Mar 02 2025 80 mins 1
This week we are following a tale of transcontinental industrial espionage from the Victorian Era.
Robert Fortune was a poor Scots horticulturalist who just so happened to have been born at a time when plant hunting was deemed to be of vital importance to the British Empire.
Determined that his last name would not be his only fortune Robert agreed to travel to China to steal the secrets of their their most valuable commodity... Tea.
Going deep undercover Robert would become the lynchpin in a plot to start a rival tea production industry in British controlled India. Of course this would mean long years away from his wife and children, but Robert seemed more than happy with this arrangement.
Would he be caught? Would the plants he stole survive the journey to India? and would his disguise be deemed culturally insensitive to a modern audience?
All these questions and more will be answered.
Guest Host: Jack Heathcote
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