And the rope Miletus to bring the referred So yes I've only been in 3 days but I love this place and I love the as a Kate when I lusted after wishless sister and his mother I wasn't fussy in them days women are I love them both sometimes separately sometimes together we should be having more of not less what do we remember of ancient Egypt their financial consultants their insurance salesman their mortgage rates no we remember that Art Oh it is what lives on are is what brings us humans together. I've met some many people who love this place Mr Brindley self look at him grey with grief Mrs h. Boss did anybody ever have a more beautiful boss whistle assistant a. Message he's devastated Mr Crumlin slick out double barrel weapons expert this news is as hard for him to swallow as a minute's milky Marvel and I even talked to cleaner extraordinary to tell you she has prostate with prostrates with grief my new friend will fall off no one else splendid gallery attendance this place is home to him even that madhouse that ancient Eva days writing rites by living forms from face to likelihoods we was not giving We Miss Franks on wherever there is a road with them out wherever there's a suitable spot we will pick 8 and I suggest that we set up a fighting fund the mc the same way they motivate collection collection and we will fight old and we will win because we care that close this wonderful race never. Want to know about him. Intimately connection rolled minutes this play by Julian run time will to bring by Geoffrey Thomas come by Rachel please Julian trying to sleep 5 and build on Dez Wainwright by Michael Smiley Eva tackled by Julia Deakin and will fall but not by Geoff Pickett and other parts were played by members of the cost the movie collection was written by David Knox and the producer was coming out. Next week Deputy curator Roald steps up his campaign to say he did museum and pursue prunella but on a Friday and so we've got on film now on the comedy club just what take this opportunity to do my impression of an elephant. Was that we have another choice. Stuart you just dumped on from this point. Oh I was a bit but I will see you again tomorrow night on the comedy club the smooth Good night from me a lot of. Us . Here for my own. a global hit does it help us one. First though more than $250.00 people have lost their lives to the deadly plants in the destruction factor it's been established that the Exxon strain can be destroyed but only with the government's full backing a state of emergency has been declared but have they acted fast enough. Be. Be. The destruction factor by James Follett with b.p. McKenna Paul Copley and Rosalind Adams. Episode 5. Such. And destroy. Number 5 going to cause a stir in legal circles and I'm not sure that my colleagues will agree to the concept of a minimum pain blenders certainly not one of this magnitude Mr little thought into Central so I try to. Which means that I'll have to be extra persuasive Ok making a t.v. Broadcast immediately after the Cabinet meeting I daresay the media will be screaming for a spokesman after my broadcast to you had better stay in London for the rest of the evening genders Good evening at midnight tonight the government is introducing the toughest legislation this country has ever known to combat the great danger it has ever faced Well these were the words spoken by the prime minister in his unprecedented broadcast to the nation just before this program I'm president because Mr Craig went on to say that the present campaign against the Exxon strain has been too timid and that it had been a case of doing too little nearly too late stand by camera 3 now with me in the studio is Max Flint the scientist in charge of the new organization Q 3 set up to deal with the Exxon strain Mr Flinders How would you answer those who say that these emergency measures are too harsh the 10000 minimum. Cultivation of the Exxon stream Yes for the benefit of those who missed the Prime Minister's broadcast the new regulations give unlimited powers to the police and the army to destroy Exxon strain plants wherever they're found and for massive minimum fines for those caught growing the plant or the fire and what effect more than a handful of responsible people positive side of the new regulations is that the government would be paying a 2 pound reward for every one of these plants taken to a police station Yes indeed but do you not feel that the concept of automatic minimum fines is contradict largest country to life on this planet. It's the government's belief that 2 pounds per plant is sufficient incentive for people to go out search for x. On stray implants and take them to the nearest police station where they will be paid immediately starting tomorrow starting at midnight tonight and continuing for 3 weeks until midnight on the last day of July so the plant is safe to touch perfectly safe how many plants are there growing wild in the country that's a tough one it could be as little as 10000000 or as many as 100000000 so stamping them out is going to be an expensive business cost is the least of our worries but one thing we haven't got this time how long have we got 5 weeks at the outside and if we fail we mustn't but there's always the remote possibility we are not paid to eradicate this plant it won't be a disaster for just this country are even the countries of the European community it will be a planetary catastrophe that not even the combined resources of all the member countries of the United Nations will be able to combat. a position of influence is exerting pressure. You know. It might be worth your scratching around to see if you can uncover the link between Colon Senior members of the government. Hated working for that I can understand the ever tell you right now. Any developments while I've been away a plant research team of moved into complex to be a huge radio must gone up on the admin roof and they've turned the top dog into hell you. Sound like friends floors have been busy. Going to take you straight there and you need a good night's sleep I don't trust that I should man up and sleep better when I see what they've been up to. And over there is Section 10 who will be pressing information from all police stations on where plants are found and quantities that carbon very good blow Why was the cosign taken off the roof section 11 helicopter Communications Section 12 police liaison in case there's trouble the police can't handle with the plants with 2 pounds each they could be dustups between landowners and search parties you have done a 1st class job but why was the sign taken down we represent the place on your instructions is no longer under control you mean Erica didn't want their name to be picked up day after day by a permanent squad of t.v. Cowboy who asked you to take it down it was my idea I put Howard Rogers in charge of the climatology and as you know how it works and he agreed Oh yes he's working in there now an idea of his from machine to detect the plants from the. Ok switch or try to blow up with a question 1st. Asked when the microwave slowly said. It was much movement Champlain just you and I moved to one side. Looks hopeful though. Always. The one giving you an oscilloscope to play with hello in a similar scope it's the world's 1st excellent strain detector on the work we think what is an adaptive parametric amplifier used for the detection of submarine the extreme ohm range piece of. Where I fitted it with this micro trustor digital gun microphones that can be slung beneath a helicopter the amplifier has a discriminative facility that can be programmed to respond only to sound patterns that much of recorded tape or other sounds are ignored. When it seems to work on that group of actions strain growing over there it might help if we increase the sunlight to stimulate them into faster growth minima we get this level. She says random dogs on the screen all Britain have to do is spew them into a straight line my child. To which microphone you can even. Shake and as you can see you might think you're going straight to those actually. Right the. Good in which a helicopter have an adverse effect on the detector sensitivity I don't know but I doubt it. The microphones are only interested in sounds originating from where they're pointing I read about the super sensitive sound detected I thought a few of them might be ideal for the screaming inaccessible parts of the country rubbish if this thing works I don't need 500 models to screen the entire country. This is the only one in existence friend blow as requisition that from the Navy if we can make one we can make 500. How long have you been without sleep 50 you know that when you manage another 2 there's a seeking helicopter in the carpark it's been placed at my disposal get this thing installed temporarily and get some sleep will go out 1st flight test. a company I don't think the detector is sensitive enough to detect individual but in the bureau comps are going to be out biggest problem once the 1st piece of clean of a country is complete. It looks pretty dense in their job we look for a path now we go straight in front of a few never know you. Come up. Damned tree roots everywhere it's mostly down to the stream would that be enough light in there for them. What. On your left. But. Hell if that's typical of the country then we're too late how many do you reckon couple of 1000 I would need like. Let's take a closer look. Some of you think we're rabid there's something. From let's No I mean. 5 seconds left when you were idiots I had government scientists investigating the our tax $1.00 Mark if you don't do you think I'm going to the police station you're going to do it. So. Come on come on let's do as you say it's not going to take. Down. Each pin represents a 1000 plants 100 in my estimate. Certainly looks like it's because they were intelligent guesses rather than estimates and not so intelligent it seems New how did that become so widespread in such a short time. So what is it called The source told us a report from Section 12 there's a major incident developing a Wimbledon Common. That's exactly a young man crime. 7 police officers and I'm a helicopter pilot and 27 civilians 35 people killed in the West civil disturbance in this country can you Prime Minister no one would have been killed if that young thug hadn't fought a shotgun at the helicopter. Yes. As many as that Ok I'll tell him a surprise surprise you would operations from of just fan through the final figures for the number of plans handed in today 8000000 what if you got to say to that Mr Flynt as it's thought to be to drill conclusions let's see how this phase goes before we close down schools offices and pictures. Supposing we succeed in destroying every plant in the country what about the seeds that we miss and the birds miss when they germinate next spring and start the trouble all over again no prime minister we've discovered that the seeds decay reputably if they don't germinate within 3 weeks the exon strain is a Laguna spawn the same old with peas and beans the 1st frost or no frost and it's good by next spring the Exxon strain will be extinct less migrating birds kind of the seeds of that's why I have sent samples of the Exxon strain to every country in the world well Health Organization and the United Nations so that they can it didn't if either content carry out research you've done what who gave you the right to do that you did you said I was to wipe out you know about this blow I know it's the 1st I've heard about it and was no danger gentlemen that was sent in sealed containers I don't give a damn what they were sent. By doing that job as good as told the world that we don't have a solution to the Exxon strain I'm not trying to take part away from you Prime Minister you'll find of the Exxon stable do that very nicely without help from me if you try to keep this a domestic issue if you want my resignation you can have it if you don't and I'm not given a free hand you have it anyway. As for day 26100000 day for 4.6000003.2000000 contacting so far today for the truth definitely don't Woods doesn't mean nothing Denise I expected the figures to dive to almost 0 and to your getting too pessimistic in your old age marks the helicopters fitted with Exxon detectors a proving to be a huge success and 30 we're going to service tomorrow how are things going with the new ultra sensitive detector how it went off this morning in a helicopter to test the prototype the months of this week still nothing but they're saying they might be able to come up with a selective we've killa in 6 years not 6 days yeah I can understand how they feel are choosing the best oh yes scope of a report from Section 11 mission links chopper that should have reviewed it thought finale Ghassan showed up all right good situation should that concern me if I had a cut to his job the 7 mission Captain dos of that I was to tell you. Charlie 7 that's right Mr one Mr Howard Rogers is aboard. Oh. Oh here's the pilot Don't let us see him cover not going to be but. It's you found how do you know no no no it's not what I swear it's not our well. We can find out when the relief helicopter arrives it's no good trying to come rough country like this by a senator who needs to come but you can't be bothered to live in that I was he could be anyway. What do you reckon happened rotas a smashed pilot probably trying to fly to love and keep the tree. I Phone something about. It looks like a trail of blood. Oh . Oh oh. We have to separate pick up the trail again you check that clearing while I circle round give a shot if you find anything says k. . Knox quick a. I don't. Know. Oh . It can't be right it's too big they don't grow just saw this one has. Its impacts it's real all right another one over there and another one. I'd say this carrying on the plans is what Howard spotted from the helicopter 2. I like. You. And your family. How. Likely would be to tell no no don't try to move. He will be high 20 max. Here's the relief helicopter to be a doctor and stretcher on board. Would be able to fly him straight to hospital. But in the helicopter suddenly seemed to shake itself to pieces before it crashed. We went much more than 30 feet over. And had a pain in my leg crawled out of the wreckage. The 1st thing I saw was the pilot. Could see there was nothing I could do for him. So I thought I'd try and find the clearing you'd seen a trauma thought the plans were a trick you've seen them plenty of the porcelain was over 8 feet high 8 feet. So what I think we don't know yet we have to see of the Seas replicate the parents but it looks as if the Exxon strain has produced its 1st hybrid In other words we might have a super x. On our hands we are not interested in understanding it your job is to destroy it. Projected daily figures for what it will still be operating those damned plants by the 1000000 at the end of October when the buds of lift and now you tell me you've discovered a colony of giant Exxon's growing happily in Wales and you have a better of good news having a find some of which is likely to lay the main migration and if it turns fall which isn't exactly on the damn birds will help you to. Yes thanks for the good news I'm trying to be honest with you Prime Minister we don't have the answer but i'm 100 percent sure that we will the problem is not whether or not we can produce a selective decide if we're going to can be produced quickly enough in sufficient quantities to spray the entire country by mid September at the very latest. I suggest you set up an operational research team to look at the district problems the number of helicopters that would be needed and so on because you might discover that you have to swallow your national pride and go cap in hand to the United Nations. Next time a jury in d.c. You know they are Row $35.00 but they're still the same height as the other extreme and up more than a couple of feet which means that those plants from Wales are freaks hybrids who seeds produce or reacts on the super x. And doesn't exist why shouldn't kidding and some woodland in Wales produce such giant plants. At 1st like tomorrow morning I want you to send as many helicopters and men as you can to that clearing bring back 4 tons of topsoil and 4 tons of subsoil but don't mix them now this is some space over here. Read the stuff for a tough talk just kid I can't spell it cops for that what about using trucks places an accessible and life would be to see you would like the turf as well good thinking oh yes we have a tough time a tournament where it goes on top of the topside greenside up remember May I ask why you want to import chunks of the Welsh countryside. And have you thinking on that. He looks disgustingly work well it is disgusting Yes because I'm well back home in similarly surroundings a d. Starch to nurse seeing to my every whim. Well almost every woman you look pleased with yourself Yes Well at last I feel I might be about to achieve something now is the time I felt 1st thing this morning but she wouldn't play ball. I would be a minute makes very suspect all right why don't you 2 get married. Why plan for a future when there might not be one. And on our county stuff I don't suppose you can remember much about that feeling not really well I can remember his falling into rhododendron bushes my leg was hurting so much I can hardly see where I was going why. To say what a dent in Bush's beloved elephant blows this is to you Max He says you know a little piece of Wales that it was only do that tell him to public couple of dozen Exxon strain in it now think carefully and are you certain it was a rhododendron you feel it's something that I thought was far too important to come to us with a bag that's why I returned to London on the 1st available Concorde about those plants that next Linda sent to every member country oh don't look so surprised I guess the bisque walks sooner or later so what's being hatched in New York there's a small investigating committee reporting direct to the secretary general they know how fast the Exxon stream can spread the density you can reach and the likely effect on the Earth's atmosphere to tell you about this committee the secretary general we're not represented no what did you say I told him that we're on the verge of producing an insecticide that will wipe out the eggs straight good good are we know what he gave me this report on a series of tests carried out on episodic samples taken from his country it says there is strong evidence pointing to a significant increase in the atmosphere oxygen level and a decrease in the nitrogen level page 10 yes I think so. A significant increase in this report is talking in terms of several decimal places of one percent I don't call that significant data go back to New York and tell them that we're dealing with a situation that our own way it's not as simple as their prime minister extremely simple Mr say their concern for the entire world they say that the Exxon streams of trip to mankind exist the United Nations doesn't have a monopoly on concern where they're giving us 30 days to eradicate the x. And strain by our methods Otherwise they say that they will be forced with great reluctance to use their methods it's a scheme that would involve the air forces all the major parties operating under a single un command they're sending an observer and his embassy what methods they'll use a concentrated total herbicide to aerial spray every square inch of the country. Dale Cox they'll defs the entire country to that there will be a single tree or blade of grass left by the time they're finished. In the destruction factor by James Follett the part of Max Flinders was played by t.p. McKenna Howard Rogers Paul Copley Denise Texan Rosalind Adams Craig Knowles Johnson blowers Michael Shannon television presenter Henry knows producers assistant Mary Elliot Nelson. Climate Tory m technician Rod Beecham helicopter pilot Peter Wickham farmer Roy Spencer Corporal Gregory De Palma and Sachs Denis Scotia. The production was by David Spencer. And be sure to join us after the weekend for the final episode world without fire. This weekend in the 7th I mentioned Radio 4 extras home of Saif a fantasy and horror a sinister story of a nightmare relationship. Is the matter why are you so frank. Could be. I love you cause. I do. Listen to. A man is mad that he's not safe. Come with me now. Please. Let Mr stars in ghosts from the past plus adventures in space from down there to join me for the summer fun mentioned on b.b.c. Radio 4 extra this Saturday and Sunday at 6 pm and midnight. Thanks Rick on Radio 4 extra you can follow what happened behind the scenes at a milestone production of Hamlet back in 2014 the title role was played by a woman the star of dinner ladies Seamus and soak Maxine Peake it's an opportunity of a life time. You know and it's just. Yeah it's hard it's difficult it's frightening enough and never been surpassed founded on the lack of it going into there but then when it goes in the it flows and you just on the scene with people and you're doing it I've never felt that I was in and from the peaks and just takes you on an extraordinary journey but yeah it is I will look back I probably I think about as forty's when you're fighting oh my god how much. You can hear how Maxine Peake prepared for that iconic Shakespearean role in that undressed on b.b.c. Radio 4 extra Next Wednesday afternoon at 130 and again in the evening at 830. This b.b.c. Radio 4 x. . So now from 2005 his Matthew Parris and of the page. There are sayings so famous you need only to quote the 1st few words Hell hath no fury of course no longer needs they like a woman scorned everyone knows it and everybody knows what it means but nobody more so than my 3 guests this evening raring to write and talk about the implications Harry Thompson Rachel Royce and Libby Potter a note from my producer reads We have a man upon whom vengeance was wreaked a woman who did the wreaking another woman who gets married soon can you please warn contributors about libel contributors you have been warned Livy Potter beat Victoria back I'm in a feature magazine's list of the sexiest women in the world most serious stuff on Libby and a moment Rachel Royce it says in the note she sent us gave up a promising career as a bunny girl to become a news bunny more of Rachel in a moment Harry Thompson is the t.v. Producer behind Have I Got News For You allergy Harry Enfield and the Blakely funny Monkey Dust animation series are also wrote a very well received biography of Peter Cook and his 1st novel this thing of darkness is published later this year read just what you've written about women scorned Harry. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned Well Congress who wrote that line should have known better than to generalize but if it's good enough for him I will feel free to join in for the duration I can tell you for a start that the scorned bit is merely an optional extra Hell hath no fury like a woman when you inadvertently mention a previous girlfriend in a positive light let's face it when it comes to fury hell is Tim Henman and on the other side of the net woman is Roger Federer but what is it specifically that stokes the deep fryers of female fury I used to be married once to a woman didn't work out I'm not going to detail I think it's rather sordid washing your dirty linen in public I'm sorry Rachael Suffice it to say that we weren't getting on in an amicable sort of way and we decided to call it a day my big foot in it mistake was to start going out rather too quickly enthusiastically let's say tactlessly with someone else someone who happened to be a bit younger suddenly my wife got furious being a p.r. She was friends with a reporter from The Daily Mail who soon fixed up a lucrative weekly column for a called Diary of a divorce she wasn't too hard on me in it but she was furious with my new girlfriend every week that the wildly inaccurate physical attacks on said girlfriend wildly inaccurate because of course my wife had never actually met or let alone set eyes on her because it was a media spat of course the other papers were seen sniffing around like house ations the Daily Mirror offered my girlfriend 10000 pounds to have a go back no way the Guardian women's page left a message from my girlfriend on our answerphone saying she'd been impugned as a woman and would she like to state her case in the Guardian they also left a message for my wife by mistake on my girlfriend's ansaphone saying that she had been impugned as a woman and would she like to state her case in the Guardian. Predictably the sun news pages got the story almost entirely right predictably private I got the story almost entirely wrong 15 issues in a row best of all was seeing my photo in the sun featured pages alongside those of Earl Spencer and Bob Geldof underneath the headline Are these the 3 worst husbands in Britain the. Worst of all we're seeing my Suppose it in a most thoughts guessed at cash by certain professionally furious columnists like Jane Moore and the awful Linda Lee Potter they too seemed of the opinion that it's quite honorable for a man and a woman to fail at marriage but if the man then finds consolation with someone younger well then that makes him a loathsome beast crawling forth from the very depths of immoral depravity Hell it seems have no fury like a woman made to feel 2nd best by proxy Harry Thomason Harry just taking the side of your ex-wife for a moment Can't you see how humiliating it it will of course and somebody you know will get we get on well now and I and I understand it but at the same time. I do think. Any relationship that goes wrong you know in the end they go wrong something went wrong but it's death isn't it a relationship and after a death there should be a decent period of mourning and perhaps you were rather too quick to jump off with somebody heist probably was. But I do feel slightly confused when everybody is so desperately came to seek to blame the other person it's always the other person's fault and nobody ever says well hey it didn't work out I think is a good point there isn't there about the rapidity with which men start going out with somebody else and I think this is why women often feel school and men you know it can be upset for maybe half an hour a day and the next thing you know the shut up with a new girlfriend and it happens all the time and I think men are a bit like little dogs you know if they knew well you know looks after them properly and feeds them well enough then they're happy and now we're back to tails and forget about the last I know you like because puppies from Battersea Dogs time oh do you think we've got any right really though to expect that we can dictate was our ex-partners day once we've actually decided to break it off with them and I don't think I would never presume to exercise the right to decide how long the time period should be you're about to get married don't try well yeah in the coming months how long do you reckon you're going to stick around for all of probably after the show not. The year you know and I do think men and women a different in the way they move in their relationships than many do not agree Have you not been that yeah I think so and I think of like you say I mean it's sort of something that you do you pick yourself up you find somebody else to to go out with and that's perfectly understandable but I think women tend to analyze and try and perhaps somehow find out what went wrong and that's probably why it annoys us so much is that men don't seem to take as much care over their relationships and the breakdown of their relationships as we do I wonder where the 1st long as love lost the man perhaps puts the woman on a higher pedestal and the woman never really puts them out and consequently when the relationship dies the woman falls further. And harder than the man does and I can't just pick ourselves up dust ourselves down and trot off and find someone else as easily I think that's probably true in my case my husband chased me for months before I went out with him and I was you know any absolute You don't buy him he thought I was the bees knees until we had to turn it all still to go horribly wrong and I think when you've been in that position of having been a dog and you know I think your husband loves you is a bit of a shock when they suddenly run off with somebody else it's been all the discussions of men and women you know men about in this way women are good in this way reminds me of the surveys when they ask people if they've been unfaithful and 90 percent of men say yes and 10 percent of women say yes I hear all these men being unfaithful with the same girl say. To me and I think they know. Well is that true I don't know I mean every replacement woman who is referred to say scathingly you know you surely have to include them in the category of women when generalizing Yes I wonder whether we should generalize as well I'm the bilby men listening to this program who have been here just as hard as any woman ever was by the breakup of a relationship and of going into deep. Rage anger and despair and think it a bit of a caricature of our sex that this doesn't happen well I mean in a worsening sometimes because they get the shotguns out and murder the former wife and sometimes the children as well and I don't think you can get a more hellish theory then she to your ex-wife and the kids which houses new dressing up Batman and standing alone from. What you often don't don't find with men often do find with with women though is that if a man wants to hurt a woman and men often do they find ways of hurting them and as you say retro me may even shoot them but I don't think men on the whole after a very low ship is broken up or keen to humiliate their ex-wives publicly in the way that women sometimes seem to do man I'm a general that's not the same to be the case I don't recall any obvious instances where as you know you can reel off the angry women who told their story and I personally cannot understand forgive me right so I can understand why you would want. The world to read about what went on or what went wrong with your marriage and as my husband was already writing about it Well I think you look at me What a lovely young bird I've got you he look Ok he works well and he's an unusual He's an unusual case but in general why would anybody want to write about what happened in their own relationship and also I mean just speaking for myself here why why I want to read about anyone else's relationship I mean I can't actually get excited by what went wrong between Kerry for whatever band he's from I'm Brian from Westlife which seems to be the main news story I do like my women are interested in it all and I mean we women will gossip too often is nonstop about our relationships whereas men don't as far as I understand I mean I've not been privy to those conversations now not have to but I don't think men do talk about their relationships in the same way it's like what do you think of the football school they're not going you know how was it Michelle Knight last week are they most happening that you were just talking about. I think there's a risk for what you're saying is not a particularly verified group of people in this room as well though with access to the national media in which to talk about the breakdown of their relationships and I think Rachel you're right we did gossip and probably the equivalent of writing the diary of a divorce was leaning over the fence and telling your neighbors and your neighbors neighbors what your husband did wrong or what he did or didn't take from previous before much shall we say but. I don't know I think that there's always going to be fascination with how relationships break down much more so than how they get together which is to be honest but there also some people are going to say women are people who because I think some have done as well who do that extraordinary thing on the Internet where they post photos I think a man optioned off his wife's underwear I was on and I'm getting revenge there is and I said Where on it does happen it's the it's the need to blame the other person 100 percent and to punish them the Internet opens wild new possibilities. But don't you think it's like lawsuits in a divorce that goes to court of law only the lawyers when and actually if anyone advice for anyone is about to get married if you do. You decide to get those don't bring lawyers into it because they just take all your money they're the only people who win and in the same way if you trash your other half in the papers and in your case you trash him back again who wins the newspapers when the newspapers have absolutely no moral sense they can take any position they like I've never forgotten that on the opposite page of The Daily Mail to Darva divorce the main tenor of which was Gosling opposite page was an interview with image and stops he was married to travel nun and the tenor of the interview was poor image and stops here she is trying to get on with her life or marriage would have been on and I think both that by Travis ghastly ex-wife this terrible woman won't leave him alone just because Travis going out with a mage and I think they had their cake and they ate it on opposite pages completely opposite points of view both with that familiar Daily Mail words of moral outrage your quite right that lawyers and newspapers are the ultimate beneficiaries of any kind of public wrangle but people enjoy revenge people do get satisfaction from revenge I assume or have you taken satisfaction in your eventual Yeah I have taken satisfaction to let's get this straight you know I've had relationships before my husband when it's ended and I've been upset my not taking revenge in this particular case my husband acted particularly appallingly and it wasn't actually until he wrote about it in the papers and I was expecting him to say I had a couple shanks with a girl in the office and I'm really sorry I love my wife because we just got married instead he writes She's the love of my life I've actually been saying have 6 months which was nice to me she looks like Keira Knightly and so that point I did feel like exacting revenge and what had been just a one off call I'm going you know I'm feeling very hurt and upset and this is a weekend attending to the bunny boiler being self-deprecating about myself I then went for him I have to admit I did enjoy writing about his extravagant use if I act up because that took away from his image didn't it Rachel Royce what the Scots the b.b.c. And numerous born to die yet and remember. Cable channels if you're still having a. Decent write about it this month g.q. She's been a financial journalist a fashion presenter a war reporter and a news reader these days she works right e v covering events in the West Country She combines her job in broadcasting with freelance writing for such publications as the Daily Mail and the spectator she's got 2 small boys and a horse and little control over any of them she says I believe she's written about her ex-husband Rod little Tell us what you have written Rachel Ok my husband flew home early from our honeymoon saying he had to be back from work early it was a hot report I think it was delayed a few weeks but never mind he came back early what actually happened was his mistress met him at the airport and he spent the week with her when I found out I was a school wonders it's possible to be and yes I was furious and I did retaliate I got my revenge by writing about him in the Daily Mail you can imagine the satisfaction it gave me to reveal to the world that one of the ways I found out about his affair was discovering packets of used by agro in his pockets my friends warned me against being vindictive but it felt like a very small retaliation after the enormous hurt it caused me personally I believe that both sexes are capable of terrifying fury when it comes to love betrayed what can make you feel more insane than being dumped by the person you thought was your nearest and dearest suddenly your world doesn't make sense and it's hard to behave sensibly. But men and women act on that ferry in different ways I don't think women are worse than men far from it by and large it's the men who reach for their shotguns and murder their former lovers that's why the country is full of women's refuges not men's although I dare say this one is Linton as a reporter I've been to several murders where the cock old man has also killed his children that's as hellish as it's possible to get However I think a woman is more likely to retaliate publicly than a man I think this is because women happily blab to their friends about their emotions without feeling diminished women don't worry half as much as men about being seen as victims it shows vulnerability which is not always unattractive it can appear a little flower like even virginal take Princess Diana she played a star turn as the wounded wife despite having a string of lovers of her own men want to put on a brave face to the world because to show that they were hurt would be to show that they were weak a quality considered unmanly in a society that's why we get stories in the papers by women who feel betrayed but not the men so we heard from Margaret Cook when her name like husband ran off with his secretary but we didn't hear from Mr Camilla Parker Bowles when his wife went off with a future king no doubt both rejected spouses felt equally hacked off however another depressing thought occurs to me and it is this perhaps we hear more about female revenge because men simply don't care as much as women when they split up I've been in love twice aside from my husband and both times I pined terribly when it ended whereas my ex's immediately shacked up happily with new girlfriends as indeed my husband has done maybe it has something to do with cold hearted Darwinism that men's reproductive interests lie in spreading their seed and a woman's in securing the nest but potentially all floor of loving too much makes is better at revenge we know what hurts. My husband to perfection with my below the belt comments about his extravagant use of Biograph otherwise have chosen to ruin their. Husbands vintage record collections or even give away their husband's vintage wine and yes there is still time to get your record collection Raj. Rachael Royce I'm Matthew Parris my other 2 guests Harry Thompson and Libby Potter this is b.b.c. Radio 4 of the page Rachael was was it you who dumped a load of manure that's quite all the talk of full stories and I love it what happened was there was a charity auction in our village this was the day after I felt sorry for my husband because let's get this straight he didn't dump me I dumped him when I found out about his affair and all the papers you know have me as being the dumped wife I'm not I told him where to go and he looked like a lost puppy and he was you have no way am I going to live what am I going to do I felt so sorry for him I said why don't you rent my best friend's cottage which he did that day I said I want to hang around with you suitcases tilting the stupid wife it was right no no it's all right I was like Why what's the matter is that I would least he is going to be there and that was like really a slap in the face you know I have my best friend's Kasich but shack up with your girlfriend in the same village I was so furious you can't believe it this is the weekend I turned into a bunny boiler and this was the weekend and I did try to bid for some money and I successfully bid for them you know it was a lovely charity optional terribly posh in their most extraordinary prices a menu or a menu. Any prizes again we don't get me wrong the prize is like a week's holiday in Iraq you could win shooting you could take your horse from across country course but posh people like manya Ok and I was bidding furiously for this man you know because they said they would deliver it when we got up to 70 pounds $75.00 pounds for $0.10 a mirror and the other guy he wanted it for his buddies gave up it was like yes yes now you've got to take that to Darity street and they were so embarrassed poor people you know my sports people say let me roll this yes I say they said please can we wriggle out of this one so in fact is a bit of an apocryphal story because although I bid for it and won the manure fair and squarely and would have loved to have seen it live it didn't get delivered to be honest of 10 sacks I mean your turned up at this point. Officers I mentioned I mean the least exciting thing about that was when I had to move out thank you didn't think probably would have used it. You know. It's given me ideas which is even worse way more dangerous Rachel did you have to think about the way in which she was going to exact revenge or was it more of a kind of snow Jane Yes spontaneous I mean that was I didn't know that the menu was going to be for sale at the option to use and I just thought yeah looking on the bright side here. Yes all these examples of women's revenge have an element of wit about your I guess the funny teleport and the cheating yes yes no you know I think it's what I think that the story of humor that that woman who caught up a husband's clothes quite witty again I'm glad this is your idea of where I'm not going to read your parliamentary sketches of. This humor to it isn't it is not death is it is not you know destruction that you blow your brains out this is the guy I was but I can say I'm being railroaded into giving some sort of party political on behalf of people who blow their kids away with a shotgun is. One thing I will say but I do think I shouldn't admit this but I do think these preventers are tremendously effective because although nobody has defined study who I am in the general public obviously everybody's known in their work. And that's where it sticks and you sort of I think that the right to damages the person they're attacking and they damage themselves you know forever Mr or Mrs Right little will be famous for one thing and one thing I mean and I found quite often when I start working with somebody the 1st time after a few months of They'll come up to rather sheepishly and say I am I'm so glad you're Ok I know what you mean I had before I met you I'd had you with that worst man on the planet if he were right past and I fell under. Child Killer and extraordinary rumors start my ex-wife who as I said I now get on. With she herself actually warned me that there was a rumor going around that I'd been fired from producing the herion for a show for sexually assaulting one of my staff and because you know the divorce was going through she'd investigated this and found it was complete nonsense but the there was no grounds for for it whatsoever it was simply that these extraordinary rumors just started because my famous he wants to the middle of the month start been in the Sun The man's a monster along with Bob Geldof and I'll Spencer and it's extraordinary how these things he says so incredulous that you were treated in this way and that this sort of thing happens Have you never exacted revenge yourself have you never felt like exacting revenge on this of not to mess to clean how that one I mean no it's actually not a domestic a I've I've I've you're living well shall we go. Not quite on this god awful terrible been very unworthy being the sort of poster girl for successful relationships and fidelity x. It's not like that at all and if there was a sound I could make to convey a slackjawed amazement to these stories then I would do it now I'd like to hear what you've written I should say 1st that Libby began working for the b.b.c. In New York in 1908 she's since then been employed by Channel 4 News Euro News and taught English in Prague viewers of b.b.c. 3 would have caught her presenting celeb doc have I pronounced it right celeriac or out on the red carpet as that channel's entertainment correspondent so entertain us now live. It might sound lame but I don't actually know if I've ever been scorned rejected definitely ages ago my 1st love decided he'd outgrown me and dumped me with a phone call we got back together but in the 96 hour meantime I went half mad I saw down the phone begged him to reconsider and sob to get all of my best friend. Then I got on a bus to lades to find him he was living with his grandma and I turned up unannounced she didn't have enough supper for the 3 of us and I remember feeling humiliated and very very sad but not quite furious. What the hell is scone Anyway it sounds almost edible sweet scone chicken and sweet scone pops gone not a soul vicious or even mildly painful and you can pour it like cream in fact there's not much else to my mind you can do with it you can't put scorn on someone or drape it or drizzle it is actually a lovely weird word well there are doubts I'd be saying this if it had gallons of it dumped on my head the closest I've come to the sort of fury that might do the saying proud involved another man he's not quite ex-girlfriend and a bit of a snog not in the list of great scrawlings of history of course but try telling me that at the time I howled like a cat shook with self-pity and even slapped him in the way that you do when you don't really want to inflict pain on someone just relieve your own that was fury but it was such a massive overreaction I'm loath to say I was scorned just young what I did in reaction to being hurt as far as I can tell was both wildly excessive and totally ineffective I punished clumsily without satisfaction all I did was implant some memories that make me shudder to this day for example I once wrote an email using the lyrics of Tracy Chapman's baby can I hold you tonight except I laced them with sarcasm sorry is that really all you can say the rules of revenge don't rewrite a song lyrics it's way so embarrassing later and if you do choose a song you don't mind ruining forever for goodness sake. The people that are let me you you spoke of a frame of mind in which you said you don't want to inflict pain just to relieve your own mother but that I can understand but the real scorn of the full time majestic scorn are presumably under. Us Like effective example of one Rachel you do want to inflict pain don't you it's not just a kind of catharsis h. Was already working on some. Things I think yeah hurt is one thing but being publicly humiliated that is scorn isn't it and you know yeah I've been there you know 40 people came to our wedding and 40 people saw my husband leave in so I did feel justified in taking my revenge and yeah I did feel so go on what do you think your ex-wife actually wanted to achieve. Our current respect for her I mean she was hurt I suppose she was wounded her pride was wounded in another place as well about revenge being served cold it does seem that quite a lot of these instances of women wreaking revenge are not talking about present company so much they do actually have quite a long time as you say supplying what's going to happen to sort of decide what is the best way of taking revenge and that must be the most galling thing I imagine to be on the receiving end of you can almost understand if it's a sort of snap reaction a kind of crime of passion shall we say but if it's something that's being plotted that must be I would imagine that kind of revenge I mean is probably quite hurtful and damaging for the woman doing it this probably when they think back about the relationship they've had with their husband and realized all the times that he's plotted to be with another woman and you know who were a while saying men do these a spur of the moment passionate things and then they are evil because they just go off and it takes some planning to be with your mistress when you're pretending to your wife that you're elsewhere takes some planning to come home early from your honeymoon and I think women who plot revenge probably think hang on he was plotting against me for a long time could you have I'm sorry as a woman do you think you could ever be scorned if another woman was. Into involved . No I don't think so then it's just a hopeful breakup isn't it you know and we've all had those Of course many women ever react like that if a man goes off with let's say another man. He's not usually the sight of someone they regard as a personal threat you know in a kind of physical competition yeah it's but it's humiliating in a way that it perhaps wouldn't be if he went off with another man you'd feel that.