"What a Bloody Mess we're in" - Britain's [REDACTED] Accident
Summary
Tim Harford recounts the 1957 Windscale nuclear fire, where worker Tom Toohey bravely extinguished a reactor blaze amidst urgent Cold War pressures. The episode highlights how the UK government suppressed Sir William Penny’s honest inquiry to protect political interests, blaming workers instead. Decades later, historian Lorna Arnold uncovered the truth, revealing systemic failures and the hidden human cost of rushed technological deployment.
Topics discussed
Sponsors and intro
The Windscale fire begins
Lorna Arnold and Sir William Penny's backgrounds
Fighting the reactor fire
The cover-up and Penny's report
Lorna Arnold's later life and legacy
Outro and credits
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