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  3. Parting Shots

Parting Shots

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.

Programmes:
on BBC iPlayer (5)
Previous programmes:
by year (5)

Available now on BBC iPlayer

  1. Listen to the latest programme

    Episode 5

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    programme information

    Listen now (15 minutes)

    Available since Tue, 17 Nov 2009.

    5/5. Matthew Parris on valedictories which embarrassed ministers.

  2. Also available

    1. Episode 4

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      programme information

      Listen now (15 minutes)

      Available since Tue, 10 Nov 2009.

      4/5. Despatches which changed the course of history.

    2. Episode 3

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      programme information

      Listen now (15 minutes)

      Available since Tue, 3 Nov 2009.

      3/5. In their valedictories, diplomats recount the hardships of foreign service.

    3. Episode 2

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      Listen now (15 minutes)

      Available since Tue, 27 Oct 2009.

      2/5. How diplomacy requires an ambassador to see beyond the shortcomings of foreign hosts.

    4. Episode 1

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      programme information

      Listen now (15 minutes)

      Available since Tue, 20 Oct 2009.

      1/5. Valedictories in which retiring ambassadors poked fun at the nations where they had served

Featured

Valedictory Despatches

You can read here (via the links above right) in full many of the valedictory despatches which feature in the series. Diplomats could say whatever they wished in their final telegram home, and they could be very frank about the cultures and countries in which they served.
Some of these files were released to the BBC by the Foreign Office under the Freedom of Information Act. The older despatches - those written more than thirty years ago - are from the National Archives in Kew.

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