Inheritance

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

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

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