Kenneth Cranham reads Matthew Sweet's dark history of the scandalous life above and below stairs in London's grand hotels during the Second World War. While bombs rain down on London's East End, life in the capital's glittering hotels carries on regardless, with hotels like the Ritz, the Dorchester, the Savoy and Claridge's becoming mini Casablancas, where spies and con artists, traitors and royalty rub shoulders under the reinforced ceilings.

Today: Mussolini's involvement in the conflict breeds hostility against Italians - and the Savoy's waiting staff must prove their allegiance to Britain or face detention
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Reader: Kenneth Cranham
Producer: Justine Willett
Abridger: Viv Beeby. Show less