, very busy. Cast out of high society after her divorce, she's enjoying an unapologetically active sex life. But when …
00:51:09 |
Wed 09 Apr 2025
Thatcher's Favourite Fraudster | Asil Nadir’s Escape Pilot Speaks Out | 4
When Peter Dimond, the man who orchestrated Nadir's 1993 evasion from British justice, got in touch, Matt and Alice had to hear his side of the story. From the dramatic small plane escape to spending…
00:32:30 |
Fri 04 Apr 2025
Thatcher's Favourite Fraudster | Battle of the Big Mac | 3
Asil Nadir returns to his beloved London determined to clear his name. But he’s facing a new opponent. With the Serious Fraud Office’s reputation in tatters, its new Head needs a big win - and lockin…
00:52:31 |
Wed 02 Apr 2025
Thatcher's Favourite Fraudster | Big Bird | 2
Asil Nadir claims he can prove his innocence. He just needs to stick around for the trial. But when someone offers him a seat on a small plane to Cyprus… Well, wouldn’t you?
Do you have a suggest…
00:51:34 |
Wed 26 Mar 2025
Thatcher's Favourite Fraudster | Ragtrade to Riches | 1
It’s the 1980s. Margaret Thatcher’s Britain is all about making it big if you work hard enough, and boy, does Asil Nadir get the memo. He transforms small textile firm, Polly Peck into a FTSE 100 gia…
00:52:21 |
Wed 19 Mar 2025
The IRA Heiress | What Rose Dugdale Did Next | 4
Journalist Sean O'Driscoll met the IRA Heiress herself. He would cycle to her Dublin care home to chat over tea and biscuits. Though he went easier on the digestives after he found out Rose was the a…
00:27:05 |
Wed 12 Mar 2025
The IRA Heiress | The Heist | 3
The police are after Rose. Her face is all over the papers. If authorities are going to try and stop her, Rose is determined to use whatever time she has left wisely. It’s time to stage Ireland’s big…
00:50:22 |
Wed 05 Mar 2025
The IRA Heiress | Most Wanted | 2
Rose and her IRA comrades plan The Troubles’ first aerial bombing. But she’s having a hard time getting the others to trust her. With her plummy English accent, she’s the last person you’d expect to …
00:50:15 |
Wed 26 Feb 2025
The IRA Heiress | From Debutante to Defendant | 1
Oxford graduate, aristocrat, heiress – Rose Dugdale has it all. So her path from millionaire’s daughter to IRA bomb-maker shocks British society. And Dugdale’s ideals means she doesn't just reject he…
00:49:09 |
Wed 19 Feb 2025
Julian Assange | The Weird World of WikiLeaks | 4
If you think your job sucks, spare a thought for Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist James Ball. He spent three months living and working with Julian Assange on the leaks of hundreds of thousands of do…
00:39:18 |
Wed 12 Feb 2025
Julian Assange | Operation Hotel | 3
Assange seeks asylum at London’s Ecuadorian Embassy to avoid facing charges abroad. It’s supposed to be a safe haven, but it begins to feel like a prison. He started this fight for press freedom. Now…
00:51:39 |
Wed 05 Feb 2025
Julian Assange | Enemy of the State | 2
An alliance with international press turns Assange into a public figure. But soon, he ends up on the front pages for all the wrong reasons.
Listen to British Scandal on the Wondery App or wherever y…
00:51:09 |
Wed 29 Jan 2025
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