Summary
Richard Ratcliffe, Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s husband, begins his public campaign to win her freedom. And the British government explores some creative solutions for paying off a debt it owes to Iran. Finally, in 2019 the UK and Iran head to the table to negotiate a deal for Nazanin’s release.
Presenter: Ceri Thomas Producer: Matt Russell Original music: Tom Kinsella A Tortoise Media production for BBC Radio 4
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | This was an impregnable fortress. The only way you get out was in a wooden box. |
| 0:05.0 | The controversial maximum security prison impossible to escape from. |
| 0:09.0 | And one of the duties of a political prisoner is the escape. |
| 0:12.0 | The IRA inmates who found a way. of a political prisoner is the escape. |
| 0:12.5 | The IRA inmates who found a way. |
| 0:14.5 | I'm Carlo Gableer and I'll be navigating a path |
| 0:19.5 | through the disturbing inside story of the biggest jailbreak in British and Irish history. |
| 0:25.0 | The narrative that they want is that this is a big achievement by them. |
| 0:28.5 | Escape from the maze, listen first on BBC Sounds. |
| 0:35.0 | BBC Sounds. BBC Sounds, Music Radio Podcasts. |
| 0:39.0 | Hello, I'm Kerry Thomas and this is seriously from BBC Radio 4. |
| 0:44.3 | You're listening to Nazanine episode 4. |
| 0:48.1 | From the beginning, from the moment she was taken on April the 3rd, 2016, Nazanin Zagari Ratcliffe was an unusual Iranian |
| 0:55.8 | hostage. She was rare as a woman and unique as a young mother. Gabriella was |
| 1:02.3 | 20 months old and they were traveling together. |
| 1:09.1 | In the video of her arrest, Nazanine looks amazingly self-possessed. If she's panicking, you really can't see it. |
| 1:16.4 | Or maybe those moments have been edited out. |
| 1:19.4 | If you want to accuse someone of being a spy, as Iran was going to accuse Nazanin before long, |
| 1:25.6 | perhaps someone calm and unfazed looks guiltier. |
| 1:29.6 | Maybe that's what the revolutionary guard wanted. not a terrified mother about to have her baby taken away. |
| 1:36.0 | When ever a British national or a dual national like Nazanin is taken hostage, |
| 1:47.0 | the Foreign Office gives their family the same advice, |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from BBC, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of BBC and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.