Episode 1

What could divide two close friends, the aristocratic Foxwell Cravate and American tycoon Max Pomeroy so far apart that their rivalry has come to threaten the human race?

There's only one way to find out - with flashbacks.

Ian Hislop and Nick Newman's epic tale of bitter rivals whose destinies are tragically intertwined. Set in Durban at the Transworld Oil Conference - aping the style of the best TV mini-series of the 90s.

Foxwell Cravate ...... Martin Jarvis
Max Pomeroy ...... Mac McDonald
Arabella Derbyshire ...... Felicity Montagu
Iolanthe Diamond ...... Caroline Quentin
Charles Ambrose Fortescue de Vere ...... Jonathan Coy
Prince Saudi ...... Julian Dutton

With Toby Longworth and Mandy Knight

Producer: Colin Swash

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 1994.