Smoke Screen
4.3/5
Critic Rating
Smoke Screen: Love, bribes and spies in the tobacco industry.Victoria Hollingsworth tells the true story of corrupt practices behind the scenes at British American Tobacco. We hear from the very people who were caught up in this world as we sink deep into the dirty underbelly of the tobacco industry in South Africa.BAT says its actions were simply to combat the illicit trade in tobacco products. The UK's Serious Fraud Office investigated matters and found there was insufficient evidence for any prosecution.Our investigation tries to find the truth behind the lies.A partnership between the Bureau of Inve...
Critic Reviews
Score: 4
James Marriot • The Times UK • Jul 29, 2022
"A podcast about corporate espionage in the South African tobacco industry hardly sounds a thrill. But Smoke Screen — released at the end of last year and finally picking up a much-deserved buzz — is blessed with an extraordinary character. It’s bananas and fascinating."
Score: 4.5
Miranda Sawyer • The Guardian • Oct 16, 2021
"Smoke Screen isn’t bad, by any means, but it’s hard to muster interest in inter-company spying when the companies all flog cigarettes. Though presenter Victoria Hollingsworth works hard, particularly bigging up one character, Belinda Walter, as a sort of female James Bond of ciggy PR, the problem isn’t one of access or investigation - it’s one of caring. …"
