British Scandal

A pioneering trans woman's fight for recognition begins in 1960s Britain. April Ashley has broken free of her childhood as a boy in the Liverpool slums to become a stunning fashion model through groundbreaking surgery in Marrakesh. She's young and beautiful, and she's caught the eye of aristocrat Arthur Corbett. But her secret - that she was born a boy - is about to blow up, triggering a scandal t...

In 1997, Steve Lamacq thought he was interviewing Noel Gallagher live on Radio 1. So he was delighted when Liam turned up too. He knew the brothers could be unpredictable, but he didn’t know that this interview would go down in Oasis history. Their alcohol-fulled, expletive-filled argument was both radio gold and every presenter’s nightmare. Steve takes Alice Levine and Matt Forde inside that day....

When Noel tells a journalist he’s leaving Oasis, Liam feels like he’s losing control. If the band is going down, he wants to be the one to call time on it. But in reality neither brother has control over the future of Oasis. Because their bandmates have had enough of the feuding. They want out. Listen to British Scandal on the Wondery App or wherever you get podcasts. You can listen early and ad-f...

It’s 1995 and Noel and Liam have a new enemy. But this time it’s not each other. The brothers have put aside their differences to face Britpop band, Blur, in the UK’s most intense chart battle for thirty years. The country is holding its breath as the groups prepare to release singles on the same day. But will the bad boy brothers of Britpop cope if they fail to emerge victorious? Listen to Britis...

As Oasis embark on their highly-anticipated reunion tour, Alice Levine and Matt Forde revisit one of the rockiest relationships in music history. The story of two brothers who went from sharing a bedroom at their mum's house to becoming one of the world's most successful bands. But their feud was almost as famous as their talent. Welcome to Manchester in the rock 'n' roll 1990s, where a manager is...

Was Anne Boleyn a victim of Tudor tyranny or a master player in the Royal Court? Historian Dr Suzannah Lipscomb joins Alice and Matt to unravel the enigma of Henry's most controversial queen: her magnetic appeal, her dramatic fall, and why - 500 years later - we're still captivated by her story. Do you have a suggestion for a scandal you would like us to cover? Or perhaps you have a question you w...

A queen's fortunes can change in the blink of an eye. As Henry grows distant and Cromwell plots against her, Anne finds herself facing a life-or-death trial that will shock the court, and the country. Do you have a suggestion for a scandal you would like us to cover? Or perhaps you have a question you would like to ask our hosts? Email us at britishscandal@wondery.com See Privacy Policy at https:/...

Anne and Henry face two tiny obstacles: his wife and the Pope. As they plot to dethrone a queen and secure a divorce, Anne discovers crowns come with catches. Do you have a suggestion for a scandal you would like us to cover? Or perhaps you have a question you would like to ask our hosts? Email us at britishscandal@wondery.com See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy...

Anne Boleyn dazzles Henry VIII, refusing to be just another notch on his bedpost. She'll settle for nothing less than marriage. But King Henry already has a wife. Do you have a suggestion for a scandal you would like us to cover? Or perhaps you have a question you would like to ask our hosts? Email us at britishscandal@wondery.com See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Priv...

Guardian journalist Luke Harding was thrown out of Russia for exposing uncomfortable truths. Now he takes Matt and Alice behind the headlines of the Skripal attack, exposing how Putin's spy machine really works, and the chilling lengths it went to to threaten his own family. Do you have a suggestion for a scandal you would like us to cover? Or perhaps you have a question you would like to ask our...

When Novichok’s deadly tendrils claim an innocent victim in Dawn Sturgess, Prime Minister Theresa May must find the perpetrators and bring them to justice. But any response risks plunging Britain into full-scale chemical war. Do you have a suggestion for a scandal you would like us to cover? Or perhaps you have a question you would like to ask our hosts? Email us at britishscandal@wondery.com See...

Traded in a spy swap, Sergei Skripal finds refuge in England. But Moscow's shadow follows. And when his daughter Yulia comes to visit, events take a terrifying turn. Do you have a suggestion for a scandal you would like us to cover? Or perhaps you have a question you would like to ask our hosts? Email us at britishscandal@wondery.com See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California P...

A Russian spy torn between loyalty and freedom. A secret deal with MI6. And, years later, in Salisbury, England, a deadly Soviet-era nerve agent turns a quiet afternoon into an international crisis. This is the story of Sergei Skripal: the double agent who betrayed Russia and lived to face Vladimir Putin's vengeance. Do you have a suggestion for a scandal you would like us to cover? Or perhaps you...

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. And, having spent years living in Putin's Russia, Peter tells Matt and Alice how to spot a propagandist at twenty paces - and how to win the information wars of today. Do you have a suggestion for a sc...

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 would like us to cover? Or perhaps you have a question you would like to ask our hosts? Email us at britishscandal@wondery.com See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at h...

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 for a scandal you would like us to cover? Or perhaps you have a question you would like to ask our hosts? Email us at britishscandal@wondery.com See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and Californi...

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 history's most notorious traitors. A man whose voice poured from the heart of the Third Reich into the very homes he left behind. Do you have a suggestion for a scandal you would like us to cover? Or perha...

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 precursor to the female celebrities of today who are scrutinised by the tabloids. Plus, remember the headless man in the photograph at the heart of our scandal? Lyndsy knows who he is… Do you have a sugge...

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 innocent. Do you have a suggestion for a scandal you would like us to cover? Or perhaps you have a question you would like to ask our hosts? Email us at britishscandal@wondery.com See Privacy Policy at...

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 hers. Do you have a suggestion for a scandal you would like us to cover? Or perhaps you have a question you would like to ask our hosts? Email us at britishscandal@wondery.com See Privacy Policy at ht...

Margaret Sweeny 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 the Duke of Argyll offers to make her his Duchess, she glimpses a delicious revenge: ruling over the very society that rejected her. Do you have a suggestion for a scandal you would like us to cover? Or...

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 five years in Cyprus with Britain's most wanted fraudster, Dimond reveals what drove him to help Nadir and the true cost of his loyalty. Do you have a suggestion for a scandal you would like us to cov...

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 locking up Nadir would be just the ticket. Do you have a suggestion for a scandal you would like us to cover? Or perhaps you have a question you would like to ask our hosts? Email us at britishscandal@wonder...

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 suggestion for a scandal you would like us to cover? Or perhaps you have a question you would like to ask our hosts? Email us at britishscandal@wondery.com See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and Cali...

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 giant. The City loves him; the Iron Lady thinks he’s marvellous. But when they learn the truth, his empire starts to crumble. Do you have a suggestion for a scandal you would like us to cover? Or perhaps...