In this episode, we cover the implosion of the South Sea Co. amid an outbreak of the plague in France, and put it into its context internationally. The affair threatened the throne of George I and prompted a frantic cover-up on the part of the government after the man who was potentially a star witness fled with a green-covered ledger containing the names of those who’d benefitted illicitly. The affair was also the key to the return to the top of Robert Walpole, who used it to devastating effect.