BBC Radio Podcasts from Marianna in Conspiracyland
Introducing... Death by Conspiracy?
Gary Matthews was drawn to conspiracies about Covid - until he caught the virus, and died.
1. A Magical Town
What happened to Gary Matthews?
2. Fleeing a Virus
How did Gary get pulled towards conspiracies?
3. The Protest
A protest in Shrewsbury gets weird.
4. Charlie
Marianna meets the man who ran the Facebook group Gary was in before he died.
5. Reflections in the Glass
After Gary’s death, the information battle heats up.
6. Tristan's Quest
Seeking to understand what happened, Gary’s cousin returns to Shrewsbury.
7. Gary's Final Days
Marianna traces Gary’s final week.
8. Tracking the Timeline
What did Gary’s online life look like?
9. The Conspiracist Mindset
Debunking stereotypes about those who fall for conspiracy theories.
10. Light and Dark
What does the story of Gary Matthews tell us about the world now?
Introducing... War on Truth
What’s fake, what’s real? Stories from the information war over Ukraine.
1. Kristina: ‘My cousin thinks we’re bombing ourselves’
What do you do when your relative refuses to believe her country is attacking yours?
2. Maxim: Homeless and Trolled
Maxim's home was destroyed, but he never expected to be called a liar.
3. Masha: The Influencer Who is a Secret Weapon
How a Eurovision host and other stars are helping Ukraine fight an information war.
4. One Baby, Three Photos, and a Web of Lies
A pregnant woman injured in the bombing of a maternity hospital was attacked again online.
5. Rob: ‘Covid was a hoax, and so is the war’
They didn’t believe Covid was real - and now they think the war in Ukraine is staged.
6. The View from the Other Side
Russia spun a web of lies around her photo, but now she’s resurfaced to tell her story.
7. Sergei: ‘It’s my duty to keep telling Russians the truth’
The Russian journalist who refused to stay silent after the Kremlin took him off air.
8. Tetyana: ‘My son is the Snake Island hero’
How a story of sweary heroism wasn't quite what it seemed.
9. Roddy: 'We don’t trust the media, so we became it'
How self-styled citizen journalists are covering the war in Ukraine.
Introducing... Disaster Trolls
What happens when tragedy makes you a target?
1. Darkness in the Glade of Light
Daren can’t forget that night at the Manchester Arena. So who claims it never happened?
2. Sharpening the Spike
The conspiracy show host who tried to prove a teenage bomb victim wasn’t injured.
3. The Insider
An unexpected source provides an insight into a leading conspiracy theorist.
4. Hall’s Stall
Marianna Spring finally meets the conspiracy theorist at the heart of her investigation.
5. Who Believes This Stuff?
How widespread is the belief that major terror attacks in the UK are faked?
6. The Visitor
He said he was a customer, but the visitor to Lisa’s boatyard hid his real intentions.
7. I Helped Bring Down Alex Jones
The Infowars employee whose testimony helped Sandy Hook parents win huge damages.
8. I Was a Conspiracy Theorist... Get Me Out of Here!
Brent disavows the toxic conspiracy theories he helped create, but can Paul forgive him?
9. What They Don’t Tell You About Terror
Are terror survivors taken seriously when they seek help against abusive trolling?
10. The Billion Dollar Question
A landmark US court ruling gives hope to victims of conspiracy theories in the UK.
Bonus: Remember My Name
Marianna Spring revisits her investigation into conspiracy theories about terror attacks.
Introducing... Marianna in Conspiracyland
What happened to the people who fell down the rabbit hole?
1. Entering Conspiracyland
What’s happening in the Devon town of Totnes?
2. Down The Rabbit Hole
What do those in the movement believe? And why?
3. Trestle Tables for Truth
Where does all the anger come from?
4. The Conspiracy Theory Newspaper
Who is the man behind The Light?
5. Follow The Money
Who is funding this conspiracy theory newspaper?
6. German Conspiracyland
Why are journalists being attacked in Germany?
7. After An Attempted Coup
What can the UK learn from Germany?
8. The Science Of Conspiracy
Could people in the UK conspiracy theory movement ever become violent?
9. People Like Us
Do you know someone who’s fallen down the rabbit hole?
10. A Risk That’s Impossible To Ignore
What will happen next in Conspiracyland?
Bonus: Frontlines of Conspiracyland
What are the obstacles that stand between journalists and the truth?
Bonus: Irish Conspiracyland
Can you hold papers sharing disinformation and hate to account?
Introducing... Why Do You Hate Me?
Marianna Spring investigates different extraordinary cases of online hate.
1. I Regret Posting Online That I Was Madeleine McCann
The woman who went viral for claiming to be Madeleine McCann explains her motives
2. I Believed Conspiracies About The Shooting I Survived
How the survivor of a mass shooting in Las Vegas fell into a world of conspiracy theories
3. Sadiq Khan: I Didn’t Say That!
How faked audio of London's mayor inflamed hate on social media and tensions offline.
4. I Received Online Death Threats And The Premier League Caught My Troll
How a Premier League unit tracked down the troll who threatened the player and his family.
5. I Went Inside The World Of The Trolled And The Troll
Marianna investigates online abuse targeting Eni Aluko and tracks down one of her trolls.
Introducing... Why Do You Hate Me? USA
Marianna Spring investigates the online phenomena that could influence the election.
1. Wild Thoughts: 'I hate Trump, she likes him – we both think he staged assassination attempts'
How do two people with different politics end up believing similar conspiracy theories?
2. Counting The Threats: 'I just work in IT – why am I getting threats from election deniers?'
Inside the election centre where workers face threats and abuse ahead of the 2024 vote.
3. The Fable of the Pikesville Clip: ‘I’ve been burnt by the fire once, so I’ll think twice before posting’
A clip that divided and convinced a community – and what it could mean for the election.
4. Doxxed and Blocked: ‘We’re distressed about war in the Middle East and now trolls are after us.'
The social media tactic harming and further polarising people.
5. Fandom Frenzies: Who’s afraid of little old us?
How are the Swifties impacting the vote?