Episode 3
Two clandestine networks - the homosexual subculture and London's spy community - form an unlikely alliance at the bar below the Ritz. Read by Kenneth Cranham.
Kenneth Cranham reads Matthew Sweet's dark history of the scandalous life above and below stairs in London's grand hotels during the Second World War. While bombs rain down on London's East End, life in the capital's glittering hotels carries on regardless, with hotels like the Ritz, the Dorchester, the Savoy and Claridge's becoming mini Casablancas, where spies and con artists, traitors and royalty rub shoulders under the reinforced ceilings.
Today: two clandestine networks - the homosexual subculture and London's spy community - form an unlikely alliance at the bar below the Ritz.
Reader: Kenneth Cranham
Producer: Justine Willett
Abridger: Viv Beeby.
Last on
Broadcasts
Wed 16 Nov 2011 09:45Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 4 FM- Thu 17 Nov 2011 00:30Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 4
- Wed 14 Sep 2016 14:45Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 4 Extra
- Thu 15 Sep 2016 02:45Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 4 Extra
Listen to more Audio Books
Including My Sister The Serial Killer, Queenie, The Flatshare and more.
Opening Lines
John Yorke unpacks the themes behind the stories in Radio 4's weekend afternoon dramas.
Sample our books and authors Clip Collection
Interviews, previews and reviews
Subscribe to the Short stories podcast
Featuring the best stories from the UK's finest writers
How many of these 100 Novels have you read?
After a passionate debate, our panel has come up with this surprising literary selection.
Finding Your Story
Ten remarkable novels about identity: Which one will help you discover yourself?
Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Arts: Books
Celebrating reading and the 100 novels that have shaped our world.