S8 Ep1167: Alan Philps tells the story of Tanya, a 28-year-old woman who used her English skills to escape a life of poverty and suspicion i

The John Batchelor Show · Jul 26, 2026 · 8m

Alan Philps tells the story of Tanya, a 28-year-old woman who used her English skills to escape a life of poverty and suspicion in Moscow. Denied education due to her "bourgeois" background, she became a translator at the Metropol for correspondent Ronnie Matthews. Matthews, a heavy-drinking but devoted reporter, eventually begged her to marry him. The Soviets attempted to prevent her departure, but Matthews refused to leave the country without her, forcing the authorities to grant her an exit permit. In Cairo, Tanya's glamorous lifestyle and tennis matches with a British general sparked…