A new five-part podcast series investigates a “civil war” at one of the most prestigious universities in the world.
The Feud, launched by Stories of our times podcast – from The Times & The Sunday Times, is hosted by Andrew Billen.
In this debut podcast for The Times journalist Billen, he returns to his old college at Oxford University to explore why in February this year the very reverend professor Martyn Percy left Christ Church, Oxford, as its Dean with a £1.25 million settlement.
The investigation reveals how Percy and his employer got into a four-year long battle, which left the priest close to suicide and cost the Oxford College millions in charitable funds.
As an educational institution – regulated by the Charity Commission, Billen also exposes some uncomfortable truths about how Christ Church has spent its money.
Through extensive interviews with Martyn Percy and others, Billen explores why the Dean stayed at the college and refused to leave, and why despite an eventual settlement, the story continues to rumble on.
Andrew Billen says: “This is one of the most bizarre stories I have ever covered in my forty plus years as a journalist.
“It has been a fantastic opportunity to tell the story through the podcast as it allowed me to explain the twists and turns of what happened in a way which is suited to audio storytelling.
“The bitter feud between Marty Percy and the educational institution he oversaw until recently is a cautionary tale about how some institutions in Britain are still run.”
Episodes of The Feud will be released weekly on all podcast platforms from Thursday 13 October.
