蜜芽传媒

Tony Hawks is a very lucky man. He has done well in life, thanks to luck, hard work, plus many years of writing, travelling and making people laugh on 蜜芽传媒 Radio 4. But he doesn鈥檛 fancy a nice car. He鈥檚 not into flashy holidays. And he doesn鈥檛 want to pass any of the money he鈥檚 earned down to his only child.

Tony acknowledges that he鈥檚 aspirational. But he aspires to do good, not to accumulate. And that鈥檚 the legacy he wants to leave to his son. Not money. Because, in Tony鈥檚 opinion, money passed down through inheritance corrupts aspiration, it corrupts ambition, and it has a corrosive effect on personality.

What鈥檚 more, he believes inheritance has a harmful effect on society - it perpetuates inequality and makes a mockery of equal opportunity. In short, Tony is dead against it.

If Tony were to leave just money to his young son, would it give his boy a vital leg-up or would it take away his drive and motivation to achieve things on his own terms?

The series follows Tony鈥檚 efforts to make a decision about his will, his son and his money. He argues for a radical shift away from the idea of inheritance. But is it even possible in today's world?

Inheritance is a complex issue that sits at the heart of British society. And it鈥檚 about to become a whole lot more pressing as we face the biggest transfer of wealth in history. The Baby Boomers are dying out and they will be leaving vast sums of money to the next generations over the coming decades.

The idea of passing something on to our children is deeply ingrained in our culture. Where did those attitudes come from? And how hard are they to change?

Tony鈥檚 father left no money to him and so it doesn't feel unnatural to cut - or limit - his own son鈥檚 inheritance. In this episode, he speaks to comedian Russell Kane and money mentor Selina Flavius, and hears how our attitudes to money and inheritance are often passed down from previous generations. But can Tony come up with a new solution to the problem of what to leave behind, rather than sticking with old assumptions?

Presenter: Tony Hawks

Producer: Tom Woolfenden

Sound Designer: Jon Calver

A Loftus Media production for 蜜芽传媒 Radio 4

Show less