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British Scandal

Thatcher's Favourite Fraudster | Ragtrade to Riches | 1

British Scandal

Wondery

Scandal, Alice Levine, Great Britain, Society & Culture, Exhibit C, British, England, History, Matt Forde, Documentary

4.56.5K Ratings

🗓️ 19 March 2025

⏱️ 59 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

It’s the 1980s. Margaret Thatcher’s Britain is all about making it big if you work hard enough, and boy, does Asil Nadir get the memo. He transforms small textile firm, Polly Peck into a FTSE 100 giant. The City loves him; the Iron Lady thinks he’s marvellous. But when they learn the truth, his empire starts to crumble.


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Transcript

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0:00.0

Alice, what an exciting day. We're obviously launching our new business tomorrow.

0:03.2

So I just wanted to check that we were both on the same page re-product lines.

0:08.2

Yeah, I mean, in a way we can sort of get away with anything because it's a general kind of household, everything shop.

0:13.3

You know, just the things that people need every day, like batteries or light bulbs or, you know, washing up liquid.

0:19.1

Yeah, bubble tea, fidget spinners, VR headsets, all the normal stuff people buy at a local shop.

0:25.8

Yeah, sort of, I don't know, like jiffy bags or like, you know, like envelopes or glue sticks or, you know, kind of stationary type stuff.

0:34.1

Car parts. So many people have got cars, we should sell the parts of the cars that people need.

0:39.7

And as travel agents, people love going abroad.

0:42.9

I worry a little bit that we are overreaching slightly.

0:47.5

You said it was a general store.

0:49.0

Yeah, no, definitely, definitely.

0:50.3

And I stand by that.

0:51.5

But do you think that we're maybe diversifying a bit too much?

0:54.4

The only problem is I have bought all this stuff.

0:57.6

You've bought a travel agent.

0:59.4

I accept quarter one may be challenging.

1:02.0

But in business, it always is.

1:04.2

I think by year seven, we may break even.

1:12.1

1993.

1:13.7

Airspace over France.

1:16.4

52-year-old Azil Nadir looks out of the window of the light aircraft.

1:21.4

His stomach knots as it comes into land.

...

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