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 choices and ensured that he would not know who his father was for many years.

Rory joins Phil to talk about his life, his mother and father, and the lost world of the 1950s and 60s - where smart young women could sometimes forge exciting careers but society looked very unkindly at love affairs that crossed age and class barriers.

You can buy Rory's book - and thousands of others - in our own online bookstore...

https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/ruski...

**We now have a Thank You button (next to the ’three dots’) for small donations that help support our work**

Looking for the perfect gift for a special scandalous someone - or someone you’d like to get scandalous with? We’re here to help...

https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/ScandalM...

** If you enjoy our work please consider clicking the YouTube subscribe button, even if you listen to us on an audio app. It will help our brand to grow and our content to reach new ears **

THE SCANDAL MONGERS PODCAST is also available to watch on Youtube...

https://www.youtube.com/@thescandalmongerspodcast

The Scandal Mongers...

/ mongerspodcast

Phil Craig...

/ philmcraig

You can get in touch with the show via...

team@podcastworld.org

(place 'Scandal Mongers' in the heading)

Produced by

PodcastWorld.org

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 us understand.

Historian Adrian Phillips then joins Phil to talk about the endlessly fascinating subject of Winston Churchill in an entirely original way - through his strange collection of friends.

You can buy Adrian’s book - and thousands of others - in our own online bookstore...

https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/winston-s-bandits-churchill-and-his-maverick-friends-adrian-phillips/7711924?aid=12054&ean=9781785907890&

***We now have a Thank You button (next to the ’three dots’) for small donations that help support our work***

Looking for the perfect gift for a special scandalous someone - or someone you’d like to get scandalous with? We’re here to help...

https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/ScandalMongers

*** If you enjoy our work please consider clicking the YouTube subscribe button, even if you listen to us on an audio app. It will help our brand to grow and our content to reach new ears ***

THE SCANDAL MONGERS PODCAST is also available to watch on YouTube...

https://www.youtube.com/@thescandalmongerspodcast

The Scandal Mongers...

https://twitter.com/MongersPodcast

Phil Craig...

https://twitter.com/philmcraig

You can get in touch with the show via...

team@podcastworld.org

(place 'Scandal Mongers' in the heading)

Produced by

PodcastWorld.org

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 these brave womens’ lives - have been kept deeply secret until the last few years.

You can buy Helen's book, and all the books we feature on the podcast here, along with thousands of others

https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/women-in-intelligence-the-hidden-history-of-two-world-wars-helen-fry/7428008?aid=12054&ean=9780300260779&

***We now have a Thank You button (next to the ’three dots’) for small donations that help support our work***

Looking for the perfect gift for a special scandalous someone - or someone you’d like to get scandalous with? We’re here to help...

https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/ScandalMongers

*** If you enjoy our work please consider clicking the YouTube subscribe button, even if you listen to us on an audio app. It will help our brand to grow and our content to reach new ears.

THE SCANDAL MONGERS PODCAST is also available to watch on youtube...

https://www.youtube.com/@thescandalmongerspodcast

The Scandal Mongers...

https://twitter.com/MongersPodcast

Phil Craig...

https://twitter.com/philmcraig

You can get in touch with the show via...

team@podcastworld.org

(place 'Scandal Mongers' in the heading)

Produced by

PodcastWorld.org

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.