Jeremy Thorpe | Interview | 5
British Scandal
Audible
4.4 • 7.2K Ratings
🗓️ 1 March 2023
⏱️ 41 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Alice and Matt talk to Norman Scott, the man at the very heart of our story, whose chance meeting with Jeremy Thorpe in 1961 would lead to an attempt on his life. He describes the first time he caught the former Liberal leader's eye, the painful years living under his control and the terrifying night his life was in the balance. And he delivers his verdict on Hugh Grant’s portrayal of Thorpe in the BBC’s A Very English Scandal.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hello, Prime Members! You can listen to British scandal one week early and ad-free |
| 0:04.4 | on Amazon Music or via the OneDrew Plus subscription on the OneDrew app or Apple podcasts. |
| 0:10.4 | This episode contains descriptions of sexual assault and suicide. |
| 0:14.2 | If that's not something you want to listen to right now, please be advised. |
| 0:18.0 | From Wondry, I'm Alice Levine and I'm Mac Ford. |
| 0:32.4 | And this is British scandal. |
| 0:34.4 | So, Matt, we have finished the remarkable story of Jeremy Thorpe, the MP who tried to have his |
| 0:48.6 | ex-lover murdered. Even by our standards, by British scandal standards, this one is pretty wild. |
| 0:55.7 | There are so many incredible elements to this. The botched murder and all the details around that. |
| 1:01.1 | The absolutely idiotic lackeys who get involved. And the fact that it's the first ever MP in |
| 1:07.5 | British history to stand trial for conspiracy to murder, it's historic. Absolutely. And what's |
| 1:13.6 | even more unbelievable is that legally, he got away with it. It's the old boys club working over |
| 1:20.7 | time, doubling down of the establishment. And for us, because we're obsessed with this, |
| 1:25.7 | it is fascinating to see it in full defence mode when it's one of their own that's being attacked. |
| 1:31.1 | And when you consider this as just one guy who doesn't come from a powerful background at all, |
| 1:35.2 | and he is taking on the police, parliament, members of the executive, the judiciary and the press. |
| 1:41.7 | This is one individual taking on all the major houses of power in this country. |
| 1:46.7 | There is no better, David and Goliath story that we've covered than this. |
| 1:50.9 | So, there's really only one guest we could have today. We have got such a treat for you. |
| 1:56.0 | Norman Scott is a former dressage trainer and model and a man at the very heart of this story. |
| 2:02.4 | In 1961, his introduction to Jeremy Thorke set him on a course he could never have expected. |
| 2:08.8 | He's been called a liar, a fantasist, an inspiration, and a queer icon. His 2022 autobiography |
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