Discretion: Episode 1

Limelight

BBC

Drama, Fiction

4.4 • 604 Ratings

🗓️ 11 April 2025

⏱️ 29 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Maria Kossecka, newly appointed Deputy Head of Mission, attends a rally with her boss James Reid, to see Milan Ogrisovic, the front runner in the forthcoming presidential elections. His supporters are numerous and vocal about his message of unity and his pro European views.

When Reid asks Maria to attend a dinner with Ogrisovic that night, she is apprehensive - it's her first major engagement. Little does she know that the week's events will soon overshadow those fears.

Maria...Sinead Keenan Reid...Kevin McNally Paul...Edward Hogg Ogrisovic...Laurentiu Possa Kathy...Kiran Sonia Sawar Galina...Anna Krippa Natsev...Avital Lvova

All other roles by Eddie Toll, Ani Russo and John Albasiny

Written by Chris Brandon. Produced by Claire Broughton Direction, Sound Design and additional production by John Wakefield

The Executive Producer is Jed Mercurio.

With thanks to Theresa Bubbear and Leigh Turner for their testimony and Tanya Nedashkovskaya for her translations

A Hat Trick production for BBC Radio 4

Transcript

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0:00.0	BBC Sounds, music, radio, podcasts.
0:05.8	Discretion is from Limelight, the home of fiction and drama you won't want to miss from Radio 4.
0:12.9	For more audio drama like this, just search for Limelight on BBC Sounds.
0:20.8	I didn't really know what I was getting into. I don't think I'd read any genre. on BBC Sounds.
0:23.1	I didn't really know what I was getting into.
0:25.4	I don't think I'd read any John LaCarray.
0:29.8	I mean, all I knew was it was the job that absolutely everybody wanted.
0:35.8	To be a good diplomat, you have to be an absolute expert in whatever you're dealing with,
0:38.1	whether you're a country officer for a particular country, whether you're dealing with trade overseas in an with, whether you're a country officer for a particular country,
0:43.0	whether you're dealing with trade, overseas in an embassy, whether you're doing consular work.
0:48.4	My advice to diplomats is to know absolutely everything about what they're dealing with.
0:52.0	They say, and it's very true, you never get a second chance to make a first impression.
0:56.9	And so while you're trying to figure out how the money works and where to buy a pint of milk,
1:03.2	you are also trying to be full-on professional when actually, certainly in my case,
1:04.8	the first day I couldn't find my way home.
1:13.3	Being a diplomat, your two main jobs are to gather information about what's going on there, and then you want to use that information to influence what's going on there.
1:17.3	Diplomacy is all and only about people. How do you deal with the distressed British National?
1:22.4	You do not want Sir Humphrey double-barreled, turning up, looking very smart and walking away again.
1:29.1	Actually, much better to have someone who will come in and give you a hug and keep in touch.
1:33.4	Focus on people. People are key. Not only in your own organisation, also the people who you're
1:41.4	trying to influence. It's about building those connections.
1:45.5	And if you're just you like me,
	...

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