YOU’RE DEAD TO ME

10.30AM, RADIO 4

On 17 January 1920 Prohibition in the US came into force, sending thirsty Americans down strange routes in search of a drink. Bootleggers (so called from the days when bottles were hidden by smugglers in their boots) delivered illicit liquor to secret speakeasys, and booze was often served in teapots. All this furtiveness, as we hear in this fascinating history documentary, only increased alcohol consumption – and launched the Jazz Age.