Hoaxed

In 2014, two children told police a shocking story: that they were being abused by a Satanic cult; a cult headed by their father and by parents and teachers at their school in the wealthy London suburb of Hampstead.

The story was a lie. But on the internet, that didn't matter.

From the team who brought you Sweet Bobby, Hoaxed is an investigation into one of Britain's most serious-ever conspiracy theories. A story about a modern-day Satanic panic; about the victims whose lives were destroyed and about the conspiracists who spread the lie around the world.

Oh, and it's about our hunt for the perpetrators - the people who forced the kids to lie - the ones who started it all.

New episodes of Hoaxed launch each week, but Tortoise members and Tortoise+ subscribers on Apple Podcasts get exclusive, early and ad-free access. To access the first 5 episodes now subscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts or join Tortoise as a member, where you will also get invites to exclusive events. Visit the Tortoise website and use the code Alexi50 for half price membership for £50 per year.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Seized upon by conspiracy theorists, Ella’s list of alleged cult members spreads like wildfire across the Internet. Hampstead parents start receiving death threats and lives are torn apart.

Listen to the full series today. For the premium Tortoise listening experience, curated by our journalists, download the free Tortoise audio app. For early and ad-free access to all our investigative series and daily and weekly shows, subscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts.

If you’d like to further support slow journalism and help us build a different kind of newsroom, do consider donating to Tortoise at tortoisemedia.com/support-us. Your contributions allow us to investigate, campaign and explore, and to build a newsroom that is responsible and sustainable.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Introducing..Who Trolled Amber?

What comes to mind when you think of Amber Heard? Liar? Survivor? Narcissist? Millions of us watched the celebrity trial of the century, Depp v Heard, in 2022. Amber Heard lost and Johnny Depp was vindicated. But what if Amber was actually the victim of an organised trolling campaign? What if the online hate against her was manufactured?

Alexi Mostrous, the reporter who brought you Sweet Bobby and Hoaxed, investigates what happened to Amber and who might have been responsible. It’s a story about how our own thoughts and opinions can be moulded without us even realising.

The first two episodes of Who Trolled Amber are available now, with further episodes released each week. To listen to the whole series become a Tortoise member or subscribe to Tortoise+.

To find out more about Tortoise:

Download the Tortoise app - for a listening experience curated by our journalists

Subscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free content

Become a member and get access to all of Tortoise's premium audio offerings and more

If you want to get in touch with us directly about a story, or tell us more about the stories you want to hear about contact [email protected]

Reporter and host: Alexi Mostrous

Producer: Xavier Greenwood

Editor: David Taylor

Narrative editor: Gary Marshall

Additional reporting: Katie Riley

Sound design: Karla Patella

Artwork: Jon Hill & Oscar Ingham

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We are partnering with Tenderfoot TV, so that we can continue to bring our listeners brilliant investigations like Hoaxed. You can join Tortoise as a member to get early and ad-free access to new series and support our investigations at www.tortoisemedia.com/invite

Introducing...To Die For

Imagine you were a fly on the wall at a dinner between the mafia, the CIA, and the KGB. That’s where this unprecedented story begins. A journey through the dark world of Russian intelligence where, for the first time, a professed “sex spy” tells her story. All of it.

Host Neil Strauss (Rolling Stone, The New York Times) brings listeners into the dangerous world of sexpionage, where enemies of the State are not the only victims. So too are the spies themselves, brainwashed to believe that their bodies belong to Russia and meticulously trained to become “the perfect weapons.” From the creators of the #1 hit podcast series To Live and Die in LA, this is To Die For.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If you enjoyed listening to Hoaxed, we hope you enjoy the latest podcast from reporter Alexi Mostrous, an episode of this week's Slow Newscast from Tortoise.

In 2014, a Jordanian man was imprisoned in Ras Al Khaimah, the northernmost Emirate in the UAE. He alleges he has been illegally detained and threatened. The man he primarily blames? A British lawyer called Neil Gerrard.

It’s a story that contains allegations of hacking, complicity to torture and an attempted cover up. Neil Gerrard denies all these allegations - but they’ve been described as the most serious ever made against a British lawyer...

Search for the Slow Newscast – available now wherever you get your podcasts or clicking this link: https://podfollow.com/the-tortoise-podcast

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.