Podcast
British Scandal
Hosted by Audible · EN
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…
Audible subscribers can listen to all episodes of British Scandal ad-free right now. Join Audible today by downloading the Audible app.
38episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Listen Now: OnlyFantasy
2w ago00:07:20Tap to summarizeIs what’s happening on OnlyFans real? Or is it only a fantasy?In this provocative investigation into OnlyFans—the adult platform where subscribers around the world spent more than $7 billion in 2024—journalist Leon Neyfakh teams up with comedian and OnlyFans creator Gracie Canaan for a one-of-a-kind exploration into the current state of human connection. Throughout, they discover that the site originally built for spicy adult content has quietly and surprisingly become something more complicated— an emotional marketplace where desire, performance, care, fantasy, and vulnerability seemingly blur together.As Neyfakh and Canaan navigate timely questions about autonomy, performance, and profit, a question emerges: is connection mediated by a screen still authentic? To find the answer, they meet creators building lucrative businesses, subscribers who believe they’ve found something real, professional “chatters” who are paid to simulate affection, and pioneers who have helped engineer intimacy at scale.Captivating and tender, OnlyFantasy is ultimately about the cost of loneliness, the seductive power of desire, and how the rules of human intimacy are being rewritten online.Listen to OnlyFantasy wherever you get your podcasts. Or binge all episodes of OnlyFantasy ad-free right now on Audible. Start your Audible subscription in the Audible App or on Apple Podcasts.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Transcribe →
The Warring Queens | History’s Messiest Royal Rivalry | 4
2w ago00:46:58Tap to summarizeHistorian Kate Williams joins Alice and Matt to make the case for Mary, Queen of Scots - and why history's been getting her all wrong.Professor Williams unpicks centuries of blame placed on Mary for her own downfall, and reveals how looking at her life through a modern lens changes everything.And what about Elizabeth I? Kate says their rivalry wasn't just politics - it was personal, petty, and shaped by the impossible position of being two women trying to rule in a world that just didn't want them to.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@audible.comSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Transcribe →The Warring Queens | The Last Gasp | 3
3w ago00:52:57Tap to summarizeMary arrives in England expecting rescue, but instead finds herself trapped under her cousin Elizabeth’s watch. As the years drag on, plots swirl, loyalties shift, and even her own son turns against her. Backed into a corner, Mary makes one final, desperate gamble to reclaim her crown… with consequences that will prove fatal.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@audible.comSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Transcribe →The Warring Queens | Marry in Haste | 2
4w ago00:52:59Tap to summarizeDetermined to strengthen her claim to England’s throne, Mary's desperate to get hitched. But while Mary gains an heir, her disastrous choice of suitor sets off a calamitous chain of events.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@audible.comSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Transcribe →The Warring Queens | Rivals | 1
Apr 2900:53:24Tap to summarizeMary Queen of Scots has everything: beauty, charm, royal blood and a claim to the most powerful throne in the world. There's just one tiny problem... Her cousin Elizabeth I.This is the story of two queens, one throne, and a decades-long struggle. Protestant against Catholic, cousin against cousin.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@audible.comSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Transcribe →
An Exciting Announcement from Alice and Matt | 5
Apr 2500:02:03Tap to summarizeWe're going on the road! If you're based in England, come and see British Scandal live at Crossed Wires Festival on July 3rd. And if you're not... Well, we hear flights are very reasonably priced this time of year.Find tickets here: https://crossedwires.live/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Transcribe →The Notorious Dr Crippen | Why Belle Still Gets Blamed | 4
Apr 2200:35:37Tap to summarizeHistorian Hallie Rubenhold has spent years dissecting the case of Hawley Harvey Crippen and she's here to clear a few things up.Hallie tells Alice and Matt why she believes there's no real doubt about his guilt, the twisted reason why his victim, Belle Elmore ended up cast as a villain, and why true crime fans are still buying into the myth.And his mistress, Ethel Le Neve? Hallie says her role in the crime deserves a closer look.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@audible.comSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Transcribe →The Notorious Dr Crippen | Devil's Breath | 3
Apr 1500:51:03Tap to summarizeIn the Old Bailey, evidence piles up, tempers flare, and Hawley Crippen discovers that pyjamas can tell a damning story.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@audible.comSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Transcribe →The Notorious Dr Crippen | Operation Handcuffs | 2
Apr 800:47:33Tap to summarizeA murder, a lover, and a desperate flight across the Atlantic. As Inspector Dew closes in, Hawley Crippen must outrun a frenzy of journalists in the world’s first media manhunt.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@audible.comSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Transcribe →
The Notorious Dr Crippen | Disappeared | 1
Apr 100:52:43Tap to summarizeHawley Crippen is trapped. Married to a woman he cannot stand, in love with his young typist and desperate to escape a life that is closing in around him. So when his wife disappears, the whispers begin. And the police are listening.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@audible.comSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Transcribe →