Parting Shots - Series 1
Matthew Parris marks the passing of the valedictory despatch, the traditional final telegram home in which British ambassadors could let their hair down and settle a few scores. The series features newly declassified Foreign Office files alongside interviews with the diplomats who wrote them. Matthew delves into the archives to find valedictories in which ambassadors heading into retirement poked fun at foreign nations where they had served.
Parting Shots - Series 1 - Episode 1
Matthew Parris delves into the archives to find valedictories in which ambassadors heading into retirement poked fun at foreign nations where they had served.
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Parting Shots - Series 1 - Episode 2
How successful diplomacy requires an ambassador to both see beyond the shortcomings of their foreign hosts and persuade them to look kindly on our own.
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Parting Shots - Series 1 - Episode 3
The privations of embassy life. In their valedictories, diplomats recount the hardships of foreign service - rat infested rooms, defunct plumbing and death threats.
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Parting Shots - Series 1 - Episode 4
Despatches which changed the course of history, including Nicholas Henderson's 1979 valedictory lament to a Britain 'poor and unproud' and in economic decline.
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Parting Shots - Series 1 - Episode 5
Valedictories which embarrassed ministers. Featuring an interview with Sir Ivor Roberts, whose 2006 valedictory led to the Foreign Office banning their circulation.
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