This week we enter the demi-monde of the belle epoch to explore the strange and scandalous story of Absinthe, with writer Nina Studer.

By the time it was banned in 1915, the famous 'green fairy' had become the green peril, feared for its connection with declining birth rates and its apparent capacity to induce degeneration, madness, and murderous rage in its consumers. As one of history’s most notorious drinks, absinthe has been the subject of endless myth, scandal, and controversy. Just what we love on here.

So how does the secret history of drinking help us understand the past? And will any green liquids be consumed during the podcast?

You can buy her book here...

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hour-Absinthe-Notorious-Intoxicating-Histories/dp/0228022207

There’s also information and extracts from Phil’s new book here...

https://sites.google.com/view/1945thereckoning/home

You can pre-order the book now on Amazon UK - and it will be available all around the world as an e-book and an audio book...

https://www.amazon.co.uk/1945-Reckoning-Empire-Struggle-World/dp/139971449X/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=#

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This week we continue exploring the Second World War by revealing one of its most surprising, colourful and sometimes farcical stories - the two year undeclared war between Britain and Vichy France. 

Tim Bouverie is Phil’s guest and he tales us through some of the terrific - and little known - stories in his new book Allies At War. 

Although London and Paris are firm allies when Nazi Germany invades France in May 1940, relationships soon fall apart and true disappears. Then, in July 1940, Winston Churchill - a lifelong francophile - takes the fateful decision to send the Royal Navy to attack the French fleet (to ensure it does not fall into Hitler’s hands). 1,300 French sailors, who had been allies of the British just weeks before, die in this attack.

There follows a series of military campaigns and diplomatic intrigues with the (often clashing) personalities of Charles de Gaulle and Winston Churchill at the heart of them all. 

You can buy Tim’s book here...

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Allies-War-Politics-Defeating-Hitler/dp/1847926231/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0

There’s also information and extracts from Phil’s new book here...

https://sites.google.com/view/1945thereckoning/home

You can pre-order the book now on Amazon UK - and it will be available all around the world as an e-book and an audio book...

https://www.amazon.co.uk/1945-Reckoning-Empire-Struggle-World/dp/139971449X/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=#

For anyone in Australia, you can purchase the book here...

https://www.amazon.com.au/1945-Reckoning-Empire-Struggle-World/dp/1399714503/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&dib_tag=se&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.Aj6KiOnX8mB9IxbXa3MSftEn8ltcHpwdCwI_Y1Z9x_6wh1ZDhht_FEQApFtINIK18K6LpvzplQqjfqGwtGCX75E5idzD4XzxO4v5_7lTzseE1lilWhbmDGqQQNh41MCEhUEj3m2d_NqvbpQTzmbwiIy0x7yEhwDJnEK40Qp1ShuiNkayBHilBGbMJ2uS42z_EYICj2G1ukW0iEL0xwjyXCclJ4VwBeo2JkpEpY-vrgUNjbiZJ2WGQHUJe618JbwEOamp0n7LAcY0-C9Jd2K2kMVhcn0qj38FrKQ9kyxmsqk.KcgY2jzaJzHaHZX53DPc4FD3ClSuNzEEmTH0X6-HiG0&qid=1744266867&sr=8-1

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

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The Scandal Mongers...

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Phil begins this episode with his thoughts on the rather shocking news that the UK government has pulled back from the already limited inquiries into the ‘grooming and rape gang scandal’. What’s going on?

Then Paul French returns to the podcast to share his hugely impressive knowledge of the Far East - through the story of Hong Kong.  The rise and fall of British rule there is of great interest to Phil too, as it connects to his upcoming new book on war and empire. 

It’s all very topical - because a lot of the story is about China and its view of itself as a great but humiliated nation now recovering former status. Given the huge tariff wars that have broken out this week, Paul has plenty to say about the good and the bad of modern day China and its rulers - and where this crisis might be headed.

Paul’s excellent book on Wallis Simpson in China is available here, in our own online bookshop - along with thousands of others. https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/her-lotus-year-china-the-roaring-twenties-and-the-making-of-wallis-simpson-paul-french/7624169?aid=12054&ean=9781783968183

Phil’s new book, 1945 The Reckoning, is published on April 24 2025 in the UK, India, Australia and New Zealand. There’s more info here...

https://sites.google.com/view/1945thereckoning/home

You can pre-order the book now on Amazon UK - and it will be available all around the world as an e-book and an audio book...

https://www.amazon.co.uk/1945-Reckoning-Empire-Struggle-World/dp/139971449X/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=#

For anyone in Australia, you can purchase the book here...

https://www.amazon.com.au/1945-Reckoning-Empire-Struggle-World/dp/1399714503/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&dib_tag=se&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.Aj6KiOnX8mB9IxbXa3MSftEn8ltcHpwdCwI_Y1Z9x_6wh1ZDhht_FEQApFtINIK18K6LpvzplQqjfqGwtGCX75E5idzD4XzxO4v5_7lTzseE1lilWhbmDGqQQNh41MCEhUEj3m2d_NqvbpQTzmbwiIy0x7yEhwDJnEK40Qp1ShuiNkayBHilBGbMJ2uS42z_EYICj2G1ukW0iEL0xwjyXCclJ4VwBeo2JkpEpY-vrgUNjbiZJ2WGQHUJe618JbwEOamp0n7LAcY0-C9Jd2K2kMVhcn0qj38FrKQ9kyxmsqk.KcgY2jzaJzHaHZX53DPc4FD3ClSuNzEEmTH0X6-HiG0&qid=1744266867&sr=8-1

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

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Phil’s new book, 1945 The Reckoning, is published on April 24 2025 in the UK, India, Australia and New Zealand and in this special episode he is switching roles with his friend and occasional co-host Mok O’Keeffe.

Mok has been reading the book - but Phil has no idea what questions, thoughts and comments he might have. And he’s feeling nervous!

1945 The Reckoning is full of great and surprising stories and it speaks very directly to modern debates about empire, colonialism and race - and how we should remember and teach the history of both Britain and Australia. It suggests that the British government did some rather shameful and foolish things in the final months of the war, some of which involved Australian forces, because colonial agendas came to supersede earlier pledges about liberation and national self determination. 

That said this is far from being an anti-imperial rant, and it contains many inspiring stories of the men and women who confronted Naziism and Japanese militarism. Phil calls it a ‘warts and all’ account of how the war was really won.’

There’s more info here...

https://sites.google.com/view/1945thereckoning/home

You can pre-order the book now on Amazon UK - and it will be available all around the world as an e-book and an audio book...

https://www.amazon.co.uk/1945-Reckoning-Empire-Struggle-World/dp/139971449X/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=#

Please follow Mok here...

https://www.instagram.com/countrylivingwithmok/

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

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The Scandal Mongers...

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

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Phil is promising to open with another reading from his upcoming book 1945 The Reckoning - but you can always skip!

After that we welcome Carolyn Harris back. This extraordinarily well-read Canadian academic is a gifted communicator and an expert on royal women - and she has all the goss about out of history’s most powerful female rulers. 

Catherine led a remarkable life - rich in intrigue, ambition and, of course, endless sexual scandal. Having disposed of her husband she took the Russian Empire to new heights and left a massive legacy behind her - and all the while expertly manipulating the many handsome young men in her life. And yes, we will mention the story about the horse. 

You can buy Carolyn’s book here...

 https://www.amazon.co.uk/Raising-Royalty-Years-Royal-Parenting/dp/1459735692

And you can pre order Phil’s new book here...

https://www.amazon.co.uk/1945-Reckoning-Empire-Struggle-World/dp/139971449X/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=#

Please follow Carolyn here...

https://x.com/royalhistorian

***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...

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*** 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...

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Phil Craig...

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

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

[email protected]

(place 'Scandal Mongers' in the heading)

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Phil has been thinking a lot about the British Empire recently, and it is a major theme of his upcoming new book about 1945. And so he was delighted to speak with best-selling writer Sathnam Sanghera.

Sathnam has written extensively on how the empire shaped modern Britain - and much of the ret of the world too, upending the conventional view of imperial history. For example, he tells Phil that the story of the humble rubber tyre is also the story of the British in Malaya - and Kew Gardens!

You can buy Sathnam's book here, along with thousands of others, in our own online shop...

https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/empireworld-how-british-imperialism-has-shaped-the-globe-sathnam-sanghera/7515065?aid=12054&ean=9780241997086&

Please follow Sathnam here...

https://x.com/Sathnam

And you can pre order Phil’s new book here ...

https://www.amazon.co.uk/1945-Reckoning-Empire-Struggle-World/dp/139971449X/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=#

***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...

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Phil Craig...

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

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

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Not everyone enjoyed Phil’s parody of Meghan Markle’s new Netflix show last week. Are we all being too cruel about her?

Mok O’Keeffe thinks we might be. This week he joins Phil in another co-hosted episode and talks about his feelings for Meghan, Harry and the deep divisions at the heart of the royal family.

Then Mok’s friend Peter Parker comes onto the show to discuss his two part history of gay life in Britain during the 20th Century, focussing on the years where gay love was illegal but a debate was growing about rights, fairness and legalisation.

Peter shares some of the extraordinary stories he has unearthed - some shocking, some funny, some terribly sad - and many clearly scandalous!

You can buy Peter's book here, along with thousands of others, in our own bookshop...

https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/some-men-in-london-queer-life-1945-1959-peter-parker/7598364?aid=12054&ean=9780241370605&

***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...

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*** 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...

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Phil Craig...

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Mok O'Keeffe...

https://www.instagram.com/mokokeeffe/

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

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpiDbLiwypTLqMaKnNfxcTA

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What's this? Meghan Markle in Phil's Australian Bar?

Then Carol Ann Lee joins Phil to discuss her incredible book on Ruth Ellis, on which the new international TV drama is based and in which Ruth is played impeccably by the British-American Actress Lucy Boynton.

A CRUEL LOVE: The Ruth Ellis Story

(Official ITV Trailer)...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijla27WmAA0

As the last women to be executed in British history - for a crime many then and now believe had extenuating circumstances - Ellis has long been portrayed as a ‘woman scorned’. Carol’s book reveals the full picture of a remarkable life, and is packed with fresh details about her background, her relationships and the real reason she shot her abusive partner David Blakely.

You can buy Carol's book here...

https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/a-cruel-love-the-real-ruth-ellis-story-carol-ann-lee/7824513?aid=12054&ean=9781910948316&

Please follow Carol here...

https://www.instagram.com/carolannleeauthor/

Want to know more about Phil Craig? Then watch his recent interview on This British Life Podcast below...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghzCFLHcjM8&t=3s

**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...

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

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

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Phil has spent decades analysing royal spin - from the age of Diana to the current TransAtlantic stand off between her two sons. He thinks that the interview Jason Knauf gave this week to the Australian 60 Minutes series is one of the most significant things to happen in terms of ‘Palace Kremlinology’ in many years. The interview did not happen by accident and will have required much pre-clearing with William himself. So what is Britain’s future King really saying to the country, the media and, especially, his brother?

After this Phil is joined by writer and cultural historian Clement Knox to discuss a topic that has featured in many earlier episodes of this podcast - seduction. 

Clement argues that the idea and importance of seduction has changed radically over time, and that such changes mark some hugely important moments of social change, and the changing balance of power between the sexes.  He offers an extraordinary range of stories to chart the many guises of seduction, showing that our ideas about desire, courtship, and power have always developed in step with a changing world.

You can buy Clement's book, and all the books we feature on the podcast here in our special Scandal Mongers shop, along with thousands of others...

https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/strange-antics-a-history-of-seduction-clement-knox/77453?aid=12054&ean=9780008285678&

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

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One of Phil’s former colleagues, Quentin McDermott, joins him from Australia to report on the remarkable case of Kathleen Folbigg - one of the greatest miscarriages of justice of our age.

After four of her children died under the age of 20 months, Kathleen Folbigg was charged and convicted of their murder in 2003. After 20 year in prison she was freed after scientific discoveries and a new analysis of statistical probabilities revealed that at least two of the children probably died from natural causes and that there was never ANY direct forensic evidence linked her to any of the deaths.

As a reporter for the ABC Quentin played a major part in the campaign to have the case reopened, and he believes that Kathleen should never have even been brought to trial, even based on the knowledge of ‘cot death’ available in 2003.

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

https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/meadow-s-law-the-true-story-of-kathleen-folbigg-and-the-science-that-set-her-free-by-an-award-winning-journalist-for-readers-of-quentin-mcdermott/7751177?aid=12054&ean=9780733342912&

Please Follow Quentin Here...

https://x.com/quentinmcdermot?lang=en&mx=2

***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...

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*** 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...

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

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