A History of the World in Spy Objects

Thomas Heatherwick: Poison-Tipped Umbrella

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Episode notes

What was the sharp pain that George Markov felt in his ankle as he crossed London’s Waterloo Bridge one day?

Spoiler: it doesn’t end well for George. Architect and designer Thomas Heatherwick and host Alice Loxton tell the sad tale of a Bulgarian dissident’s encounter with one of the most notorious tools of spycraft.

From SPYSCAPE, the home of secrets. A Cup And Nuzzle production. Series produced by Alex Burnard, Morgan Childs, Claire Crofton, Joe Foley, Frank Palmer, Kellie Redmond and Isabel Sutton. Music by Nick Ryan.