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OK, Matt, can't quite believe it. It is the final chapter today. It's been an incredible story, but it does have its dark moments. Yes, it certainly does. And to that point, I will just mention that today's part of the story does contain scenes of a suicide, just to warn you. OK, let's begin. It's the 22nd of July, 1963. The Old Bailey, London. Stephen Ward steps out of his car to find himself at the centre of a baying mob.
Hair neatly combed and soberly dressed in a smart suit and crisp white shirt. He pushes his way through the crowds. He fixes a smile and waves to the photographers. Inside the courthouse, Stephen shakes hands with his barrister, James Burge. The pair walk into the hall of Court One. It's swarming with court officials, barristers, policemen, ushers and witnesses. It's becoming more real for Stephen now. All this for him, a vicar's son from Torquay.
The press has already dubbed this the trial of the century. Stephen would be lapping it up himself if he weren't at the centre of it all. The only thing he can do is try to get through it with some dignity intact. Within the hour, Stephen is standing in the dock. The court clerk begins to read out the counts against him. On count one, living off the immoral earnings of Christine Keeler at Wimpole Muse during a 15-month period between June 1961 and August 1962. How do you plead...
Not guilty. On count two, living off the immoral earnings of Marilyn Rice Davis at Wimpole Muse during a four-month period between September and December 1962, how do you plead? Not guilty. Stephen pleads not guilty to a further three charges. Living off the immoral earnings of two prostitutes and inciting Keeler to procure underage girls for intercourse with Ward.
Stephen can't believe this has come all the way to court, but he still has faith in British justice. He's sure his barrister will prove him innocent. It's time for the prosecution to call its first witness, Christine Keeler. As the woman who was once his little baby enters the court, Stephen's confidence wavers. Christine has all grown up. She's shattered Jack Profumo's career.
She's thrown the Conservative government into turmoil. Now she holds his reputation, his freedom, his whole future in her hands. And Stephen has no idea what she's about to say.
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OK, so last episode, Jack Profumo finally resigned in disgrace after his affair with Christine Keeler went public. The resulting press coverage made a star of Christine and also earned her some serious cash.
But then it started to come out that she hadn't been totally truthful in the trial of her abusive ex, Lucky Gordon. Yes, and Stephen Ward was in a lot of trouble too. Yeah, after the scandal broke, he was arrested and all his posh mates pretty much cut him loose. It's not going great for either of them, is it? It's certainly not. And with a public inquiry and a criminal trial looming, it's about to get even worse. This is episode five, A Man Without Morals.
It's July the 3rd, 1963, South London. Stephen Ward breathes in the warm summer air outside Brixton Prison. He's thinner than he was, his clothes hanging off him. Three weeks locked in a cell has had a devastating impact on Stephen. It's left him certain of one thing. He can never go back there again. Spotting his old friend, Noel Howard-Jones, Stephen races over to his car and greets him with a warm embrace.
Most of Stephen's society pals won't even take his calls anymore. But Noel has remained loyal. He's even letting Stephen stay at his Chelsea home. Needing every penny for legal fees, Stephen's had to let go of his Wimpole Muse flat. How was it in there, Stephen? Oh, you know, the food left something to be desired. I've been to better hotels. At least he's not lost his sense of humour. It's a great gag, isn't it? He's been thinking of that for the past three weeks.
Stephen tries to stay jovial, but it's a strain. His lawyers have told him most of the men he put forward as character witnesses have gone away for the summer. Convenient. Can you imagine if somebody was like, can you give me a testimonial in court? And you're like, oh, I think, I think we're on holiday that week.
The prosecution, however, has lined up a succession of women to testify against him. OK, who are they? So as you would imagine, Christine Keeler and Mandy Rice-Davis. But there are also some other women Stephen's had dealings with. He's never made money from their earnings, so he fears they've told the police a pack of lies. As they pull up outside Noel's flat, Ward is surprised to find Christine Keeler waiting.
They haven't spoken in months and Stephen knows he shouldn't talk to her now. She's a prosecution witness and off limits. But this is the only chance he has to convince her to do right by him at trial. Hello, little baby. What a lovely surprise. Hot. Horrible. Don't call her that. As if that's going to convince her. Hey, little baby. I'd just walk away straight away. Guilty. They sit in Keela's car. The easy banter between them has gone. Keela seems stiff in his company, uncomfortable.
Right, who's Lord Denning? Right. Right.
Christine was more loyal to him than those high society types ever were. But there's a distance between them now, a gap they'll never bridge. The best thing he can do is set her free. Stephen gently touches Christine's face. He opens the car door. Please, tell the truth. As he walks away from Christine, Stephen prays she does just that in court.
It's the 22nd of July, 1963. In the witness box at the Old Bailey, Christine raises her right hand. I swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help me God. Today, she's wearing a demure mustard-coloured suit, long hair brushing her shoulders. She knows all eyes are on her. It's been that way since the details of her affair with Jack Profumo came out. Lead prosecuting QC Mervyn Griffith-Jones walks towards her, ready to begin his questioning.
Griffith Jones lists several men Christine slept with at Wimpole Muse and other flats she's lived at during the past two years. When you lived in a flat in Comerow Road, is it not true that Stephen Ward would bring men round for you to have intercourse with? He sometimes introduced me to men. I had sex with one or two. Griffith Jones eyes Christine with disgust. You're not sure how many? I don't remember. Were you paid for it?
Christine glances at Stephen, who looks up from the notepad he's been sketching on and catches her eye. He smiles, the same warm smile she's seen a thousand times. The police have been keeping up the pressure on her not to speak for him, but she hates the way the barrister is talking to her. No, I wasn't paid. But now Griffith Jones mentions a man called Charles Claw. She admits he regularly gave her money for sex. Did Stephen Ward introduce you to him? No.
Yes. And on one occasion, did Ward urge you to visit Mr. Claw in Mayfair so that he would give you money? Yes, but it wasn't for Stephen. He knew I was hard up, that's all. Griffith-Jones goes on to tell the court that Claw gave Christine £50 after intercourse. What did you do with the money? I repaid a loan with some of it to Dr. Ward. Griffith-Jones moves on to Christine's time at Wimpole Muse.
Whoa. Whoa.
But then Griffith-Jones moves on. It became the understood thing that you find girls for him, Christine pauses. Yes, she's backed up the charge against Ward that he used her to procure girls. By the end of Griffith-Jones's questioning, Christine is tired. She's relieved when Stephen's defence barrister, James Burge, approaches to cross-examine her. She tells him she made small payments to Ward to cover the phone, lights and hot water.
You never returned to the accused as much as you got from him? No. But Burge then asks Christine about the evidence she gave at Lucky Gordon's trial. Did you take the oath on a previous occasion when you attended the trial of a man called Gordon? Yes. Did you tell the whole truth then? Yes, I did. Keela's confused. Where is Burge going with this? Why is it relevant now?
Oh no, I can see where this is going. Yep, he's trying to discredit her as a witness. Lied before, she'll lie again. Oh, and he's trying to do that because some of her evidence incriminates Stephen. It looks that way. Burge moves on, but Christine is shaken. She did her best to stand up for Stephen. She went further than she should have. Yet his barrister has just tried to paint her as a liar. She looks at Stephen again and scowls at him now. She's done with him. I will believe that when I see it.
Later that day, at the Old Bailey, Mandy Rice-Davis takes the stand. The prosecutor, Griffith Jones, begins by talking about life at Wimpole Muse. After Keeler moved out for a while, Mandy moved in. And then a business friend of Stephen, one Emil Savundra, started to rent Mandy's room during the daytime. He's married, so he used it to meet his mistress there. Savundra paid Stephen £25 in rent. I didn't mind him using the room. I was often out during the day and I liked him.
I would mind if my room was being rented out for people to have sex in during the day. Particularly if they aren't tidied up afterwards. Come on, man. At least a sort of cursory death toll of the key services. Did Ward encourage you to take it further with Savandra? Stephen said, if you like the doctor, why let his girlfriend go out with him? Why don't you go out with him? And did you have intercourse with him after that? Mandy confirms that she had sex with Savandra the next day, then five times over the next two weeks.
He left £15 to £25 on the dressing table each time. The judge interrupts. How much did you give to Ward? In all, about £25. OK, well, that's incriminating. It's the turn of the defence. James Burge rises to cross-examine Mandy. He's determined to prove that she's only saying this because of pressure from the police.
Isn't it true that when you originally refused to make a statement against Dr Ward, Detective Inspector Herbert arranged for you to be taken to Holloway Prison in connection with a forged driving licence? Yes. And when he interviewed you there, you agreed to make a statement against Dr Ward after all? Yes. Herbert shuffles uncomfortably in his seat. Burge smiles. He's making progress. There is something you want very much as a result of this case, don't you? Yes, sir.
Money. Oh, yes. Big money. If it's possible, yes. I love how honest she is. Yeah, make a few quid out of it. Why not? Don't you realise that because of the laws of libel, your story would not have the same value if he was acquitted than if he was convicted? I hope he's acquitted. Burge is left wanting. Rice Davis is refreshingly candid, but she hasn't budged from the most damaging part of her evidence, that she was given money for sex and passed it on to Stephen.
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It's the afternoon of the 22nd of July, 1963. At the Old Bailey, Griffith Jones is in his element. His questioning of Christine Keeler and Mandy Rice-Davis has gone like a dream. He's confident his next witness's testimony will be equally damning. The prosecution calls Margaret Ronna Ricardo to the stand. She already has convictions for prostitution. Griffith Jones starts by asking her about one particular visit to Stevens' flat.
I had intercourse with my boyfriend and my girlfriend had intercourse with Stephen. In the same room, Ricardo looks at her feet, reluctant to answer. You were all taking part together. Now even the judge pipes up. I want to know what happened in that room. The four of you together? I want to know what happened. Right, who went first and then what? Did anybody film it? Yeah, yeah, yeah. And then what? And then what? And then you swapped? God blimey! Stephen could do a sketch for him.
But it's not yet evidence of immoral earnings. Griffith Jones moves on to another part of Ricardo's police statement. You said in your statement to the police that Ward introduced you to a man and you had sex with him in the flat. Then he gave you a pony. It means 25 quid. This should be clearer because with this lot, that could have meant about five different things. And it could actually have meant a pony. They're that posh, some of them. Then you gave this money to Ward. Is that what your statement said?
My statement was untrue. There's a collective gasp in the court. Before he can speak, Ricardo goes on. Mr Herbert told me they would take my sister away and take my baby if I didn't make the statements. I don't want to give false evidence again. For the first time today, Griffith Jones is wrong-footed.
If you were leaned on by the police, why had you not complained to anyone? Who could I complain to? At the police station I was kept so long I was ready to sign anything. I was told I wouldn't have to give evidence. They said it would never come to court. Griffith-Jones looks at the jury. Some of them are now eyeing Herbert with suspicion. James Burge is smiling now, as is Ward. Ricardo's testimony has given the defence a chance to turn this around.
This story, every time you think it's going in one direction, it veers off in another. It's two days later. At the Old Bailey, it's the turn of the defence. Stephen Ward takes the stand. He's the first witness and he's determined to set the record straight.
James Burge opens by asking Stephen about the money-changing hands at Wimpole Muse. Christine lived with me rent-free. I'd given her £70 to £80 and she repaid me some of it. Mandy gave me £6 a week in rent, though the room was worth more, plus £5 or £6 for the telephone over a two-month period. I'm so bad at maths, I'm already done by that. I'll be like, OK, yeah, that sounds about right. No further questions. Never mind.
Burge asks him about whether he would invite men to Wimpole Muse for paid sex with girls. During the time Mr Griffith-Jones says this happened, I believe my flat was under observation by MI5 officers. I told them about Keeler's relationship with Profumo, you see. Would I really have lived off earnings of prostitution at that address at a time it was being watched by law officers?
By the time the prosecution begins its cross-examination, Ward looks relaxed. He's sure he's got this. So we start this story, do we, with a man of 48 or 49 chasing two girls of 16? When you put it like that, it really doesn't look good. Doesn't scan, does it? Doesn't sound great.
Quite so, sir. With nothing in common except sex. I wouldn't have said that, sir. Let's just get the picture. Here are two thoroughly promiscuous girls. You're introducing them to men much older than themselves, with some of whom they appear to have gone to bed. Is it a false picture? Stephen insists it is. Griffith Jones asks him about Mandy Rice-Davis. Did he make money off her?
She was a pretty girl. She was taken out by people. There wasn't a question of living off her. If anything, she was living off me. Then the prosecutor moves on to Christine's claims about being set up with men. Miss Keeler has told us that on one occasion she did go round to see a man at your instigation. No, sir, I would never suggest such a thing. That is quite wrong. She's lying.
Don't you think that the control of a man aged 50 over a girl of 18 in an atmosphere of immorality such as must have been the atmosphere in Wimpole Muse? That was not the atmosphere in Wimpole Muse. Most of the time in Wimpole Muse, I was playing bridge or drawing. That remark prompts laughter from the gallery. You've concentrated all these incidents into a short time which gives a false picture, and I'm not that sort of person at all. But Griffith Jones hits back hard.
If you're telling the truth, Christine Keeler was lying. Yes, it may be a variety of things that caused her to do this. She has committed certain stories to the papers. You would have it that Mandy Rice Davis was lying too? Yes. Ronnie Ricardo was originally lying?
Stephen bangs his fist on the witness box. Yes, this is the bottom of the bucket. If they question 150 or 160 people, it's easy to find at least a half dozen willing to come forward through some motive. Malice, cupidity, who will make some statements against a person who has some sort of irregularities in life, such as I have, and who lays himself open to this type of representation. He's lost his temper in court. He already knows how harshly the judge and the prosecuting counsel perceive him.
Now the jury may feel the same way. It's the 30th of July, 1963, London. In a small coffee shop off the Strand, Christine Keeler strains to hear the radio. She drags hard on a cigarette. Disguised in dark glasses with a scarf wrapped over her hair, Christine doesn't want to draw attention to herself. But this is too important. She shouts over to the girl behind the counter, Can you turn it up?
It's the morning of Lucky Gordon's appeal. Christine didn't dare go to the courthouse. The last thing she needs is Lucky staring at her from the dock. She didn't want to go to the old Bailey to watch the summing up of Stephen's trial either. She hopes he'll be acquitted, but she has no remorse over what she did to Lucky. It was worth it to get him away from her. The news report comes. The appeal has been upheld. Lucky Gordon is being released.
Oh no. The new witness statements from Fenton and Camaccio have contradicted what Christine said at trial. The appeal court took just nine minutes to reach the decision. Christine starts to shake so much she has to stub out her cigarette. She doesn't know what this will mean for her legally, but she's more worried about what happens now he's out.
Outside the court, Lucky Gordon makes a statement to the waiting journalists. I still love Christine Keeler. I forgive her. Everything Christine's done, helping the police charge Stephen, dealing with blackmail threats from the witnesses, lying under oath at Lucky's original trial, it's all been for nothing. Meanwhile, at the Old Bailey, Stephen stands in the dock listening to Griffith Jones' closing speech. It couldn't make him sound any worse.
Certainly we've come to the very depths of lechery and depravity in this case. Prostitution, promiscuity, perversion, and getting girls to go out and borrow money by giving their bodies for it. The evil of this, members of the jury, and it is evil, you may think, goes very deep. No! As soon as the words leave his mouth, Stephen regrets it. I'm sorry, my lord. It's a great strain. Griffith Jones seizes the chance. He speaks slowly with deliberation.
Of course, it's a great strain for a guilty man to hear the truth at last. Brutal. Just then, the court clerk passes a note to the judge. He stops Griffith Jones and calls the two lawyers forward. Burge smiles as he walks back to Stephen. He passes him a note of his own. Stephen brightens as he reads. Lucky Gordon's conviction has been quashed and this news must be conveyed to the jury.
Okay, so Christine's evidence won't count. So that's good for Stephen, right? Griffith Jones pauses. Then he turns to the jury. I must inform you that Gordon's appeal has been upheld. That does not, of course, mean to say that the appeal court has found that Miss Keeler is lying. Stephen glares at Burge, willing him to speak up. But Burge can only shrug in frustration. There's nothing more to be done.
The judge begins his summing up. It seems to Ward it can't get much worse. But then the judge reminds the jury that none of Ward's friends spoke up for him. There may be many reasons why Ward has been abandoned in his extremity. You must not guess at them, but this is clear. If Stephen Ward was telling the truth in the witness box, there are in this city many witnesses of high estate and low who could have come and testified in support of his evidence.
Ward thinks about his life a year ago. Cliveden with Lord Astor and Christine. The society functions he attended. The high esteem he was held in. Then he looks around the courtroom. Only his friend, Noel Howard-Jones, is there. Otherwise, Stephen is completely alone.
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Stephen sits in Noel Howard-Jones' study. He stares at the writing paper in front of him. Noel pops his head around the door. Can I get you anything, Stephen? Actually, I wonder if you might give me some time alone. I'm so grateful for all you've done, but it's been a very trying few days. I don't know if I have the energy to talk tonight. Of course. I'll pop out for a few hours. Leave you be.
Stephen reaches for the phone. He dials the number of Lord Denning's assistant. This is Stephen Ward. I'm sure you've read a great many things in the press the past few days. With the trial, I haven't had the chance to fully explain myself to Lord Denning for his report. I hope you'll allow me some time now to give my side of the story. Stephen goes on to give a detailed account of the events surrounding the Profumo affair as he sees them. He picks up the paper and starts to write...
A couple of hours later, there are several letters stacked up on the desk, addressed to friends and officials, including Judge Marshall and Griffith Jones. He places a note on top of them, stating they're only to be delivered if he's convicted and sent to prison. The next morning, Noel Howard Jones finds Stephen on the floor. There's an empty pill bottle near him. He's barely breathing. 31st of July, 1963, the Old Bailey.
Christine Keeler is used to the frenzy outside court by now. But as she arrives today, there seems to be more activity than usual. The reporters are yelling so much she can barely make out what they're saying. Biting her way through them, she spots James Burge heading into court. What's happening? Is the verdict already in? Burge looks at her gravely. Something's very wrong. You haven't heard? Stephen tried to take his own life last night. Christine stares at him. What? He's all right, isn't he?
He's in hospital on a life support machine. He's dying, Miss Keeler. Christine's legs buckle beneath her and she falls to the floor. Inside, the courtroom is packed to hear the verdict. It feels a formality now. Stephen is acquitted of the procurement charges. The jury dismisses one charge of him living off immoral earnings, but he is found guilty of living off the immoral earnings of Mandy and Christine. The verdict will be delivered to Ward in Hospital.
It's six months later, 6th of December 1963. Christine Keeler has lost count of the number of times she's stood in an old Bailey courtroom this year. But today there's one big difference. She's not in the witness box. She's in the dock. Christine is here facing charges of perjury in the case against Lucky Gordon.
Once again, the press pack is here too. And a special guest, Christine's errant father, sits in the public gallery. Christine guesses he wants his own slice of fame and fortune. Why else would he suddenly materialise? All that's missing today is the frenzied anticipation of what might happen next. On the advice of her solicitor, Christine's already pleaded guilty. The only thing left for the judge to decide is whether she should go to prison.
Stephen died three days after the jury returned their verdict. She was so distraught when she heard that a doctor had to put her under sedation. Since then, several friends have stopped returning her calls or publicly denounced her. But Christine's barrister, Jeremy Hutchinson, pleads for leniency. In fact, his summing up is considered by many to be one of the most brilliant speeches ever made at the Old Bailey.
Okay, so can we have a recreation, please? You can, Matt, but it's also considered one of the longest, so I might give you the abridged version. Dr Stephen Ward was, on his own admission, a man without morals. What he lacked in morals, he made up for in charm. He had a great artistic flair and won his way into a snob world of power and privilege, taking with him young girls. Miss Keeler was one of them.
who he groomed and shined, a sort of perverted Professor Higgins. In the end, though, his speech does Christine no good. She's sentenced to nine months in Holloway Prison. As she's led from the courtroom, Christine looks at her father. He's one of the many men that have led her to this moment. Stephen, Johnny Edgecombe, Lucky Gordon, D.I. Herbert and Jack Profumo. Christine thought she'd found her voice.
But now she wonders if she was just speaking their words. It's 1993, 10 Downing Street. John Major stares at the document box in front of him. The Conservative Prime Minister is almost scared to open it. He's wary of what he might find. It's been 30 years since the Denning Report was first published, and it was largely considered a whitewash, both at the time and under further scrutiny since. Now the files relating to it have been released for his eyes only.
Major gets to decide whether they should be made public or destroyed forever. Right, well, what are you waiting for, Major? Get stuck in, mate. He opens the first page and starts to read. He doesn't stop for hours. More than once, Major raises an eyebrow. Placing the last document back in the box, Major mulls it over. He calls in a civil servant.
What?! It's a very specific time frame, isn't it? Yeah. No one except Major knows why the content is so sensitive or why that year was selected.
But it's been speculated that the documents mention more spying allegations that could have embarrassed the civil service or perhaps named powerful people who attended sex parties back in the 60s. I'm sure the fact that Major had been having an affair himself played no part in his decision. No comment, Matthew. Major closes the box and watches the security services take it away until at least 2048. The full story of the Profumo affair will remain untold. See you in 27 years for the catch-up. It's a date.
After resigning from government, Jack Profumo disappeared from public life, devoted himself to charity work in East London and was even awarded a CBE. Neither he nor his wife Valerie ever spoke publicly about Christine Keeler again. He died in 2006, aged 91. It's now widely accepted that much of the evidence heard against Stephen Ward during his trial was untrue or distorted.
The MI5 honey trap operation and Ward's part in it was later confirmed by his contact, Mr Woods, who was tracked down by the Sunday Times. After her release from Holloway Prison, Christine Keeler married twice and had two children. She published three accounts of her life, all differing slightly. Most of the fortune she amassed at the height of her fame went on paying lawyers.
Stephen Ward's portrait of Christine Keeler, sketched the first time she visited Cliveden, was later bought by the National Portrait Gallery. It's still exhibited there today. The Profumo affair permanently damaged the credibility of the government. The Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan, resigned three months later. The Conservatives lost to Harold Wilson's Labour Party the following year.
Next week, we have one final episode, Matt, reflecting on the Profumo affair. And we're very excited to say we have Christine Keeler's son, Seymour Platt. He'll be joining us to talk about his memories of his mother. Cannot wait to talk to him.
This is the fifth episode in our series, The Profumo Affair. If you like our show, please give us a five-star rating and a review and be sure to tell your friends. You can listen to new episodes one week early and ad-free right now by joining Wondery Plus in the Wondery app. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, the Wondery app, or wherever you're listening right now.
Join Wondery Plus in the Wondery app to listen for free. In the episode notes, you'll find some links and offers from our sponsors. Please support them by supporting them. You help us offer this show for free. Another way to support us is to answer a short survey at wondery.com slash survey. A quick note about our dialogue. In most cases, we can't know exactly what was said, but all our dramatisations are based on historical research.
If you'd like to know more about this story, we especially recommend the books Secrets and Lies, the Autobiography, by Christine Keeler with Douglas Thompson,
how the English establishment framed Stephen Ward by Caroline Kennedy and Philip Knightley, and Stephen Ward was innocent, OK? The case for overturning his conviction by Geoffrey Robertson. I'm Alice Levine. And I'm Matt Ford. Wendy Grandeter wrote this episode. Additional writing by Alice Levine and Matt Ford. Our sound design is by Rich Evans. Script editing by Joseph Lidster. Our senior producer is Russell Finch. Our executive producers are Stephanie Jens and Marshall Louis for Wondery.
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