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1. Humble Beginnings

Episode 1 of 5

4 Extra Debut. The life story of the business tycoon and newspaper owner from birth to his mysterious death at sea. Read by Henry Goodman.

Robert Maxwell remains an enigma.

A hugely successful tycoon who came from humble beginnings as an Orthodox Jew in Czechoslovakia, and whose father sold animal skins for a living, Maxwell became a British war-hero, decorated for his heroism, then a Labour MP, all the while amassing a huge fortune as the owner of publishing and newspaper businesses.

But when he fell from his yacht, the Lady Ghislaine, in the middle of the night in 1991, another story was revealed - of debts and unscrupulous dealings.

No-one had ever fallen so far and so quickly.

John Preston's gripping biography sets out to give the definitive account of Robert Maxwell's rise and fall.

Underneath this apparent model of society lay an amoral and bloated wreck.

Abridged in five parts by Richard Hamilton.

Read by Henry Goodman.

Producer: Elizabeth Allard.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2021.

14 minutes

Last on

Tue 10 Dec 202403:30
BBC Radio 4 Extra

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2. Early Business Dealings

See all episodes from Fall: The Mystery of Robert Maxwell by John Preston

Broadcasts

  • Mon 8 Feb 202109:45
    BBC Radio 4 FM
  • Tue 9 Feb 202100:30
    BBC Radio 4
  • Mon 9 Dec 202408:30
    BBC Radio 4 Extra
  • Mon 9 Dec 202413:30
    BBC Radio 4 Extra
  • Mon 9 Dec 202419:30
    BBC Radio 4 Extra
  • Tue 10 Dec 202403:30
    BBC Radio 4 Extra