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W.

W. Empire pod UK.com. Hello and me and welcome to Empire with me Anita Arnan.

And me, William Drample.

So, oh, shall we call it Battle of the Spies, this one?

Because that seems to fit, doesn't it?

It's a proper spy story we've got here today.

So where we left you on Tuesday let me remind you we are

discussing the beginnings of the great game. The tournament of shadows. The

They had the better title I do, they had the better title.

I do think they had the battle title in Russia.

And we're going to talk about the events that lead up to the first Anglo-Afghan War.

Let me just remind you what we talked about on Tuesday, shall I say we were discussing this growing

tension, this mistrust that is bubbling away between the British and the Russians.

So you have Lord Ellenbro who's saying look all we have to concentrate on now all Britain has to do is stop expansion of Russia and they have reason to fear the Russian expansion but as William was saying actually they whip up a

great storm of suspicion and hawkishness that you were saying that maybe they

create the problem that they didn't have to face, William, that's right.

Yes, there's this wonderful moment with William Moorcroft.

Now, William Moorcroft, again, is one of these fabulous figures who is on one hand a Bon fide explorer stroke I think is actually he runs the East

India company stud is his job.

...