Shadow World - The People vs McDonald's: 6. Judge for Yourself
Download The People vs McDonald's: 6. Judge for Yourself
At the end of the longest trial in English history, the verdict is finally delivered - and Helen uncovers who her former partner John really was.
In 1986, members of environmental group, London Greenpeace, published a leaflet called ‘What’s wrong with McDonald’s?’ It claimed McDonald’s was exploiting workers, destroying rainforests, torturing animals, and promoting food that could make people sick, even cause cancer...
McDonald’s said the claims in the leaflet were untrue and defamatory and the company demanded an apology.
Helen Steel, a gardener, and a former postman named Dave Morris, refused.
Mark Steel takes us into the murky world of McDonald’s Corporation vs Steel & Morris – aka 'McLibel' - the longest-running trial in English history which would turn the spotlight on the way big business operates. As well as bringing issues like rainforest destruction and advertising to children into the mainstream, it would also be the moment our current Prime Minister first comes to prominence. If that isn’t enough, this story would ultimately have connections with a dark and shameful secret at the heart of the British state - something which Mark discovers he himself had been a victim of.
Shadow World: Gripping stories from the Shadows – BBC investigations from across the UK.
Presenter: Mark Steel
Producer: Conor Garrett
Executive Producer: Georgia Catt
Development Producer: Christian Dametto
Story Consultant: Annie Brown
Commissioning Editor: Dan Clarke
Commissioning Executive: Tracy Williams
Production Coordinator: Dan Marchini
Archive Research: Emma Betteridge
Sound Mix: Tim Heffer
Music Score: Phil Kieran
*Archive excerpts from director Franny Armstrong’s ‘McLibel,’ reproduced with the permission of Spanner Films
Published on Wednesday, 13th August 2025.
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