The Defectors [Drama On 3]

Drama by Al Smith

Presented by Paul French

On a quiet suburban street in Ealing there's a house like none other. All of its windows are blacked out and while kids play in the street and neighbours wash cars in driveways, the activities inside the house on Gunnersbury Avenue are shrouded in mystery. That's because it's the home of the North Korean embassy in London, and this is a story inspired by the high profile 2016 defection of its Deputy Ambassador, Thae Yong-ho.

Presented by Paul French, our programme mixes documentary with drama (written by Al Smith) to explore a real life story of espionage. It's le Carré with an usual twist of suburbia and a snapshot of the world's only communist hereditary monarchy.

After a distinguished career in Pyongyang's foreign service, Thae Yong-ho moved to London with his wife and children. Unlike his colleagues, the family embraced British life, sending their boys to London schools, joining the local tennis club and cultivating a taste for Indian restaurants. All the while, Thae was monitoring the North Korean exile community in Britain, liaising with the few organisations supportive of the DPRK, as well as ensuring the reputation of his country. Then, in 2016, Thae received a message recalling the family to Pyongyang, forcing him to make an impossible choice.

The programme brings together the stories of those who made the choice to escape from one of the most impregnable and secretive countries in the world knowing they can never return, never contact their family and former friends, never knowing if those people closest to them were punished for their decision to flee. Whether for a senior Party loyalist in privileged Pyongyang, or a struggling family faced with famine and poverty, leaving the world's most reclusive and secretive state is a monumental decision with massive ramifications.

As well as the thrilling account inspired by Thae Yong-ho's defection, Paul French explores the experiences of ordinary North Koreans who've escaped and made the perilous journey to the UK. Their stories never made the newspapers, they didn't excite the interest of the intelligence services, but their actions are no less brave or committed.

Thae . . . . . Andrew Leung

Oh . . . . . Liz Sutherland Lim

Ambassador . . . . . David K S Tse

Kwan . . . . . Dan Li

Ken . . . . . David Hounslow

Hyuk . . . . . Nicholas Goh

Jae . . . . . Michael Miller

Jang . . . . . Chris Lew Kum Hoi

Jenny . . . . . Ruth Everett

Ron . . . . . Samuel James

Ari . . . . . Rose Esconda

Boy . . . . . Aurelius Eideberg

Presented by Paul French and drama written by Al Smith.

Production co-ordinator: Gaelan Connolly-Davis

Sound designer: Peter Ringrose

Director: Sasha Yevtushenko

A BBC Studios Audio production for Radio 3

Drama-documentary inspired by the defection of North Korea's Deputy Ambassador to the UK.

Drama-documentary inspired by the the defection of North Korea's Deputy Ambassador to the UK, interwoven with accounts of people who made the journey from North Korea to the UK.

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