In our final episode of the year - and the 100th edition of the podcast - Helen Fry returns to share some more remarkable stories from the Second World War. Helen tells Phil of a long secret intelligence operation designed to extract information from enemy soldiers, sailors, pilots - and some of Hitler’s most senior Generals. Many of these men knew…

Writer Laura Thompson returns to the podcast, bringing all the insights and cleverness that has made her one of our most popular guests. And this time her subject is 'the heiress', including some of the most celebrated women in high society and literature. In her book 'Heiresses: the Lives of the Million Dollar Babies', Laura tells an incredible st…

This week Carolyn Harris joins Phil to talk about one of the most extraordinary royal relationships of all time; between the future George IV and his unhappily married wife Caroline of Brunswick. From a disastrously drunken wedding night, which nevertheless produced a princess, through years of mutual loathing, numerous affairs and illegitimate chi…

Long before she became one of the most famous women in the world - and the love of a man destined to become a King-Emperor - Wallis Simpson had lived an extraordinary life. Perhaps the most incredible part of it was when she went to live in China as the unhappy wife of a drunken US Navy officer and ended up leaving him and entering a world of hedon…

Mok O'Keefe - aka 'The Gay Aristo' - returns to the podcast this week as a guest host. Mok - who lives in an actual castle - is a great fan of all things Gothic and so he's the perfect person to help Phil explore the scandalous life of Lord Byron and his circle of friends, and the creation of classic gothic tales during a memorable summer in a smal…

When BBC reporter Rory Cellan Jones uncovered a pile of old love letters under his mother Sylvia's bed after she died, he unearthed the secret story of his own life. The result was a bestselling book of real power and intelligence, in which he reconstructs the scandalous relationship that created him - but that also limited his mother’s life choice…

Phil has the latest on the semi-public tug of war over Prince Andrew’s living arrangements. How much longer can he cling on to Royal Lodge? And why do key figures in the British establishment find it so easy to cling onto power and position for so long, despite the most shocking scandals? The story of the Archbishop of Canterbury this week may help…

This week we dip into the remarkable - and often scandalous - world of military intelligence with historian Helen Fry. Her widely acclaimed new book Women in Intelligence reveals a huge number of fascinating stories of the critical - and often deadly - work done by British and American women throughout the 20th Century. Some of these stories - and …

Phil considers the feedback from last week’s remarkable interview with David Hooper and asks what Diana, Princess of Wales might have been told when she first agreed to go on holiday with Mohamed Al Fayed. Then this week’s guest - our friend Clive Irving - joins Phil to reveal the story behind perhaps the greatest disaster in the history of the avi…

Top British lawyer David Hooper has made a career out of standing up to the powerful and the wealthy, and so when Vanity Fair magazine needed someone to defend its groundbreaking 1995 expose of Mohamed Al Fayed - the first time sexual allegations about him were ever published - David was the natural choice. What happened next was extraordinary, as …

Britain’s new government is caught in a series of scandals about freebies, cronyism and ‘cash for access’. And now we have allegations surrounding the recent Taylor Swift concerts in London which might - or might not - be responsible for the downfall of a key Downing street aide. Phil wonders whether any of this really matters, and what it tells us…

Britain’s new Labour government has been shaken by stories of ‘gifted’ suits, penthouse flats and tickets for Taylor Swift concerts. Phil explains why this matters - and what it tells us about the problems of governing in the internet age. Distinguished historian Simon Heffer then joins Phil to talk about his new book on Britain in the Interwar yea…

Phil has spoken before about how he’d love to see Harry back in the royal fold. Are we seeing the first signs of this now, with a series of solo appointments that look a lot like old traditional royal visits? Meanwhile Meghan appears to have removed herself - or has been removed - from Harry's public life while she concentrates on her own new solo …

The revelation of many sexual allegations against Mohamed Al-Fayed has shocked the UK. The former owner of Harrods, confidante of Princess Diana and friend of British high society has been accused of a litany of crimes and a decades-long career of harassment and abuse. Given that Princess Diana died whilst under the care of the Fayed family, many h…

Former BBC correspondent Nick Bryant joins Phil to discuss his many years working in the USA, and reveals how and why his love for that country turned into something closer to despair about its future. But first our friend Clive Irving - a legendary investigative journalist and now star writer at The Daily Beast - returns to give us his update on t…

Bestselling author Giles Milton joins Phil to discuss his incredible book THE STALIN AFFAIR about the ‘Big Three’ of the Second World War, and how this turbulent three way relationship shaped the world we live in today. Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin were very different men with often clashing personalities and agendas. Behind their famous wartime…

Anne de Courcy returns to the podcast by popular demand to talk about her astonishing book on Coco Chanel, and the glamorous but dangerous society that she dominated. From the most deprived of backgrounds Chanel conquered the worlds of fashion and perfume. With her fast friends, wealthy and titled lovers and her appetite for the best things in life…

With their non-royal but actually quite royal 'anti colonialism' tour of Colombia seen as a success by many media commentators, what message was Harry and Meghan trying to send to the world, to Britain and - especially - to their royal siblings and siblings in law in London? And why did a curiously timed but well sourced profile appear on the front…

We’re exploring a completely new era this week, so buckle up your sword belts, pour yourself a jug of mead and grab that armour! Phil’s guest today is Steve Tibble, author of a brand new book on the dark (and VERY dark) side of the Crusades, which he describes as being like a two hundred year pub fight! Steve is a great storyteller and his book is …

Our friend Gerald Posner returns to the podcast this week to discuss the recent attempt to kill former President Donald Trump. As the author of the definitive book on the JFK assassination - Case Closed - and many other books and articles on political violence in the USA, Gerald knows a huge amount about how Presidents are meant to be protected, an…

This week - in the first of his summer solo specials - Phil speaks to writer Mary Dearborn about her biography of the remarkable Peggy Guggenheim. Peggy was probably the most significant collector of - and advocate for - the visual art of the 20th Century and she helped launch the careers of numerous internationally famous artists. She was also as …

Andrew and Phil go where many royal reporters fear to tread, to reveal the shocking sexual allegations and dirty financial dealings that are alleged to lie behind the tangled and scandalous lives of numerous famous royal names. What has Andrew found our about the secret lives of the royals as he researched his numerous books? Improving access to in…

Award winning reporter and investigator Stephen Davis joins us to explore the world of fake news, conspiracy theory and the weapons used by the rich and powerful to prevent truth from coming out. In an extraordinary career Stephen has investigated some major scandals, including the sinking of the ferry ESTONIA and BA Flight 149 and the Gulf War. **…

This week author and broadcaster Martin Bright joins Andrew and Phil to discuss what he believe is a little known but massive wartime cover up. As a new official report is due on the extent of Nazi crimes in the occupied Channel Islands during WW2, Martin believes that the suffering of Jewish and other prisoners on the islands has been hidden for m…

The human dynamo that is Anne de Courcy returns to the podcast by popular demand after her brilliant interview about Princess Margaret and Tony Snowdon. This week she is speaking about one of her most successful books ‘The Viceroy’s Daughters’, the saga of Lord Curzon and his three talented, beautiful but often wayward daughters at the pinnacle of …

This week we are lucky enough to speak with one of the most celebrated political writers of our age - Peter Pomerantsev, a former TV colleague of our Phil Craig. Peter had a ring side seat in Moscow for the rise of Putin and now advises leading politicians in Europe and the USA. Born in the Soviet Union, and now a Senior Fellow at the Institute of …

In this special episode Andrew and Phil speak with Shauna Kay, whose family of Australian based podcasts, The Vintage Read, has been a huge success in the last year or so. We have many friends and ideas in common, along with a shared fascination for all things literary, scandalous...and very often royal! We don't promise to agree all the time but i…

Team Sussex has pulled off its first overseas tour with a super high profile visit to Nigeria, where Harry attended numerous events linked to the Invictus games and Meghan met with business and media leaders, hosted female entrepreneurs and generally looked and behaved like a Princess on the road! Is this a model for what 'non royal royalty’ looks …

Phil's sympathetic comments on Prince Harry's reasons for fighting the press didn't persuade all of our audience last week, and the comments were lively! Andrew and Phil react to that and discuss the latest evidence of the deep rift in the British royal family - Harry's visit to London and the non-meeting between him and his sick father King Charle…

Clive Irving from the Daily Beast returns to the podcast to tell the story of the rise and fall of the British tabloid press, as Prince Harry’s ‘hacking’ case make its way through the London courts - with the possibility that Rupert Murdoch might finally be made to give evidence about it in a court of law. The actor Hugh Grant has recently accepted…

Not many books change the direction of an entire debate but, in 2023, Hannah Barnes’ ’Time To Think’ did just that. Through the testimony of whistle-blowers from inside the Tavistock hospital GIDS clinic, it revealed deep concern about the use of puberty blockers on gender-distressed children and how this approach - for which there is very little h…

Andrew Gold joins us this week to talk about his brand new book and his life as a 'heretic' podcaster and reporter. In recent months Andrew has established himself a leading voice in the anti-woke free speech broadcasting community, talking provocatively to natural rebels such as Robbie Williams, David Baddiel, John McWhorter, Jon Ronson, Amanda Kn…

We're thrilled to get an hour to talk with Simon Vigar, one of Britain's most experienced royal correspondents and writers, who is now the Royal Correspondent for 5 News. Simon has had a ring side seat for all of the great royal dramas of the last two decades, and he brings an unusual level of sympathy and insight to the role. Amongst other things …

Lady Colin Campbell joins Andrew and Phil again with an exclusive sneak peek at her new and explosive book on Meghan, Harry, the angry confrontations that shook the British royal family and Meghan's troubled family background. Based on her connections in the highest reaches of the British aristocracy - and her friendship with the Markle family - th…

In a special sports themed episode Andrew and Phil are first joined by writer and former newspaper editor Chris Blackhurst to discuss his investigation into Manchester United - the world’ favourite football team - and how it has fared under the ownership of the American Glazer family, plus the wider role of big money in professional football (or ‘s…

Why did Adolf Hitler's deputy and trusted confidante fly alone to an isolated corner of Scotland at the height of World War Two? Was it the act of a madman? Was it to conclude a secretly negotiated peace deal with some of the most senior members of the British aristocracy and - potentially - the royal family itself? Was it to help senior conservati…

We're joined by another of Andrew and Phil's journalistic hero's - Richard Norton Taylor. Richard has uncovered dozens of scandals in his time working for London newspapers, and turned several of them into successful plays. Here he speaks about his work on a range of stories and decades battling Britain's 'secret state'. He also comments on the cas…

Jason Evans joins Andrew and Phil to reveal a shocking story of medical negligence and official delay - in Britain and numerous other nations - that tragically resulted from the desire to treat dangerous illnesses with better drugs. For many years blood donations - often collected for money in the USA - were used to make products to treat people wi…

This was meant to be the second of our two spy episodes, and it still is - but first Andrew and Phil were able to speak with our friend, the VERY well connected royal reporter Valentine Low, about the speculation that's swirling around the prince and princess of wales? Phil also references this article of his about the psychological roots of our in…

'Spy mania' was at its height in the early 1960s when a junior clerk in the Admiralty was revealed to be spying for the Soviet Union, after he had been drugged and then secretly photographed by KGB agents in Moscow while being raped by at least two men. At a time when sexual relationships between men were illegal, John Vassall was jailed and public…

According to the court reports last week, Prince Andrew, Duke of York, and Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, pocketed more than £1 million from an allegedly corrupt financier acting on behalf of a Turkish millionaire. And nobody can say why. It’s one of many obscure stories of cash flowing into royal coffers that our Andrew - Lownie - has been tryin…

When famous crime writer Agatha Christie suddenly vanished without trace in December 1926 it triggered one of the greatest tabloid sensations of the age. Behind it lay a twisted story of love, loss and love affairs that’s worthy of one of her greatest novels. Returning to the podcast for the third time, writer Laura Thompson peels back the layers t…

When famous crime writer Agatha Christie suddenly vanished without trace in December 1926 it triggered one of the greatest tabloid sensations of the age. Behind it lay a twisted story of love, loss and love affairs that’s worthy of one of her greatest novels. Returning to the podcast for the third time, writer Laura Thompson peels back the layers t…

(PRODUCTION NOTE : If you're hearing last weeks show on this episode please erase this episode and re-download it again.) In the second episode in this themed week, Canadian author Antony Anderson joins Phil and Andrew to discuss one of the greatest military and diplomatic disasters of the British Empire. In 1956 a new government in Egypt took cont…

At the start of a themed week this is one of the most celebrated imperial scandals of them all - the riotous misbehaviour of a wealthy expatriate community living in colonial Kenya which leads to a famous - and famously unsolved - murder in 1941. Later this week we get more political with a look at the famous ’Suez crisis’ of 1956. In the so-called…

This week writer Anne de Courcy joins Andrew and Phil to discuss her extraordinary biography of Lord Snowdon, Antony Armstrong Jones, who was married to Princess Margaret for 18 tumultuous years. A gifted photographer, designer and charity entrepreneur, Lord Snowdon was also a notorious womaniser before, after and during his marriage. His relations…

In January 1889, when Rudolf, the crown prince of Austria, was found dead in an Imperial hunting lodge alongside his 17 year old mistress, Baroness Mary Vestera, it triggered a monumental cover up, a crisis that shook the royal families of Europe, and changed the direction of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, one of the world’s great powers. Some believ…

A packed episode featuring two of Britain’s most determined investigators. Andy Webb returns to the podcast to tell Andrew and Phil of new developments in his long-running battle to uncover the truth behind Martin Bashir’s interview with Diana, Princess of Wales. Newly released BBC emails - some heavily redacted - reveal the scale of a 25 year cove…

We have two scandalous stories this week, but on a similar theme. Firstly our friend Dai Davies - former top royal protection officer - returns to the podcast to talk about how his former colleagues in the Metropolitan police have been dealing with royal scandals recently, and especially their interest (or lack of!) in certain allegations involving…

According to Princess Diana, Prince Charles once asked her in a towering bad temper: ‘Am I to be the only Prince of Wales not to be allowed a mistress?’ Taking their cue from the landed aristocracy, British royals have for centuries ‘married for the dynasty’ then engaged in semi-official affairs - or even long term parallel relationships - with oth…