The Rise and Ruin of the Barclay Twins episode artwork

EPISODE · Aug 19, 2026 · 32 MIN

The Rise and Ruin of the Barclay Twins

from Great Business Stories · host Caemin

This is the remarkable story of how David and Frederick Barclay went from painters and decorators to owning the most prestigious hotels in London: the Ritz, Claridge's, the Connaught, the Berkeley. They bought the Telegraph Newspaper Group, they bought an island and built a £100 million castle on it, their fortune was estimated to be £7 billion pounds as late as 2020. But these guys, man, they were secretive, underhand — these guys pulled some very sneaky shit. And then it all came crashing down when the twins turned on each other, culminating in the Ritz Hotel bugging scandal. This is a sensational and cracking story — enjoy.

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Aug 19, 2026

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The Rise and Ruin of the Barclay Twins

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