1. A giant falls

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 fear 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