Alice Levine is set to host a new podcast series titled ‘British Scandal’.
Alice Levine
The 34-year-old radio presenter will team up with comedian and podcaster Matt Forde to host the new podcast series, which is being produced by Wondery in what will be the company’s first ever UK-produced podcast.
‘British Scandal’ – which is also the first Wondery podcast to be produced outside of the US – will explore the gripping stories, fascinating characters and critical questions arising on a journey through some of the biggest UK scandals.
Each season, Alice and Matt will talk audiences through the jaw-dropping story of a major modern-day scandal that took place in the UK with the help of an expert contributor offering insight, updates and commentary.
The first season of the podcast will discuss the poisoning of Alexander Litvinenko, the Russian dissident who dared to take on the Kremlin and subsequently fled to the UK, to be granted asylum in 2000.
In November 2006, Litvinenko became extremely ill and was hospitalised in London; just over three weeks later, he became the first person in the world to be killed by lethal drug polonium-210, sparking a diplomatic crisis which dragged UK and Russia relations to their lowest point since the end of the Cold War.
Wondery has already ordered a second and third season of the podcast, with season two exploring the death of scientist and weapons expert David Kelly in 2003, and season three looking into the 2018 Cambridge Analytica crisis.
In a statement, Alice said: “I’ve loved so many Wondery shows as a listener, so I’m thrilled that I get to join the team. ‘British Scandal’ is an amazing chance to take a deep dive into some events that we all remember from the news, which really are stranger than fiction. Revisiting them with some distance, knowing what we know now, throws up some incredible surprises!”
Whilst Matt added: "My mum used to say, 'scandals are like sandals: some are big, some are small, but they always trip somebody up'. OK, maybe she never said that, but I thought it sounded clever, so I went with it. I love a good scandal and I love talking to Alice Levine about scandals, so this show is perfect for me. The biggest British scandal of all is that this podcast didn't exist already."