Pod Insights British Scandal The Other Virgin's Baby | Fight to the Death | 3 About this episode Decades later, when Christabel thinks the scandal is buried, John’s family drags her back to court, forcing an ageing Christabel to fight one last brutal battle.
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Transcript 8,002 words · 13 speakers
Speaker names marked ? are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.
0:00 Alice Levine? Audible subscribers can listen to all episodes of British Scandal ad-free right now. Join Audible today by downloading the Audible app.
0:13 Matt Forde? Alice, I've been doing a bit of research into my ancestry at that well-known website, ancestral.net. And this is incredible. I am actually descended from true blue blood.
0:28 Alice Levine? Wow.
0:28 Matt Forde? Basically a baron. So from now on, I would appreciate it if you would address me correctly as Your Excellency.
0:36 Alice Levine? There's absolutely no way I'm going to do that.
0:38 Matt Forde? Well, if you refuse, it's treason.
0:40 Alice Levine? Well, wait a minute. I don't know if I trust your printouts from this dodgy website. Maybe I'm from aristocracy.
0:48 Matt Forde? Mm. I'll check yours. It just says you're from rural loser stock. You just work with the soil. I mean, mole people, it's as bad as it gets.
0:56 Alice Levine? Loser stock doesn't even... Wait a sec, you've mixed up your papers. That says Alice on it, and that says Matt. I'm the royal one.
1:03 Matt Forde? Yeah, no, I'm fine with that because that, well, that explains where I get my work ethic and my strong values because I've had to fight against that injustice and that inequality all my life, whereas you, you just have it handed to you on a plate.
1:16 Alice Levine? Oh, my God, I'm so sorry. I'm reading upside down. No, you are the royal one and I am the mole people.
1:21 Matt Forde? Get out of my sight, you peasant filth.
1:27 Matt Forde? June 1973, Crown Office, Royal Courts of Justice, London. Fifty-one-year-old Geoffrey Russell strides through the grand entrance hall, gripping his briefcase. His mother's face flashes in his mind. She's waited her whole life for this moment, even fought for it in these very courtrooms. He doesn't want it dragged out any longer. He's determined that by the time he leaves this building, he'll have written confirmation that he's the fourth Baron Amphil.
2:04 Matt Forde? He reaches the clerk's office and rings the bell. Impatiently drums his fingers on the counter. Geoffrey sighs as the clerk disappears, then returns with a thick file of paperwork. Geoffrey watches him flick through it and frown. Oh, Mr Russell, I'm afraid there's been a complication. Geoffrey feels a prick of exasperation, but forces a smile. It's fairly straightforward, isn't it? A lord dies, his son inherits the title, takes his seat.
2:36 Matt Forde? Under normal circumstances, yes, but the thing is... We've received a claim contesting your legitimacy. They're saying you're not the rightful heir. I don't understand. This was settled fifty years ago. He looks back at the clerk, whose expression is now frustratingly impassive. I'm afraid it will need to be decided in court. Until then, we cannot issue the writ. Geoffrey's head spins. He thinks of his beloved mother, now in her late seventies. How can he possibly tell her that everything she went through, the embarrassment, the scandal, the public humiliation, might have been for nothing? He slams his fist on the counter.
3:22 Matt Forde? He must put a stop to this challenge now, before it destroys what little time his mother might have left.
4:27 Matt Forde? From Wondery, I'm Matt Ford.
4:29 Alice Levine? And I'm Alice Levine.
4:30 Matt Forde? And this is British Scandal.
4:44 Matt Forde? So Alice, I'm sure you thought we were done with the series because in the last episode we were in court, and that's often where it ends. Divorce had been denied, so it was Christabel one, Lady Amphill nil. But that was in June 1922, and as you've just heard, 50 years later, they are back in court. Why won't the Russells just leave it?
5:04 Alice Levine? Yes, why won't they just leave it alone? Because 50 years has passed, like you say, and it's a very different world that everybody lives in. I think this scandal meant something much bigger and more sort of shame-fuelled in the 20s, 30s, 40s, and now we've moved on. And so the fact that it's being resurrected, you wonder what this is. Is it still snobbery? Is it pride? Is it just this sense that somebody has got the better of an aristocratic family who feel entitled and generally protected from being, in inverted commas, 'attacked' in this way? And so now it's just this battle of wills. They just will not back down.
5:46 Alice Levine? If this isn't evidence that we need the aristocracy to have jobs and hobbies to keep them out of court, I don't know what is.
5:53 Matt Forde? So if you were Geoffrey, what would you do?
5:55 Alice Levine? God, it's hard. What would I do? I mean, I guess I would think of the greater good, and I would think that British Scandal needs another episode out of this, so I would fight. I would fight, and I would fight.
6:05 Matt Forde? Well, Alice, you have picked up on a theme there because the gloves really are off. This is episode three, Fight to the Death.
6:17 Matt Forde? January 1923, Hobart, London. Christabel pushes past a gaggle of reporters vying for her attention.
6:27 Speaker 02 Christabel, is John still supporting the child? The public deserves an answer, Christabel.
6:34 Matt Forde? Christabel steps inside the imposing Victorian building that houses John Solicitor. She flicks through her file of paperwork, freezing when she catches sight of Eaton College's smart letterhead. She darkens as she scans the words. Unfortunately, due to oversubscription, we are unable to place Geoffrey on our waiting list.
6:59 Alice Levine? Disappointing, but also chill mate, he's only like two.
7:03 Matt Forde? Yeah, but you've got to start him young.
7:04 Alice Levine? And actually, now I think about it, people with young children do tell me, for those nursery places, you have to be booking in those open days before you've even conceived.
7:12 Matt Forde? How old is the baby? Well, we're not, sort of pre...
7:16 Alice Levine? Pre what?
7:17 Matt Forde? Pre nine-month stage. But we're hoping that tonight will be the night.
7:23 Alice Levine? So pop us down for a September place, yeah?
7:27 Matt Forde? Christabel feels a surge of anger. She knows ongoing speculation on Geoffrey's legitimacy is the real reason for this rejection, and why trade is down in her shop. She hasn't seen John since he fell to divorce her on grounds of adultery last summer, but she's agreed to this meeting in the hope of salvaging her son's reputation. She steps into the stuffy office and flinches at the sight of her estranged husband beside his mother. John Solicitor gestures for her to sit.
7:57 Speaker 03 Mrs Russell, your husband wishes to petition for divorce on the grounds of abandonment. Your reputation would remain untarnished, and Lord and Lady Amphil have agreed to a generous settlement.
8:07 Matt Forde? Christabel looks at John in surprise. Really? This would set her free, provide an income. She pulls the document towards her, but as she does, something about Lady Amphil's tight smile unsettles her. She moves her eyes to John, who tugs at his collar. What happens to Geoffrey's legitimacy once the divorce is final? Christabel's gaze turns to John Solicitor, who coughs uneasily. Well, he would still carry the Russell family name. I didn't ask about the family name, I asked about legitimacy. The Solicitor's cheeks flush before he answers.
8:50 Matt Forde? To make his peerage absolutely secure, your husband would need to put something in writing. A mere formality.
8:57 Alice Levine? Why do I sense it's not a mere formality?
9:00 Matt Forde? Well, you're absolutely right, because formal recognition in writing is a serious legal document, and it would cement his case for his hereditary peerage. And this isn't just a knighthood, which of course would be lovely. This is a seat in the House of Lords, this is a level of status beyond the reach of the vast majority of people, and he's going to get it on hereditary ground. So unless he has that paperwork, he cannot take his seat in our upper house.
9:26 Alice Levine? And I guess that acknowledgement is irrefutable in the future. So if the Anthils want to kind of push him aside later in his life, they kind of can't.
9:36 Matt Forde? Christabel's eyes lock back on Lady Anthill, whose smile is now positively regal. Well, I don't see why that formality can't be completed before the...
9:45 Speaker 02 My dear girl, you have my word, as a lady, that once the divorce is signed and sealed, my son will do what is proper. This is a dignified exit, which is more than you deserve.
10:00 Matt Forde? Christabel clenches her fists until her knuckles are white. There will be no divorce until John formally recognizes Geoffrey as his rightful son and heir, in writing. Christabel sees Lady Anthill's smile vanish.
10:14 Speaker 02 That will never happen.
10:17 Matt Forde? Christabel steps back as Lady Anthill jumps to her feet and drags John, mouth open, goldfish-like, through the door. The Solicitor training behind. Christabel kicks the table, paces to the window, sees John fend off a hungry reporter as Lady Anthill bustles him into their car.
10:38 Matt Forde? Christabel sighs, John never wanted this any more than she did.
10:43 Matt Forde? She steps back from the window as a camera flash blinds her. She blinks twice, opens her eyes to see the reporter's gaze fixed on her.
10:53 Matt Forde? She takes in the empty space where John's car sat just moments ago. When suddenly, Christabel is struck with a thought. What if? Instead of running away from her infamy, she embraces it. Uses it to tell her side of the story. Not just to the public, but also to John. And break the spell that dragon holds over her son, once and for all.
11:25 Matt Forde? Fifteenth of March, nineteen twenty-five. Bloomsbury, London.
11:31 Matt Forde? John's stomach churns as his taxi crawls towards its destination. The driver nods towards a hotel across the street, the Russell Inn, and chuckles. John feels his body stiffen, knowing what's coming. No one calls it that anymore. It's the halfway in these days.
11:51 Alice Levine? That's actually fantastic.
11:52 Matt Forde? That's top-class cabbie banter, and that's why you should always use a black cab when you're in London, because they can use bus lanes, but they will also give you cracking jokes you can use for the rest of your life. John pulls the brim of his Trilby down and shrinks into his seat. Three years on from that damned trial, he still can't escape the jokes. He starts to have second thoughts about being here. His mother would be apoplectic. But when he received Chris's invitation to the premiere of a new movie she's written and is starring in, his curiosity got the better of him.
12:24 Alice Levine? I mean, when you're invited to a premiere, everything else goes out the window, doesn't it?
12:28 Matt Forde? Guys, we occasionally dispense life advice, and we don't want this to become a wellness show.
12:34 Matt Forde? But if you ever get invited to a premiere, you gotta go.
12:37 Alice Levine? You've got to put your animosity aside.
12:39 Matt Forde? Even if the film's rubbish?
12:40 Alice Levine? Yes, even if the film's rubbish, even if you are substantially estranged from your wife and you have rubbished her publicly and dragged her reputation through the gutter, you gotta go to the premiere.
12:54 Matt Forde? Drop me here, I'll walk the rest of the way.
13:00 Matt Forde? John pulls up the collar of his overcoat as he cautiously approaches the new Scala Theatre. He darts out of view at the sudden flash of a camera ball, only to see it's trained at Christopher, who is posing for photographs beneath a marquee displaying the movie title, Afraid of Love. Mrs Russell, turn this way please. A lump forms in John's throat as he watches from the shadows. He retrieves a hip flask from his pocket and takes a large glug of whisky. When the crowd moves inside, he sneaks through the side entrance and installs himself in the back row as the lights dim.
13:39 Matt Forde? John leans forward as an ethereal woman played by Chris fills the screen. Soon she's joined by a man, her husband. John relaxes as he takes him in. Handsome, charming.
13:53 Alice Levine? Oh, he seems delighted with that casting, doesn't he?
13:55 Matt Forde? Yeah, he would be, wouldn't you think? Oh, yeah. Clearly based on me.
13:59 Alice Levine? Who would play you in the film of your life as a toxic partner?
14:03 Matt Forde? Gary Oldman.
14:04 Alice Levine? I believe that he can be method, so he might have to come, live with you, live as you, follow you around.
14:10 Matt Forde? Wear the prosthetics of the eczema-ridden skin. He'd probably have spinal surgery to fully get into the role. Poor old Oldman waddling around with a colostomy bag for the rest of his life.
14:21 Alice Levine? Wins an Oscar, though.
14:23 Matt Forde? He smiles as the pair invite guests into a jolly party at their house. But soon, the on-screen images of domesticity give way to scenes of John's character dressing up in women's clothes, of Chris dancing wildly. He starts feeling embarrassed. He finds himself eyeing the audience, trying to gauge their reactions as questions whirl in his head. Why has Chris done this? To embarrass him? For revenge? He takes a large swig from his hip flask, and then another. He tries to look away, but gasps from the audience draw his eyes back to the screen as the husband forces his way into the women's dress shop and threatens to snatch their son. Only two in the final scene
15:08 Matt Forde? see the error of his ways and raise a gun to his head. For a few moments, John's eyes remain fixed on the screen. The close shot of Chris's face, relief washing over her as the husband sinks to the floor.
15:25 Matt Forde? John springs up, rushes through the darkness towards the fire exit. He gulps the cold air, desperately tries to steady his feet.
15:34 Matt Forde? Instead catches sight of his ghostly reflection in a shop window across the street. And is sickened by what he sees, by what Chris has made him see. John knows with absolute clarity that there is only one possible way forward. He must find Christabel and do what he should have done years ago. And this time, no one is going to stop him.
16:04 Matt Forde? One hour later, New Scarlet Theatre, London. Christabel walks out of the main door, feeling a prickle of unease. She stops and glances over her shoulder, sure she heard the faint sound of shuffling nearby. Hello? Christabel feels a surge of relief as a stray cat darts from behind a bin into the darkness. She starts walking more quickly, keen to get home and share the excitement of the evening with her son.
16:33 Matt Forde? She gasps as a hand grabs her shoulder.
16:37 Matt Forde? Don't be scared. Then don't grab me in a dark alley.
16:42 Matt Forde? Christabel's heart racers at the distinctive voice. John? She looks up and is shaken by how frightful he looks. His ties askew and his face is pale and damp with sweat, his eyes glassy. She wonders if he's ill.
16:59 Matt Forde? I... I saw the film. I must speak with you. I've taken a hotel room nearby. Just give me half an hour, that's all I ask. Christabel tries not to flinch as she catches the aroma of scotch on his breath. Her mind flickers back to that night all those years ago with a shotgun. I should get back to Geoffrey, but tomorrow we could. Chris, please. It needs to be tonight.
17:27 Alice Levine? This is a hard no from me.
17:29 Matt Forde? I just think the Scotch, the Thai.
17:31 Alice Levine? The menacing nature, the fact that you've got a violent background. Yeah, it's probably tomorrow morning brunch even, that feels the safest.
17:41 Matt Forde? Christabel's body tenses. She knows John can be unstable, dangerous even. But this could be her only chance to get Jeffrey what he needs: deserves.
17:54 Matt Forde? Ten minutes later, Christabel follows John into a modest hotel room. Her stomach drops as she watches him turn the key in the lock and start pacing. The husband in the film, he's me, yes? Christabel looks down at the tips of her gloves. I suppose he's a version of you. She looks up. His eyes are red, his cheeks puffy. He's exactly me, a man who is weak, who would abandon those he loves. That's what you think I am.
18:26 Speaker 02 No.
18:27 Matt Forde? She's startled when he slams his hand on the nightstand. Yes. Christabel feels herself edged towards the door, her heart hammering in her chest. But then John slumps heavily onto the edge of the bed, puts his head in his hands.
18:44 Matt Forde? I'm so sorry. I've been pathetic and cowardly. Everything I allowed mother to do, the things she made me say in court, I didn't mean any of it. Christabel takes a moment to catch her breath as the tension starts to leave her body.
18:59 Speaker 02 Then make things right. There's still hope for you as a father. Jeffrey is such a wonderful boy. Don't you want to know him?
19:09 Matt Forde? She stays on John as he shakes his head. I've missed so much.
19:14 Speaker 02 Nonsense, he's four. What's four years compared to a lifetime? You could visit us regularly, in secret if you like. Your mother needn't know.
19:25 Alice Levine? That sounds completely functional, doesn't it?
19:27 Matt Forde? A lifetime of secret visits is all a growing boy needs.
19:33 Matt Forde? Christabel gently takes his hand.
19:35 Speaker 02 And then, when you're ready, you could make everything official.
19:40 Matt Forde? She prays he sees sense. All right, I'll try. I'll try.
19:47 Matt Forde? Christabel feels a surge of triumph. Because she knows, once John spends time with Geoffrey, sees what a wonderful boy he is, he will start to soften. And she won't rest until she has a signed document legitimising her son as the rightful heir to the Amphil title.
20:14 Matt Forde? One year later, July 1926, Oakley House, Bedfordshire. Christabel clutches Geoffrey's hand as she follows John through the hallway she swore she'd never walk down again. She takes a deep breath as she enters the family's large dining room. She takes in Lady Amphil at the far end of the long mahogany table, Lord Amphil at her side. John's three siblings are spaced along the sides, stiff with curiosity. John clears his throat. Mother, father, everyone, I have an announcement. Christabel's heartbeat quickens as Lady Amphil looks up in surprise, her expression thunderous.
20:59 Speaker 02 What in God's name is that, Chezabelle?
21:02 Matt Forde? Mother, I've just, I've... Christabel gives his arm a small, encouraging squeeze. I've just returned from London, where I signed papers formally legitimising Geoffrey as my son. He is now officially in line to be the fourth Baron Amphil.
21:22 Alice Levine? Oh my God, he finally did it. This is actually the first courageous, bold, kind of right thing that he's done, ever.
21:30 Matt Forde? Christabel feels a frisson of pride as she watches the blood drain from Lady Amphil's face. But she forces herself to soften, to remember why she came. She steps forward.
21:43 Speaker 02 John has spent the last year getting to know his son properly. It would be so delightful if now you could all accept him as one of your own and...
21:51 Matt Forde? To Christabel's shock, it's not Lady Anthill who interjects, but John's youngest brother, twenty-year-old Leopold. His haughty voice drips with contempt.
22:02 Speaker 03 Tell me you're not serious, John.
22:05 Matt Forde? Christabel watches John darken as he turns to his brother.
22:09 Speaker 03 Stay out of this, Leo.
22:11 Matt Forde? Christabel's stunned when Leopold stands, throws down his napkin and puffs out his ruddy cheeks. Spittle escapes from the corners of his lips as he addresses her.
22:22 Speaker 03 Do you know what you put us through? You and your perverted bedroom activities, the ribbons I got at Eton, all because of that bastard brat.
22:31 Alice Levine? This kind of gets to the core of one of the major motivations for them being obsessed with this. And it's not anger at Christabel or rejection of Geoffrey. They've been shaken to the core by the revelations about John. They feel deep shame or embarrassment or confusion about his crossdressing and his, as they put it, bedroom activities. And I think that's something that they're contending with and they're sort of putting all of that on this issue.
23:02 Matt Forde? Christabel protectively pulls six-year-old Geoffrey against her. She moves her gaze to Lord Anthill, who shifts awkwardly. Then John's other siblings, who stare at their plates. Only Lady Anthill meets her eye, looking at her with utter contempt. None of us will accept that impostor. And if you continue to see him, you will not be welcome here either, John. No, Mother, this has been settled. You simply must... You will lose your family, your inheritance, everything. Christabel stays on John as his cheeks drain of colour. I mean it, John Hugo. Your whole life as you know it, I'll have you ejected from this house this very moment.
23:46 Matt Forde? She takes in John's face. For a moment, Christabel thinks John might actually stand his ground. But then she sees the familiar slump of the shoulders, his eyes dart to the floor.
23:58 Speaker 02 Christ, John, I expected better from you.
24:03 Matt Forde? She curtly turns away and leads Geoffrey from the room.
24:08 Matt Forde? She glances behind as the butler shuts the double doors, catches a final glimpse of John as he disappears from view, knowing it's the last time she will ever see him. She feels no grief, only clarity. She kneels down in front of Geoffrey in the grand reception. "You belong here, darling, whatever those silly people say. And one day, you will have a peerage to prove it. Then you can really shake things up." To her delight, Geoffrey grins and stamps his foot.
24:41 Speaker 02 "Yes!"
24:43 Matt Forde? Christabel pushes her shoulders back and marches him out into the warm evening air with pride. There's nothing this family can do anymore. Geoffrey may have lost a father today, but Christabel has finally secured his future.
24:59 Matt Forde? No one will ever deny her son what's rightfully his again.
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26:38 Matt Forde? Forty-nine years later, June 1973, Oakley House, Bedfordshire.
26:46 Matt Forde? Leopold Russell stands in the corner of the drawing room, tumbler of whisky in hand. Around him, darkly attired mourners tuck into sandwiches and sip sherry. He glances across to the open casket, his brother John's white face entombed in amongst the wreaths and flowers. He shivers as his sister appears at his side.
27:08 Speaker 03 We've received so many touching messages. Even Geoffrey wrote a very kind letter.
27:14 Matt Forde? Leopold's jaw sets at the mention of his brother's bastard child. Even now, at 66, Geoffrey's name transports him back to those cruel schoolyard jibes.
27:27 Matt Forde? He takes a slug of Scotch.
27:29 Speaker 03 The man works in the theatre, for God's sake. Such a tawdry business. Now he's going to be Lord Amphil. It's obscene.
27:38 Matt Forde? His sister tutts. Christ, Leo. You sound like mother. If you're not careful, you'll die consumed with bitterness too. But Leopold is no longer listening. His eyes have already moved across the room to 25-year-old John Junior, his brother's eldest from his second marriage, an idea taking hold.
28:00 Alice Levine? Okay, wait, so Leopold actually doesn't have any claim? He isn't the next in line, so he should just bloody well get over it?
28:06 Matt Forde? Yes, so Leopold is now effectively Harry to John Junior, who is George, in the modern parlance.
28:14 Matt Forde? Leopold smiles. An idea takes hold. He slips across the room, settling down on the leather sofa beside his nephew.
28:23 Speaker 03 John, how are you holding up?
28:26 Matt Forde? He watches John Junior slowly look up, tears in his eyes.
28:30 Speaker 02 I don't know, really.
28:32 Matt Forde? Leopold leans forward, forces an expression of pain to concern.
28:37 Speaker 03 Losing a parent is never anything less than ghastly.
28:41 Matt Forde? He pauses a moment, resting a hand on the younger man's shoulder.
28:46 Speaker 03 But in your case, it's double the loss, isn't it?
28:50 Matt Forde? He waits as John Junior blinks, looks at him confused.
28:54 Speaker 02 Double the loss?
28:56 Speaker 03 Well, it hardly seems fair, does it? That some stranger will inherit your father's title, your title? One who has never proven to be a rustle at that?
29:05 Speaker 02 No, father was convinced Jeffrey was his. He told me himself.
29:11 Matt Forde? Leopold's hand tightens around his glass.
29:15 Speaker 03 I'm sure he felt he ought to say that, but he expressed doubt to me only a few months ago.
29:21 Matt Forde? His heartbeat quickens as John Junior stares into his eyes.
29:26 Speaker 02 Really?
29:27 Matt Forde? Leopold holds his gaze, nods slowly.
29:31 Speaker 03 He feared he'd made an awful mistake. It's just a tragedy he passed before he could do anything about it.
29:37 Matt Forde? Leopold holds his breath as John Junior's eyes dart anxiously around the room.
29:43 Speaker 03 I suppose one could argue that it isn't even about the title. It's about what's right. If it were me, I'd want to honor my father's dying wish.
29:54 Alice Levine? This family are good at it though, aren't they? You can knock them, but they are evil to the core. And they deliver that in such a suave, calculated way.
30:04 Matt Forde? Do you know what? I feel like we're doing a post-match analysis of a great football match. You can't be intimidated by the stadiums that you're playing in and they've gone there and, you know, fair play to them, they got a result.
30:13 Alice Levine? Absolutely. We saw the open casket. We thought it's never gonna happen, but they absolutely played a blinder.
30:20 Matt Forde? Leopold almost holds his breath as John Junior shifts uncomfortably. Even if I wanted to, I could never afford a legal challenge. I hardly have the funds.
30:31 Speaker 03 Oh dear boy, I'd cover the cost. Every penny.
30:35 Matt Forde? He fixes John Junior with a look.
30:37 Speaker 03 All you would need to do is front the fight.
30:40 Matt Forde? He stays on John Junior, who bites his thumbnail. Leopold smiles beguilingly as he slowly raises his glass.
30:49 Speaker 03 For your father!
30:51 Matt Forde? Leopold prays that John Junior agrees. He doesn't just want to restore his family's title to its rightful owner. He wants to humiliate Geoffrey and his aging, god awful mother. He'll have them endure what he did as a child. And he'll finish what his mother never could.
31:15 Matt Forde? One week later, Alice Springs, Australia. Seventy-eight-year-old Christabel Russell gallops across the red earth of the Outback, her long grey hair streaming behind her. A wide grin splits her weathered face as she takes in the sun setting over the desert. She's still chasing adventure. She doesn't know how many good years she has left, but she's determined to spend them like this.
31:42 Speaker 03 All right, girl.
31:44 Matt Forde? Christabel slows the horse, squinting as a small station comes into view. Dismounting, she pats the mare affectionately as her station hand approaches.
31:54 Speaker 03 Lady Emthill, you've got a cable. Came in at three.
31:59 Matt Forde? Christabel's heart races as she sees Geoffrey's name on the slip of paper. Then the words in bold underneath. Contact urgently regarding peerage. Stop.
32:11 Alice Levine? It's an attention grabber.
32:12 Matt Forde? Stop just means full stop. That's what they used to do on telegrams. He's not making a point about anything else. Just stop, mum, stop. Stop. This is why we invented emojis.
32:22 Alice Levine? So this would be phone symbol, exclamation mark, maybe the one where somebody's looking up because they're thinking, then maybe the medal for peerage, and then maybe the big stop sign.
32:34 Matt Forde? Stop sign. Sad face. And then just a little rainbow, just to cheer your mum up.
32:39 Alice Levine? Hope!
32:41 Matt Forde? A smile spreads across Christabel's face. Geoffrey informed her of John's passing in his last message, and she replied with strict orders for him to contact her as soon as it became official. She turns to the station hand. "I must get to a telephone." An hour later, Christabel sits in a booth in a small post office in Alice Springs. Telephone receiver pressed to her ear.
33:06 Speaker 06 "Mother?"
33:07 Matt Forde? "Oh darling, it's so wonderful to hear." To her surprise, he cuts in.
33:13 Speaker 06 "Thank God I managed to reach you."
33:15 Matt Forde? Christabel's stomach lurches at his panicked tone. "Geoffrey? What is it?" She wincers as more crackling replaces his voice. "Geoffrey?" She slaps the receiver with her palm. "Darling."
33:30 Speaker 06 "John's eldest, for his last marriage. He's filed a formal claim challenging my legitimacy."
33:37 Matt Forde? Christabel feels the ground disappear beneath her. "That's absurd! Your father signed the papers, it's all documented."
33:46 Speaker 06 "They're claiming the declaration granted in 1926 was obtained by fraud or collusion. I don't want to bother you with this, but my solicitor wants to know if you have any written correspondence from father. Letters acknowledging me, that sort of thing."
33:59 Matt Forde? "I must do. Filed away somewhere at home. I'll try to get a flight."
34:04 Speaker 06 "No, I can go to Galway, look for the papers myself."
34:08 Matt Forde? Christabel sighs. She so wanted to keep travelling. To see India, the Philippines. But this was always her fight. Her son shouldn't have to finish it alone. "No, I'm coming home, and that's that." Christabel slams down the receiver, gripped with a long-forgotten fury. Those belligerent rustles never did know when they're beaten. But neither did she. And now she has a grown-up son to help her, she's twice as strong. She and Geoffrey will take on that blasted family... Together.
34:46 Matt Forde? February 1976, Fulham, London. Geoffrey leans against the kitchen counter, feeling helpless. His 15-year-old daughter is folded into his wife's arms.
35:00 Speaker 02 I know, darling, I know. No, Mum, you don't. You're not the one who has people shouting details of your granny's sex life at her at school. I want it to stop.
35:10 Matt Forde? Geoffrey sighs as his wife holds up a copy of The Daily Express. Its headline screams: "Virgin's baby must give blood test."
35:19 Speaker 02 Someone left it in her locker. At least this one's not about the tip method.
35:24 Matt Forde? It's been three years since John Junior filed his challenge. Three years of legal delays, press intrusions, family discord. But he promised his mother he would see it through to the end. And he can't let her down now.
35:38 Alice Levine? This story stretches so far. It's sort of ruined so many lives, doesn't it?
35:45 Matt Forde? Like all good series do. He wearily picks up the phone.
35:50 Speaker 02 Mr Russell, I'm calling from St Mary's Hospital in Galway. I'm afraid your mother's been readmitted.
35:56 Matt Forde? Geoffrey feels his body go cold. It's not just his wife and daughter this has been hard on. His now 81-year-old mother's health has deteriorated.
36:05 Speaker 02 What's happened? Is she all right? Her arteriosclerosis has worsened significantly. She's very weak. You should come as soon as you're able. Yes, of course.
36:17 Matt Forde? Geoffrey hangs up, his hands shaking. He grabs his jacket and heads for the door. His eyes again falling on the newspaper headline. And this time, the image of a smug John Junior Russell. His fists tighten, fury replacing anxiety. He is going to go to Ireland, but there's something else he needs to do first. Something he should have done years ago.
36:47 Matt Forde? An hour later, Geoffrey bangs on the door of a smart, chisick townhouse. He takes a breath as he hears the deadlock click. But he's thrown when instead of being greeted by John Junior, he's instead face to face with an elderly, ruddy-faced man. "Oh, I'm, I'm, I'm sorry, I'm not sure I have the right... I'm looking for John Junior." The man straightens up.
37:12 Speaker 03 "You certainly have your mother's persistence."
37:16 Matt Forde? Geoffrey stares at the man in confusion. He realises he's seen him before in family photos. "Uncle Leopold? Why, I don't understand."
37:27 Speaker 03 "I promise you, dear boy, that I've only just gotten started. So unless you have come here to seed..."
37:34 Matt Forde? Geoffrey is momentarily winded. "You." Geoffrey feels his spine stiffen as it dawns on him. None of this is down to John Junior. It is his father's embittered, spiteful little brother. "Leopold, please. I'm begging you to drop this. My daughter is being bullied. My mother is in very ill health."
37:58 Speaker 03 "Oh dear. Well, that rather changes things."
38:04 Matt Forde? Leopold's expression morphs into a sneer.
38:07 Speaker 03 "Simply withdraw your claim to the Amphilpeirage. Then it all goes away."
38:13 Matt Forde? "No, I can't do that. I ca..."
38:16 Speaker 03 "Geoffrey, think about what your daughter needs. What your poorly mother can take."
38:24 Alice Levine? "Can you imagine being this full of vitriol until you're a crumpled-up old man? Let it go."
38:32 Matt Forde? "Mm, I can imagine it. And, gotta say, it's very energising."
38:37 Alice Levine? "Sorry, I didn't mean to make sustained eye contact with you as I said that."
38:43 Matt Forde? Geoffrey watches Leopold take a step forward.
38:46 Speaker 03 If you think the newspapers are having fun now, wait until the hearing begins. Is the pain really worth it? Just for a seat in the Lords and a pitiful thirteen pounds fifty a day attendance fee?
38:59 Matt Forde? Geoffrey stares at him in disbelief. But for the first time, he also starts to wonder. Is Leopold right? Is it really worth tearing his family apart for a tizel and a seat in the House of Lords?
39:18 Matt Forde? The following day. St Mary's Hospital, Galway, Ireland. Christabel grips the bedrail. The thin skin over her knuckles whitening with the effort of keeping her body up straight.
39:31 Matt Forde? She forces her eyes to focus on the legal papers on her lap. She's determined that by the time Geoffrey arrives, she will have found something they've missed. Anything to settle this business in his favour at last, without leaving it to the courts. Christabel looks up as a figure approaches. She blinks hard.
39:53 Speaker 02 Nurse? I need my glasses.
39:58 Speaker 02 I think they fell under the bed.
40:01 Matt Forde? To her relief, the nurse stops. Mrs Russell, you need to rest, please. Christabel grimaces as the nurse tidies the papers out of reach.
40:12 Speaker 02 You'll be wanting to be tipped up for Geoffrey. Get some sleep. No. You don't understand.
40:20 Matt Forde? But her voice collapses. The nurse is already walking away.
40:25 Matt Forde? Christabel stares after her, feeling a rush of defiance. Ignoring the protest of her weakened muscles. She swings her legs over the bed. She stands for a beat. Only to feel a sudden explosion of pain behind the eyes. Then the room tilts violently as her legs buckle beneath her. She feels her head slam against the hard polished floor. Her cheek pressed against the cold tile. She tries to move, but her limbs won't respond. Through her blurred vision, she thinks she can just make out a pair of white shoes, the hem of a nurse's uniform. Then, the sound of urgent voices.
41:07 Speaker 02 Mrs. Russell, someone get the doctor, now!
41:11 Matt Forde? Then hands pries open her eyelids. Christabel desperately tries to call for Jeffrey, but the sound that comes out is unrecognizable to her.
41:20 Speaker 07 Yeah! Yeah! Uh!
41:23 Matt Forde? Then, more hands, more voices. The doctor's face swims into view. She knows his mouth is moving, but she can't make out what he's saying. Tears of frustration leak from her eyes. She so wants her darling son to see his beautiful face. But now the light is fading, replaced by a darkness that seems to swallow the room and all the voices in it. And Christabel knows that this is it. All she can do, as she closes her eyes for one final time, is pray that Jeffrey has the strength to continue this fight without her, and see it through to the bitter end.
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43:13 Speaker 10 For decades, two legendary brands fought for the hearts of American bikers: Indian Motorcycle and Harley-Davidson. The battle looked a lot like Coke versus Pepsi or Ford versus Chevy, but tastes changed and Indian didn't adapt fast enough. The icon all but died. Then came the con men, the dreamers, a string of spectacular failures that kept Indian in the grave, until one company finally got it right. This is the story of an improbable revival and the reignition of an old rivalry. Hey, I'm David Brown, the host of the podcast Business Wars. And every season, we bring you the true stories behind the companies that shape our world. Indian's new owners are going all in, but an existential crisis looms. Can Indian and Harley recruit enough younger riders to survive?
43:56 Speaker 10 Make sure to follow Business Wars wherever you get your podcasts. Audible subscribers can binge all episodes of Business Wars early and ad-free right now. Join Audible in the Audible app or by subscribing on Apple Podcasts.
44:15 Matt Forde? Hours later, February 1976, St. Mary's Hospital, Galway, Ireland. Geoffrey sits in the pale blue relatives' room. His heart thuds in his chest as the nurse rests a hand on his arm.
44:31 Speaker 02 It was a stroke early this morning.
44:34 Matt Forde? He blinks in shock.
44:35 Speaker 02 No. Yesterday, you said she was weak. I came as soon as I... It happened very quickly. She wouldn't have suffered. Would you like to see her?
44:47 Matt Forde? Geoffrey nods, follows the nurse into a small, sterile room. He takes in his mother laid on the bed, her face peaceful, her gray hair arranged neatly on the pillow, as if she'd fallen asleep mid-sentence. He slumps into the chair and takes her cold hand. Then the tears come, hot and sudden.
45:11 Speaker 03 I'm sorry I wasn't with you, mother. I'm so sorry.
45:17 Alice Levine? This is so tragic, especially seeing her so full of life in Australia, on the horse, being very young at heart as an older woman. And then she dies with no closure, all on her own.
45:31 Matt Forde? He bows his head. If only he'd been here to say goodbye, instead of wasting time pleading with those damned Russells. And yet, under the pain, something else stirs: relief. At least now, she'll never know, never see his decision to surrender to them. Geoffrey's only responsibility now is to his mother's memory. He's brought out of his thoughts by the nurse placing a box beside him.
46:01 Speaker 02 Now you take your time, I'll leave her personal effects here.
46:07 Matt Forde? Geoffrey watches her go, then opens the box. Some paperwork, a few pieces of jewellery, her reading glasses, and a small wallet that went everywhere with her. He smiles at the sight of a tatty photograph of him and his family. He's about to put the lid back on, when a folded newspaper clipping, yellowed with age, catches his eye. He stares at the Daily Mirror front page from July 1922. His breath catches as he looks at the photograph. His mother, young and beaming, holding up an infant to the camera: him. Above, the headline reads: "Mrs Russell pledges to fight to the death." Geoffrey's hands tremble as he reads the faded text.
46:53 Matt Forde? "Speaking on the steps of the law courts, Mrs Russell declared, 'My son is entitled to his peerage. I will fight for his honour until my dying day of need be.'" Geoffrey stares at the picture. She kept this for fifty-four years. If those people hadn't dragged all this up again, his mother would still be travelling the world. Instead, she spent her final years fighting. He carefully folds the clipping and places it inside his shirt pocket.
47:25 Matt Forde? Then, he looks at his mother's lifeless face one last time. "I won't give up, I promise, not until my dying day."
47:36 Matt Forde? No matter how long it takes, Geoffrey is going to keep up this fight. And he's going to win.
47:50 Matt Forde? Five months later, 14th of July 1976, House of Lords, Westminster. Geoffrey smiles widely for the throng of assembled photographers by the Victoria Tower's Grand Arch, where the pier's entrance is located. It's been three months since the Committee of Privileges unanimously ruled in his favour. And now he's finally here, for his first official session as a sitting lord.
48:17 Alice Levine? Oh right, so it's just all sorted then?
48:19 Matt Forde? Yes, he's now in the House of Lords. This may feel like things have moved very quickly. Often what happens, this peek behind the curtain on British scandal, is we do leave out a lot of the boring stuff. The day-to-day stuff of being a lord, sitting around, going through boring bits of legislation, doing the actual job of being a legislature in the upper house, the meetings, the falling asleep, all that. Now, I know a lot of people listening will say, "But you often also leave a lot of the boring stuff in." All I'm saying is, just not this time.
48:48 Alice Levine? Nothing if not inconsistent. So just the little matter of three months of paperwork and boom, he walks in, win.
48:54 Matt Forde? Exactly. Geoffrey catches sight of a reporter jogging towards him.
48:58 Speaker 02 How's it feel to be here at last, Lord Emphil?
49:01 Matt Forde? Geoffrey feels a stab of sadness before answering. I'm honoured, but this was never about the peerage. It was about ensuring my mother's name was vindicated. I just wish you'd been here to see it. Geoffrey blinks away a tear as he turns inside.
49:21 Matt Forde? He lowers himself onto the long red leather bench, and stares up at the ornate golden ceiling with its elaborate decorations. Imagines his mother's smile as she watches down from above. He's suddenly desperate to prove he belongs. His heart hammers against his ribs as the speaker calls the chamber to order.
49:44 Matt Forde? Lord Amphil. Geoffrey fears his legs might give way as he slowly rises to his feet. He clears his throat, forces a confident expression.
49:56 Matt Forde? My lords, I would like to apologize to the house for the immense amount of trouble that preceded my arrival here. He gives a wry smile, hoping for a few chuckles of recognition. Instead, row upon row of wrinkled faces silently stare back at him.
50:15 Alice Levine? Toughest crowd ever.
50:17 Matt Forde? Geoffrey's smile falters as he finishes his brief remarks about being honored to serve. But the words feel hollow in the face of such a frosty reception. Relief floods him when the speaker adjourns. He stands and gathers his papers, then feels a tug at his robe. He turns to see an elderly lord's watery eyes boring into him.
50:39 Speaker 03 I remember it, you know, the Russell case.
50:43 Matt Forde? Geoffrey's stomach sinks. Oh, I am.
50:47 Speaker 03 Quite the shocker it was. All those sordid details splashed across the papers. Private bedroom nonsense, all that business about virginity.
50:58 Matt Forde? Geoffrey feels his cheeks burn as the old lord shakes his head and tuts.
51:04 Speaker 03 Never thought I'd see the virgin's baby within these walls. Never in all my years.
51:11 Alice Levine? Sounds like he's about to choke, it's so quite lucky that you got to see him.
51:16 Matt Forde? Before Geoffrey can respond, the lord hobbles away, leaving him standing alone in the chamber.
51:22 Matt Forde? He takes in the gilded throne at one end, thinking of the centuries of establishment power embedded in this place. He realizes that to some of these men, he will never be anything more than a scandal. Forever, the virgin's baby.
51:40 Matt Forde? He exhales slowly, thinks of his mother, how she never needed nor sought approval. She carved her own path, and was simply defiantly herself until the very end. Geoffrey straightens his shoulders, lifting his chin as he walks to the exit. If some of these stuffed shirts won't accept him, so be it. He'll use his position to effect real change, shake things up, bring some life to this dusty institution. Not by conforming, but by honouring Christabel's legacy of independence and strength. That, he sure would make her proud. And really, that's all that matters.
52:40 Matt Forde? Geoffrey Amptill took his Lords' responsibility seriously, eventually becoming Lord Chairman of Committees, one of the highest officers in the House. He died in 2011, aged eighty-nine. Leopold Russell maintained to his dying day that Geoffrey was not John Russell's son. He passed away before Geoffrey finally took his seat in the House of Lords. And the Russell case left its mark. On the fifteenth of December 1926, in response to George V objecting to the case's salacious trial coverage, the Judicial Proceedings Regulation of Reports Act was introduced. From this point on, the press and the public would be banned from reporting on divorce trials.
53:24 Matt Forde? This law was only changed two years ago.
53:35 Matt Forde? From Wondery and Samistat Audio, this is the third episode in our series, The Other Virgin Baby.
53:41 Alice Levine? And make sure you listen to the final episode. We have an interview with Lucy Bland, one of Britain's leading historians of gender, sexuality and scandal. She's written on everything from the modern woman of the 1920s to post-war femininity and the role of shame in shaping British identity. A quick note about our dialogue: in most cases, we can't know exactly what was said, but all of our dramatizations are based on historical research.
54:05 Matt Forde? If you'd like to know more about this story, you can read Christabel: The Russell Case and After by Eileen Hunter, The Virgin's Baby: The Battle of the Amphilissus by Bevis Hillier, and Modern Women on Trial by Lucy Bland.
54:18 Alice Levine? And we love hearing from you with comments and suggestions. Please keep them coming. BritishScandal at wondery.com.
54:24 Matt Forde? British Scandal is hosted by me, Matt Ford.
54:26 Alice Levine? And me, Alice Levine.
54:28 Matt Forde? Written by Wendy Granditer. Additional writing by Alice Levine and Matt Ford. Our story editor is James Maniac. Sound design by Rich Evans. For Samistat, our producer is Chika Ayers. Our assistant producer is Louise Mason. Our senior producers are Joe Sykes and Dashya Lisitsina. Executive producers for Wondery are Theodora Laloudis, Estelle Doyle and Marshall Louie.
55:07 Speaker 11 Journalist Tristan Redman goes where no son-in-law should ever go, deep into his wife's family history, digging up the cold case of who murdered her great-grandmother. Because, I should mention, he thinks the murderer might actually be the beloved family patriarch. For the best binge-watch series like Ghost Story, listen to the Audible True Crime Podcast wherever you get your podcasts.
55:27 Speaker 12 In the summer of 1881, U.S. Army Lieutenant Adolphus Greeley and 24 other men embarked on an ambitious scientific mission to the northernmost reaches of the Arctic. But despite several triumphs of discovery, the men would soon face tragedy. Hi, I'm Lindsey Graham, the host of the podcast American History Tellers. We take you to the events, times, and people that shaped America and Americans, our values, our struggles, and our dreams. In our latest series, after Adolphus Greeley and his men arrive at their destination more than 1,000 miles above the Arctic Circle, they get to work collecting scientific data and exploring the frigid landscape. But when resupply ships fail to reach them two summers in a row, they're forced to set
56:10 Speaker 12 out on a desperate search for rescue, and not all of them will make it home. Follow American History Tellers wherever you get your podcasts. Audible subscribers can binge all episodes of American History Tellers: Greeley Arctic Expedition early and ad-free right now. Join Audible in the Audible app or by subscribing on Apple Podcasts.
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