Advertise on podcast: Inheritance: Samsung

John Elkann has dragged Fiat back to profitability and a global scale even his grandfather couldn’t match, but his inheritance dispute with his own mother is becoming much more than a distraction. The investigation into his grandfather Gianni’s will has now prompted a criminal inquiry. The audio of this episode was updated on 28 October 2026 to better reflect John Elkann’s position on an ongoing legal dispute with his mother, and latest legal developments. Presenter: Sofia Bettiza Series producer: Simon Tulett Producer: Bob Howard Fact-checkers: Adriana Urbano and Randa Darwish Music: Thomas Ross Fitzsimons Sound engineer: Richard Hannaford Series editor: Matt Willis With special thanks to Jennifer Clark, Michele Masneri, Rachel Sanderson, Andrea Colli, and, also, Octavia Woodward. Senior commissioning producer: Sarah Green Commissioning editor: Jon Manel Inheritance is a BBC Long Form Audio production

Fiat starts to turn a corner, but the Agnelli hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons as the inheritance battle waged between the empire’s heir apparent – John Elkann – and his own mother intensifies. Plus, one family member goes off the rails and causes a very public scandal, and the mood in Italy starts to turn on the family as the business becomes more global. The audio of this episode was updated on 28 October 2026 to better reflect John Elkann’s position on an ongoing legal dispute with his mother, and include a reference to John Elkann choosing to renounce his US dual citizenship. Presenter: Sofia Bettiza Series producer: Simon Tulett Producer: Bob Howard Fact-checkers: Adriana Urbano and Randa Darwish Music: Thomas Ross Fitzsimons Sound engineer: Richard Hannaford Series editor: Matt Willis With special thanks to Jennifer Clark, Michele Masneri, Rachel Sanderson, Andrea Colli, and, also, Octavia Woodward. Senior commissioning producer: Sarah Green Commissioning editor: Jon Manel Inheritance is a BBC Long Form Audio production

Gianni Agnelli’s death turns a fracture within the family into a schism. The formidable businessman thought he’d made his wishes clear, but some argue there’s an issue with his will. And to make matters worse, there’s a threat from outside the family and the business is sliding towards bankruptcy. Can the Agnelli unite to keep control? Presenter: Sofia Bettiza Series producer: Simon Tulett Producer: Bob Howard Fact-checkers: Adriana Urbano and Randa Darwish Music: Thomas Ross Fitzsimons Sound engineer: Richard Hannaford Series editor: Matt Willis With special thanks to Jennifer Clark, Michele Masneri, Rachel Sanderson, Andrea Colli, and, also, Octavia Woodward. Senior commissioning producer: Sarah Green Commissioning editor: Jon Manel Inheritance is a BBC Long Form Audio production

As Fiat’s fortunes slump dramatically, a mysterious but powerful backer forces Gianni Agnelli to make a choice between business and family. When his health later begins to fail, the family patriarch looks to the future and his successor, but tragedy tears up his plans. Who can he turn to next? Presenter: Sofia Bettiza Series producer: Simon Tulett Producer: Bob Howard Fact-checkers: Adriana Urbano and Randa Darwish Music: Thomas Ross Fitzsimons Sound engineer: Richard Hannaford Series editor: Matt Willis With special thanks to Jennifer Clark, Michele Masneri, Rachel Sanderson, Andrea Colli, and, also, Octavia Woodward. Senior commissioning producer: Sarah Green Commissioning editor: Jon Manel Inheritance is a BBC Long Form Audio production

As Gianni Agnelli tries to regain control of Fiat from striking workers, his son and heir makes a faltering start to life in the family business. Can he be moulded into Fiat’s future leader, or will he pose a threat to the dynasty’s future? Presenter: Sofia Bettiza Series producer: Simon Tulett Producer: Bob Howard Fact-checkers: Adriana Urbano and Randa Darwish Music: Thomas Ross Fitzsimons Sound engineer: Richard Hannaford Series editor: Matt Willis With special thanks to Jennifer Clark, Michele Masneri, Rachel Sanderson, Andrea Colli, and, also, Octavia Woodward. Senior commissioning producer: Sarah Green Commissioning editor: Jon Manel Inheritance is a BBC Long Form Audio production

Fiat’s business booms in post-war Italy. But just after Gianni takes charge, worker unrest reaches epic levels and threatens to throw the industrial giant into chaos. How will he manage the comedown without collapsing everything his family have built? Presenter: Sofia Bettiza Series producer: Simon Tulett Producer: Bob Howard Fact-checkers: Adriana Urbano and Randa Darwish Music: Thomas Ross Fitzsimons Sound engineer: Richard Hannaford Series editor: Matt Willis With special thanks to Jennifer Clark, Michele Masneri, Rachel Sanderson, Andrea Colli, and, also, Octavia Woodward. Senior commissioning producer: Sarah Green Commissioning editor: Jon Manel Inheritance is a BBC Long Form Audio production

Gianni Agnelli is living the good life in the south of France while he waits to inherit the Fiat empire. His life is a mixture of parties, mega-yachts and beautiful women, until one night changes everything. Presenter: Sofia Bettiza Series producer: Simon Tulett Producer: Bob Howard Fact-checkers: Adriana Urbano and Randa Darwish Music: Thomas Ross Fitzsimons Sound engineer: Richard Hannaford Series editor: Matt Willis With special thanks to Jennifer Clark, Michele Masneri, Rachel Sanderson, Andrea Colli, and, also, Octavia Woodward. Senior commissioning producer: Sarah Green Commissioning editor: Jon Manel Inheritance is a BBC Long Form Audio production

A tragic accident throws Fiat’s succession plan into crisis, and sparks a bitter custody battle that tears the Agnelli family apart. As Fiat’s founder, Giovanni Agnelli, is forced to look at other potential heirs to his throne, one likely candidate emerges – a grandson. But with war looming over Europe, it’s not clear whether he, or the business, will survive. Presenter: Sofia Bettiza Series producer: Simon Tulett Producer: Bob Howard Fact-checkers: Adriana Urbano and Randa Darwish Music: Thomas Ross Fitzsimons Sound engineer: Richard Hannaford Series editor: Matt Willis With special thanks to Jennifer Clark, Michele Masneri, Rachel Sanderson, Andrea Colli, and, also, Octavia Woodward. Senior commissioning producer: Sarah Green Commissioning editor: Jon Manel Inheritance is a BBC Long Form Audio production

Fiat’s founder, Giovanni Agnelli, begins building his dynasty, but his power could be checked by a rising and ruthless political star – Benito Mussolini. Will Fiat - now at the centre of Italy’s political, economic and cultural life – be free to plot its own path under fascism, or will Giovanni need to bend to the dictator? Plus, as Giovanni’s son is groomed to succeed him, the family’s fortunes take an unexpected turn. Presenter: Sofia Bettiza Series producer: Simon Tulett Producer: Bob Howard Fact-checkers: Adriana Urbano and Randa Darwish Music: Thomas Ross Fitzsimons Sound engineer: Richard Hannaford Series editor: Matt Willis With special thanks to Jennifer Clark, Michele Masneri, Rachel Sanderson, Andrea Colli, and, also, Octavia Woodward. Senior commissioning producer: Sarah Green Commissioning editor: Jon Manel Inheritance is a BBC Long Form Audio production

Gianni Agnelli is the head of the family that controls Fiat, and the vast business empire beyond the carmaker that helped shape modern Italy. Charming, charismatic and powerful, he's regarded by many as Italy’s unofficial king, and his family de facto royalty. When he dies, the country is plunged into mourning and fears for its economic future. But Gianni’s death also triggers an inheritance dispute that will shake his family to its core. As old wounds re-open, competing ambitions emerge and the business itself drifts towards bankruptcy, a question looms: if the empire does survive, which member of the Agnelli family – if any of them – will be in charge? Presenter: Sofia Bettiza Series producer: Simon Tulett Producer: Bob Howard Fact-checkers: Adriana Urbano and Randa Darwish Music: Thomas Ross Fitzsimons Sound engineer: Richard Hannaford Series editor: Matt Willis With special thanks to Jennifer Clark, Michele Masneri, Rachel Sanderson, Andrea Colli, and, also, Octavia Woodward. Senior commissioning producer: Sarah Green Commissioning editor: Jon Manel Inheritance is a BBC Long Form Audio production

The Agnellis have been called Italy’s ‘uncrowned kings’. They created the car company Fiat, which has been at the heart of Italy’s industrial, economic and cultural life for more than a hundred years. Gianni Agnelli inherited Fiat from his grandfather and went on to transform it into a global industrial empire. For many years he was seen as being a jet-setting playboy, driving fast cars and mixing with Hollywood stars. His funeral was attended by then Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, and sports stars, including racing driver Michael Schumacher. But since Gianni’s death the Agnelli family has fractured, raising questions about whether they can maintain control. Now, the current Chairman John Elkann is locked in a dispute with his mother over the estate, which could have a huge impact on the way the family’s affairs are arranged. Hit by a series of tragedies and buffeted by political winds, which members of the Agnelli family will succeed in steering the huge conglomerate? The audio of this episode was updated on 23 October 2026 to remove references that required further context. Presenter: Sofia Bettiza Series producer: Simon Tulett Producer: Bob Howard Fact-checkers: Adriana Urbano and Randa Darwish Music: Thomas Ross Fitzsimons Sound engineer: Richard Hannaford Series editor: Matt Willis With special thanks to Jennifer Clark, Michele Masneri, Rachel Sanderson, Andrea Colli, and, also, Octavia Woodward. Senior commissioning producer: Sarah Green Commissioning editor: Jon Manel Inheritance is a BBC Long Form Audio production

In the 1980s KH Lee takes charge of Samsung, but the business is struggling in a competitive global electronics market. It’s up to him to turn it around, and secure its future for the next generation with a complex succession plan. In this brand-new 10-part series from the BBC World Service, we take you behind closed doors- inside the billion-dollar deals and the family power struggles that shape global empires. When your relatives are also your business partners, every decision is personal. In these dynasties, the boardroom isn’t just about profit - it’s about survival. Host: Elise Hu Producers: Simon Tulett and Sally Abrahams Fact-checkers: Matt Toulson and Su-Min Hwang Music: Thomas Ross Fitzsimons Mixing and sound design: Charlie Brandon-King Series editor: Matt Willis With special thanks to Geoffrey Cain, Sojin Lim, Jaeyeon Lee, Jake Kwon and Mary Wilkinson Senior commissioning producer: Sarah Green Commissioning editor: Jon Manel Inheritance is a BBC Long Form Audio production

When Samsung’s chairman has to choose who will take over the business once he’s gone, he looks to his three sons. But a betrayal from within the heart of the family shakes up the succession. Which member of the Lee family should take the top job? In this brand-new 10-part series from the BBC World Service, we take you behind closed doors - inside the billion-dollar deals and the family power struggles that shape global empires. When your relatives are also your business partners, every decision is personal. In these dynasties, the boardroom isn’t just about profit - it’s about survival. Host: Elise Hu Producers: Simon Tulett and Sally Abrahams Fact-checkers: Matt Toulson and Su-Min Hwang Music: Thomas Ross Fitzsimons Mixing and sound design: Charlie Brandon-King Series editor: Matt Willis With special thanks to Geoffrey Cain, Sojin Lim, Jaeyeon Lee, Jake Kwon and Mary Wilkinson Senior commissioning producer: Sarah Green Commissioning editor: Jon Manel Inheritance is a BBC Long Form Audio production

Samsung started as a fruit and vegetable business, but growth in the 1950s leaves it vulnerable to political interference. Its chairman makes a deal to ensure its survival, but is instead hit with a scandal which could derail the whole company. How did Samsung get through to become the global tech giant we know today? In this brand-new 10-part series from the BBC World Service, we take you behind closed doors - inside the billion-dollar deals and the family power struggles that shape global empires. When your relatives are also your business partners, every decision is personal. In these dynasties, the boardroom isn’t just about profit - it’s about survival. Host: Elise Hu Producers: Simon Tulett and Sally Abrahams Fact-checkers: Matt Toulson and Su-Min Hwang Music: Thomas Ross Fitzsimons Mixing and sound design: Charlie Brandon-King. Series editor: Matt Willis With special thanks to Geoffrey Cain, Sojin Lim, Jaeyeon Lee, Jake Kwon and, also, Mary Wilkinson. Senior commissioning producer: Sarah Green Commissioning editor: Jon Manel Inheritance is a BBC Long Form Audio production

In 2017, the heir to South Korea’s biggest company is facing jail, leaving it with an uncertain future. After 80 years of business, how did Samsung get here? And how did a deal meant to secure family control of the company go so wrong? In this brand-new 10-part series from the BBC World Service, we take you behind closed doors - inside the billion-dollar deals and the family power struggles that shape global empires. When your relatives are also your business partners, every decision is personal. In these dynasties, the boardroom is not just about profit - it is about survival. Presenter: Elise Hu Producers: Simon Tulett and Sally Abrahams Fact-checkers: Matt Toulson and Su-Min Hwang Music: Thomas Ross Fitzsimons Sound engineer: Charlie Brandon-King. Series editor: Matt Willis With special thanks to Geoffrey Cain, Sojin Lim, Jaeyeon Lee, Jake Kwon and, also, Mary Wilkinson. Senior commissioning producer: Sarah Green Commissioning editor: Jon Manel Inheritance is a BBC Long Form Audio production