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Episode 5

Toby Jones stars as the corrupt MP Joseph Olinska. Lionel Smith, the man who was ordered to set Joseph's flats ablaze, has finally emerged. But who ordered him?

It's the 1980s and Brian Oldman is back in jail for a crime he didn't commit. He suspects, but cannot prove, that Joseph Oldman, now Joseph Olinska MP, was the perpetrator.

GF Newman's The Corrupted weaves fiction with real characters from history, following the fortunes of the Oldman family - from small-time business and opportunistic petty crime, through gang rivalries, to their entanglement in the highest echelons of society. It's a tale revealing the nexus of crime, business and politics woven through the fabric of 20th century greed as even those with hitherto good intentions are sucked into a web of corruption.

Joey Oldman, an uneducated Jewish child immigrant from Russia, has a natural instinct for business and a love of money - coupled with a knack for acquiring it. His wife Cath is as ruthless in both the pursuit of money and the protection of her son, Brian. Joey built his empire with the help of a corrupt bank manager in the 1950s, starting with small greengrocer shops before moving into tertiary banking and property development, dealing with many corrupt policemen on the way - and befriending both Lord Goodman and Margaret Thatcher.

The characters are based on GF Newman's novels.

Produced and directed by Clive Brill
A Brill production for Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 4.

1 month left to listen

44 minutes

Last on

Sat 15 Apr 2023 21:00

Credits

Role Contributor
Joseph Oldman/Olinska Toby Jones
Brian Joe Armstrong
Catherine Izabella Urbanowicz
Tony Wednesday Alec Newman
Sir Ralph Courtney Nick Sampson
Kevin Wheeler Lucas Hare
Brian Perry Nicholas Murchie
George Carmen Nigel Cooke
Lionel Smith Kieron Jecchinis
Warder Dewitt Matthew Marsh
Robert Gallo William Meredith
John Binden Charles Davies
Gerald Ronson Edward Max
Author GF Newman
Director Clive Brill
Producer Clive Brill

Broadcasts

  • Fri 29 Jun 2018 14:15
  • Sat 15 Apr 2023 21:00