Episodes
| Title | First Broadcast | Repeated | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Burning Sun, Ep 1: The Phone Call | 20230626 | `I had no idea how big it was going to b | |
| Burning Sun, Ep 2: Kakao Talk | 20230626 | 20230703 (R4) 20230705 (R4) | Someone is holding popstar Jung's phone in their hands. And what they see on it is shocking. Another journalist Kang Kyung-Yoon gets a tip-off and starts investigating the chat-rooms, and is overwhelmed by the crimes she sees. Sex videos being shared by well-known celebrities, and in some the women are unconscious and being sexually assaulted. She tracks down some of the victims, and the more she digs, the more she uncovers. For the first time, we give the definitive account of the sex scandals that brought down some of Korea's biggest K-pop stars. It's a tale of depravity, power and excess - hidden behind a facade of wholesome pop music. Co-creator, presenter and writer: Chloe Hadjimatheou Local Producer: Lee Hyun Choi Assistant Producer and researcher: Loonie Park and Jeong-One Park Translator and researcher: Jinny Yeon Music: Tom Haines at Brain Audio Sound Design: Carlos San Juan at Brain Audio Co-creator and executive producer: Kavita Puri ACTORS Joh: Pricilla Chung Kang Kyung-Yoon: Julee Cerda Jung Joon-Yung: J Sebastian Lee Kakao chat voices: Jun Noh, Wontek Woo, Je Seung Lee Drama director: Anne Isger Investing in immortality - the tech pioneers who want to live forever. |
| Burning Sun, Ep 3 : The Nightclub | 20230626 | 20230710 (R4) 20230712 (R4) | A rival broadcaster reveals a shocking scandal at the exclusive Burning Sun nightclub, co-owned by Seungri - one of the members of Big Bang, and a global K-pop star. There are disturbing accounts emerging of underground rooms where women are taken, and the police investigate. And Journalist Kang is about to drop a bombshell. For the first time, we give the definitive account of the sex scandals that brought down some of Korea's biggest K-pop stars. It's a tale of depravity, power and excess - hidden behind a facade of wholesome pop music. Co-creator, presenter and writer: Chloe Hadjimatheou Local Producer: Lee Hyun Choi Assistant Producer and researcher: Loonie Park and Jeong-One Park Translator and researcher: Jinny Yeon Music: Tom Haines at Brain Audio Sound Design: Carlos San Juan at Brain Audio Co-creator and executive producer: Kavita Puri ACTORS Kang Kyung-Yoon: Julee Cerda Seungri: Je Seung Lee Black Pink: Pricilla Chung, Eden Jun MD Cho: J Sebastian Lee MD Lee: Winson Ting Jin-Ah: Eden Jun Radio Presenters: Winson Ting, J Sebastian Lee Drama director: Anne Isger A shocking scandal is uncovered at a nightclub co-owned by Big Bang K-pop star Seungri. Investing in immortality - the tech pioneers who want to live forever. |
| Burning Sun, Ep 4: Consent | 20230626 | 20230717 (R4) 20230719 (R4) | The scandals are making headlines around the world and K-pop fans react. Jung's superfan watches as one after another K-pop star is arrested. She has had enough and becomes part of a feminist movement for change against spy cam crimes and misogyny. The woman who made the original allegation against Jung says she regrets not pursuing it. She was viciously trolled after her accusation, and she campaigns to make sure this never happens again to another woman who dares to speak out. For the first time, we give the definitive account of the sex scandals that brought down some of Korea's biggest K-pop stars. It's a tale of depravity, power and excess - hidden behind a facade of wholesome pop music. Co-creator, presenter and writer: Chloe Hadjimatheou Local Producer: Lee Hyun Choi Assistant Producer and researcher: Loonie Park and Jeong-One Park Translator and researcher: Jinny Yeon Music: Tom Haines at Brain Audio Sound Design: Carlos San Juan at Brain Audio Co-creator and executive producer: Kavita Puri ACTORS Kang Kyung-Yoon: Julee Cerda Oh Se-Yeon: Rosa Escoda Ryu Ho-Jeong: Tina Chiang Kyung-Mi: Pricilla Chung Jung Joon-Yung: J Sebastian Lee Kakao chat voices: Jun Noh, Wontek Woo, Je Seung Lee Drama director: Anne Isger The sex scandals make headlines around the world. K-pop fans, like Jung's superfan, react. Investing in immortality - the tech pioneers who want to live forever. |
| Burning Sun, Ep 5: An Extreme Decision | 20230626 | 20230724 (R4) 20230726 (R4) | Journalist Kang receives a surprising call from K-pop royalty Goo-Hara, who wants to help her with her investigation, as some of the people in the chatroom were her friends. Goo Hara, like many South Korean women is a victim of digital sex crime. Her very public battle in taking a stand against it, receives enormous coverage into her private life and she is mercilessly trolled. It's too much for her, and will end in tragedy. For the first time, we give the definitive account of the sex scandals that brought down some of Korea's biggest K-pop stars. It's a tale of depravity, power and excess - hidden behind a facade of wholesome pop music. Co-creator, presenter and writer: Chloe Hadjimatheou Local Producer: Lee Hyun Choi Assistant Producer and researcher: Loonie Park and Jeong-One Park Translator and researcher: Jinny Yeon Music: Tom Haines at Brain Audio Sound Design: Carlos San Juan at Brain Audio Co-creator and executive producer: Kavita Puri ACTORS Kang Kyung-Yoon: Julee Cerda Goo Hoin: Jun Noh Drama director: Anne Isger Investing in immortality - the tech pioneers who want to live forever. |
| Burning Sun, Ep 6: The Reckoning | 20230731 | 20230802 (R4) | The K-pop stars are jailed for their crimes and some women hope this and other sex abuse scandals might finally spark a real social change. Instead, all it does is fan the growing divisions between men and women. Then the gender war goes mainstream and plays out during the recent presidential election. For the first time, we give the definitive account of the sex scandals that brought down some of Korea's biggest K-pop stars. It's a tale of depravity, power and excess - hidden behind a facade of wholesome pop music. Co-creator, presenter and writer: Chloe Hadjimatheou Local Producer: Lee Hyun Choi Assistant Producer and researcher: Loonie Park and Jeong-One Park Translator and researcher: Jinny Yeon Music: Tom Haines at Brain Audio Sound Design: Carlos San Juan at Brain Audio Co-creator and executive producer: Kavita Puri ACTORS Kang Kyung-Yoon: Julee Cerda Goo Hoin: Jun Noh Choi In-Ho: Je Seung Lee Drama director: Anne Isger The K-pop stars face justice. Investing in immortality - the tech pioneers who want to live forever. |
| Million Dollar Lover - Ep 3: The Fight | 20231207 | Carolyn is facing mounting opposition to her relationship with Dave, who is 23 years younger than her and a world away in terms of wealth and lifestyle. She is being forced to make the most difficult choice possible: between her daughters and her new lover. The situation becomes so heated that it finally erupts into violence. Opposition to Dave seems to be leading Carolyn to side with him more and they appear determined to stay together. Dave is all for Carolyn taking back control of her finances from her daughters and they fear she is showing signs of mental incapacity. They want her to agree to be tested, but Carolyn is digging her heels in and is adamant that she can make her own decisions The situation is escalating really quickly, with her daughters are increasingly on the side-lines - powerless to act. They have huge concerns about Dave, who has a long criminal record and was homeless and addicted to the drug, Crystal Meth. They cannot get their Mum to listen and as long as she says she is happy, there appears to be nothing that they can do. Million Dollar Lover is an unlikely love story, recorded over a year as the relationship unfolds between Carolyn, who is 80 and has a valuable property portfolio, and Dave, 57, who arrives in the idyllic Californian resort of Cayucos by chance and quickly decides to make it his home Is Dave really a tender carer who will cherish Carolyn to the end as he promises, or is he a dangerous interloper who will fleece Carolyn – breaking her heart and her family? Million Dollar Lover is produced at BBC Audio by the team behind The Boy in the Woods and is presented by Sue Mitchell. The series is scripted by Winifred Robinson; the producers are Sue Mitchell and Joel Moors; the dramaturg is Flo Dessau and sound design is by Tom Brignell. The editor is Philip Sellars. When a homeless man moves in with a rich widow is it true love or something much darker? Million Dollar Lover is a true story recorded in real time about how homelessness and wealth collide in a luxury Californian resort when a millionaire widow falls for her handyman. | |
| Million Dollar Lover - Ep 4: Rewards Of Love | 20231214 | One of the consequences of the family falling out about Dave is that Carolyn has decided to take back control of her bank accounts from her daughter, Sally, who had always helped her Mum in the past. Carolyn's daughters fear that she will start giving money to Dave and that there is nothing they can do about it. In the early days of the relationship, the daughters had got Carolyn and Dave to sign a legal agreement protecting her money and properties. But now they fear that the pair have effectively ripped up that agreement, which they are perfectly entitled to do. Could this be the start of the nightmare scenario they have been dreading ever since Dave moved into the family home? There is a childlike quality in Carolyn when it comes to Dave that does make her vulnerable. She guards him as if he is some kind of rare treasure and when he is out late drinking with friends, she sometimes sets out in the dark to find him. Her neighbour Marie, who cares for more than a dozen wealthy old women in Cayucos, says it is something she sees a lot. Marie has warned Carolyn about Dave, but to no avail. The story captured the attention of the BBC Journalist Sue Mitchell, as it was unfolding on her street. She spends a lot of time in California; she married an American and her award-winning journalism has been about the lives of people like Dave who inhabit the dangerous margins of society. Is Dave really a tender carer who will cherish Carolyn to the end as he promises, or is he a dangerous interloper who will fleece Carolyn – breaking her heart and her family? Million Dollar Lover is produced at BBC Audio by the team behind The Boy in the Woods and is presented by Sue Mitchell. The series is scripted by Winifred Robinson; the producers are Sue Mitchell and Joel Moors; the dramaturg is Flo Dessau and sound design is by Tom Brignell When a homeless man moves in with a rich widow is it true love or something much darker? With Carolyn and Dave ripping up an agreement to safeguard her family assets, it feels like a spending spree is coming. Can her daughters stop it and what happens if they can't? | |
| Million Dollar Lover - Ep 5: Family Fortunes | 20231221 | With Carolyn's encouragement, Dave is making more effort to see his children, including his daughter, Cody. Like her Dad, Cody has struggled with crystal meth addiction and is sometimes sleeping rough in her car as she waits for a place in a recovery unit. She longs for her Dad's love, but she has been let down by him in the past and cannot really trust that he has changed In this episode BBC Journalist, Sue Mitchell, goes with Dave to Riverside, on the outskirts of Los Angeles. This is where Dave has spent a lot of his life and on a walk at a local landmark he discloses that it is also where he was locked up following a violent attack. As more secrets from his past emerge Sue catches glimpses of Dave's anger and of his more sinister side. The revelations go to the heart of the question everyone in Cayucos is asking: is Dave really a tender carer who will cherish Carolyn to the end as he promises, or is he a dangerous interloper who will fleece Carolyn – breaking her heart and her family? Million Dollar Lover is produced at BBC Audio by the team behind The Boy in the Woods and is presented by Sue Mitchell. The series is scripted by Winifred Robinson; the producers are Sue Mitchell and Joel Moors; the dramaturg is Flo Dessau and sound design is by Tom Brignell When a homeless man moves in with a rich widow is it true love or something much darker? Carolyn is encouraging Dave to build closer relationships with his children but he's caused a lot of damage in the past and it's unclear whether they can forgive - and trust - him. | |
| Million Dollar Lover - Ep 6: Unforgettable | 20231228 | At first glance Carolyn appears to be a lucky woman who has led a charmed life: loved by her husband and daughters – prosperous and secure. But she has endured great hardship and in this episode it becomes a bit easier to understand why she initially felt so drawn to Dave and what he has come to represent in her life. For his part, Dave is reluctant to dwell on his childhood, but he undoubtedly had a difficult start in life. Some of that damage has since been repeated in the lives of his children and grandchildren. As the bond between Carolyn and Dave deepens, she is clear about wanting to protect his future by helping him financially. Relationships in your later years are never going to be plain sailing: there are usually long established patterns, and problems to contend with. Carolyn is on her own with these now that her daughters have been pushed to the side-lines of her life. She is struggling to drive at night and to do her tax returns and she is increasingly frustrated with Dave's drinking and socialising Million Dollar Lover is produced at BBC Audio by the team behind The Boy in the Woods and is presented by Sue Mitchell. The series is scripted by Winifred Robinson; the producers are Sue Mitchell and Joel Moors; the dramaturg is Flo Dessau and sound design is by Tom Brignell When a homeless man moves in with a rich widow is it true love or something much darker? It is hard to explain Carolyn's obsession with Dave, but perhaps there are clues in her past – and his – which help make sense of a relationship which lurches from calm to stormy. | |
| Million Dollar Lover: Ep 7: Hidden Lives | 20240104 | In the idyllic seaside town of Cayucos, on the Californian coast, property is expensive, a home here can easily cost a million dollars or more. The property boom which has made people of Carolyn's generation well off, has priced so many out of the market and made it expensive to rent. There is a growing problem with homelessness, a world that Dave knows well. Even now that he is living with Carolyn he has not cut his ties with the homeless and is determined to help when he can. When Dave returns to Riverside, on the outskirts of Los Angeles, he visits some of the friends he lived alongside on the river bottom. There are tarpaulin covers stretching for miles, largely hidden by the trees and it is down there that we meet Rebecca. She is a crystal meth addict and offers him the pipe: he has made so much of leaving this world behind, but has he really? In that same visit he goes back to the Gavilan mountains, a spaghetti Western landscape that is sun scorched and inhospitable. It was here that Dave lived with a famous Hollywood actress. A story which hardly seems true but which is and one which quickly raises new worries about Carolyn's safety at his hands. Million Dollar Lover is produced at BBC Audio by the team behind The Boy in the Woods and is presented by Sue Mitchell The series is scripted by Winifred Robinson; the producers are Sue Mitchell and Joel Moors; the dramaturg is Flo Dessau and sound design is by Tom Brignell Frightening facts emerge about Dave's past relationship with a famous Hollywood actress. When a homeless man moves in with a rich widow is it true love or something much darker? What other secrets lie in Dave's past: Sue Mitchell goes with him to a remote mountainside in California where he lived with a famous Hollywood actress and frightening facts emerge | |
| The Immortals , Ep 1: Dracula | 20230904 | Over the last 100 years, we've seen global life expectancy double. Could it happen again? Technology reporter and psychologist Aleks Krotoski explores the frontiers of the extreme longevity pioneers. They've made their money in Silicon Valley. And with their technology solutions - PayPal, Facebook, cryptocurrencies - they've ushered in the world that we live in today, with all its unintended consequences. Some of them now want to solve the 'problem' of aging, or even death, and they are making bigger strides than we may think. Can they? Should they? Bryan Johnson is a technology success story. In 2013, he sold his company to PayPal for $400 million, and now spends his time - and $2m annually - on the search for eternal life. He believes he has found the secret - or, at least, can find it in the thousands of scientific articles he and his team sift through for their protocol of treatments. The most unusual of which is infusing Bryan's veins with the plasma of young people. Has he discovered the fountain of youth? A Pillowfort production for BBC Radio 4 New episodes released Mondays. If you're in the UK, listen to the full series of Intrigue: The Immortals first on BBC Sounds: BBC.in/3WEQS5W Aleks Krotoski tracks the imminent cure for aging and the push by Silicon Valley to own it Investing in immortality - the tech pioneers who want to live forever. | |
| The Immortals, Ep 10: After The Dragon | 20230904 | 20230915 (R4) | The idea of living forever has captivated us for millennia, but rarely do people imagine what would happen the day after the fountain of youth is discovered. Today's technology entrepreneurs pushing an immortality agenda - through their investments and their influence - seem only focussed on the pursuit. Whether or not immortality is a distant possibility, how do we cope with living longer en route to forever? Where's the planning for that? It's a great opportunity for innovative thinkers but, from what we've seen over the last two decades of technological disruption, these real but smaller goals aren't nearly as enticing as the big ones. In this series, technology reporter and psychologist Aleks Krotoski explores the frontiers of the extreme longevity pioneers. They've made their money in Silicon Valley. And with their technology solutions - PayPal, Facebook, cryptocurrencies - they've ushered in the world that we live in today, with all its unintended consequences. Some of them now want to solve the 'problem' of aging, or even death, and they are making bigger strides than we may think. Can they? Should they? A Pillowfort production for BBC Radio 4 New episodes released Mondays. If you're in the UK, listen to the full series of Intrigue: The Immortals first on BBC Sounds: BBC.in/3WEQS5W Immortality - does anyone other than Silicon Valley billionaires want it? Investing in immortality - the tech pioneers who want to live forever. |
| The Immortals, Ep 3: The Plasma Clinic | 20230904 | 20230906 (R4) | The Conboys' experiment gave a young Harvard medical school graduate a big idea. But, there is a big gap between the experiments they did with mice in the lab, and pumping young blood into human beings. Still, he registered his company, Ambrosia Plasma, on the Food and Drug Administration clinical trials website and began an ambitious human research experiment. For $8,000 in cash, cheque or digital transfer, anyone over the age of 35 could receive two litres of blood plasma from 16-25 year olds in their veins. The outcomes were ambitious - physical rejuvenation, weight loss, reversal of dementia, and healthy looking skin. Does this fairy tale have a happy ending? In this series, technology reporter and psychologist Aleks Krotoski explores the frontiers of the extreme longevity pioneers. They've made their money in Silicon Valley. And with their technology solutions - PayPal, Facebook, cryptocurrencies - they've ushered in the world that we live in today, with all its unintended consequences. Some of them now want to solve the 'problem' of aging, or even death, and they are making bigger strides than we may think. Can they? Should they? A Pillowfort production for BBC Radio 4 New episodes released Mondays. If you're in the UK, listen to the full series of Intrigue: The Immortals first on BBC Sounds: BBC.in/3WEQS5W Inside the US plasma clinic promising to reverse ageing with the blood of the young. Investing in immortality - the tech pioneers who want to live forever. |
| The Immortals, Ep 4: The Hype Cycle | 20230904 | 20230907 (R4) | Jesse Karmazin's Ambrosia Plasma clinic promised the fountain of youth, two litres of young plasma at a time. For a fee, anyone could go to his treatment centre in the redwood forest outside Silicon Valley and receive an infusion. The results - according to Karmazin - were remarkable. Silicon Valley billionaires were rumoured to be queuing up for their young blood. The problem was, the scientists whose work in mice he claimed to be bringing to the people disagreed with what he was doing, and he never backed up his claims with data. A journalist stepped in to investigate, and what she found was Silicon Valley hype without any substance. In this series, technology reporter and psychologist Aleks Krotoski explores the frontiers of the extreme longevity pioneers. They've made their money in Silicon Valley. And with their technology solutions - PayPal, Facebook, cryptocurrencies - they've ushered in the world that we live in today, with all its unintended consequences. Some of them now want to solve the 'problem' of aging, or even death, and they are making bigger strides than we may think. Can they? Should they? A Pillowfort production for BBC Radio 4 New episodes released Mondays. If you're in the UK, listen to the full series of Intrigue: The Immortals first on BBC Sounds: BBC.in/3WEQS5W The hype around young blood backfires for a US entrepreneur who courted tech billionaires. Investing in immortality - the tech pioneers who want to live forever. |
| The Immortals, Ep 5: The Trial | 20230904 | 20230908 (R4) | Loyal for Dogs is one of the companies in the longevity industry doing serious science. They are well-founded, have a killer team, and a very clear mission: to be the first to get a drug that treats ageing - not just the diseases of ageing, but ageing itself - to pass the rigorous Food and Drug Administration approval process. Their CEO, Celine Halioua, is a maverick founder whose life has been guided by her ability to work systems. So, to meet her mission, she's got a hack that will get her new ageing drug into trials. That will be a first for the longevity community, and the foundation stone for the next phase of our search for eternal life. In this series, technology reporter and psychologist Aleks Krotoski explores the frontiers of the extreme longevity pioneers. They've made their money in Silicon Valley. And with their technology solutions - PayPal, Facebook, cryptocurrencies - they've ushered in the world that we live in today, with all its unintended consequences. Some of them now want to solve the 'problem' of aging, or even death, and they are making bigger strides than we may think. Can they? Should they? A Pillowfort production for BBC Radio 4 New episodes released Mondays. If you're in the UK, listen to the full series of Intrigue: The Immortals first on BBC Sounds: BBC.in/3WEQS5W Aging is just something that happens. Isn't it? There's no cure for it. Is there? Investing in immortality - the tech pioneers who want to live forever. |
| The Immortals, Ep 6: Longevity Escape Velocity | 20230904 | 20230911 (R4) | Many of the longevity innovators in the Valley want to extend human life. But there are others who are trying to eliminate death. A lot of them. The tech billionaires who have never been told no' are driven to tackle the most insurmountable problems. They believe they can solve death by re-engineering the human in code. Problem is, it's unlikely to happen in their natural lifetime. But technology is on their side. Every year, computing power doubles. Once a decade, the amount of change produces a whole new paradigm. And that is what they're banking on. Science, combined with the rapid acceleration of technological change will keep them alive decade on decade until such time as they can achieve longevity escape velocity' - eternal life. In this series, technology reporter and psychologist Aleks Krotoski explores the frontiers of the extreme longevity pioneers. They've made their money in Silicon Valley. And with their technology solutions - PayPal, Facebook, cryptocurrencies - they've ushered in the world that we live in today, with all its unintended consequences. Some of them now want to solve the 'problem' of aging, or even death, and they are making bigger strides than we may think. Can they? Should they? A Pillowfort production for BBC Radio 4 New episodes released Mondays. If you're in the UK, listen to the full series of Intrigue: The Immortals first on BBC Sounds: BBC.in/3WEQS5W Why settle for an additional 20 healthy years when you might eliminate death entirely? Investing in immortality - the tech pioneers who want to live forever. |
| The Immortals, Ep 7: Vitalik | 20230904 | 20230912 (R4) | Vitalek Buterin is the billionaire founder of Ethereum, one of the most successful blockchains and cryptocurrencies in the world. With his fortune, he is attempting to solve the problem of death by creating a longevity state - which will fast track life everlasting, without the need for regulation. They will crowdsource their longevity solutions and organise them through the blockchain. His north star is the Fable of the Dragon Tyrant. In this series, technology reporter and psychologist Aleks Krotoski explores the frontiers of the extreme longevity pioneers. They've made their money in Silicon Valley. And with their technology solutions - PayPal, Facebook, cryptocurrencies - they've ushered in the world that we live in today, with all its unintended consequences. Some of them now want to solve the 'problem' of aging, or even death, and they are making bigger strides than we may think. Can they? Should they? A Pillowfort production for BBC Radio 4 New episodes released Mondays. If you're in the UK, listen to the full series of Intrigue: The Immortals first on BBC Sounds: BBC.in/3WEQS5W A cryptocurrency billionaire's experiment to loosen laws and create a longevity paradise. Investing in immortality - the tech pioneers who want to live forever. |
| The Immortals, Ep 8: The Prophet | 20230904 | 20230913 (R4) | A new philosphical movement is gathering steam in Silicon Valley, one that promises immortality by using technology to solve the problem of death. This movement is led by Oxford philosopher Nick Bostrom. Professor Bostrom is the author of Fable of the Dragon Tyrant, the original manuscript of the modern immortality movement. It was published in 2005 in the Journal of Medical Ethics as a response to what Bostrom described as the absurdity of the inevitability of accepting ageing and death. Far from being a one-off, the Fable is one of the core texts that form part of a moral philosophy of the future of humanity called transhumanism. Adherents believe that we will achieve immortality by merging with artificial intelligence and becoming `post-human', and that the next step in our human evolution is nigh. In this series, technology reporter and psychologist Aleks Krotoski explores the frontiers of the extreme longevity pioneers. They've made their money in Silicon Valley. And with their technology solutions - PayPal, Facebook, cryptocurrencies - they've ushered in the world that we live in today, with all its unintended consequences. Some of them now want to solve the 'problem' of aging, or even death, and they are making bigger strides than we may think. Can they? Should they? A Pillowfort production for BBC Radio 4 New episodes released Mondays. If you're in the UK, listen to the full series of Intrigue: The Immortals first on BBC Sounds: BBC.in/3WEQS5W Will our immortal future only come if we merge with machines and become post-human? Investing in immortality - the tech pioneers who want to live forever. |
| The Immortals, Ep 9: Nerd Rapture | 20230904 | 20230914 (R4) | The immortalist movement in Silicon Valley shares a lot with evangelical religions, says Dr Emile P Torres, a philosopher and former Nick Bostrom acolyte. In both, he explains, there's a heaven in which the faithful will experience unsurpassed bliss and delight, and an apocalypse, which will separate out the people who can go there. After a decade at the epicentre of the transhumanist research community, Emile became concerned with the number of apocalyptic stories of techno-utopia that were being shared online. Was this philosophical movement becoming radicalised? When Emile raises the question, the consequences are swift and severe. Excommunicated, harassed and threatened. With influential and powerful technology billionaires as some of its faithful, is Emile right? Is this movement really one of the most dangerous secular ideologies? In this series, technology reporter and psychologist Aleks Krotoski explores the frontiers of the extreme longevity pioneers. They've made their money in Silicon Valley. And with their technology solutions - PayPal, Facebook, cryptocurrencies - they've ushered in the world that we live in today, with all its unintended consequences. Some of them now want to solve the 'problem' of aging, or even death, and they are making bigger strides than we may think. Can they? Should they? A Pillowfort production for BBC Radio 4 New episodes released Mondays. If you're in the UK, listen to the full series of Intrigue: The Immortals first on BBC Sounds: BBC.in/3WEQS5W An immortalist is excommunicated for speaking out against the techno-utopian movement. Investing in immortality - the tech pioneers who want to live forever. |
| The Immortals, Omnibus 1 | 20230908 | Over the last 100 years, we've seen global life expectancy double. Could it happen again? Technology reporter and psychologist Aleks Krotoski explores the frontiers of the extreme longevity pioneers. They've made their money in Silicon Valley. And with their technology solutions - PayPal, Facebook, cryptocurrencies - they've ushered in the world that we live in today, with all its unintended consequences. Some of them now want to solve the 'problem' of aging, or even death, and they are making bigger strides than we may think. Can they? Should they? A Pillowfort production for BBC Radio 4 Aleks Krotoski tracks the imminent cure for aging and the push by Silicon Valley to own it Investing in immortality - the tech pioneers who want to live forever. | |
| The Immortals, Omnibus 2 | 20230915 | Over the last 100 years, we've seen global life expectancy double. Could it happen again? Technology reporter and psychologist Aleks Krotoski explores the frontiers of the extreme longevity pioneers. They've made their money in Silicon Valley. And with their technology solutions - PayPal, Facebook, cryptocurrencies - they've ushered in the world that we live in today, with all its unintended consequences. Some of them now want to solve the 'problem' of aging, or even death, and they are making bigger strides than we may think. Can they? Should they? A Pillowfort production for BBC Radio 4 Aleks Krotoski tracks the imminent cure for aging and the push by Silicon Valley to own it Investing in immortality - the tech pioneers who want to live forever. | |
| The Immortals: Ep 2: The Experiment | 20230904 | 20230905 (R4) | Mike and Irina Conboy are a couple of tie-dye clad scientists in the bio-engineering department at the University of Berkeley. When they started researching ageing more than 20 years ago at Stanford, the field was nothing more than a spin-off from geroscience - most of their time at the lab bench was spent documenting signs and signals that our bodies are reaching their ends. But in 2005, they published an article in Science that suggested there is hope for reversing ageing our tired old bodies. And the best bit of their study was that they proved there's ample supply of the base material to do it - young blood. Using a revolutionary but ancient technique, their results re-ignited the millennia-old search for life everlasting. In this series, technology reporter and psychologist Aleks Krotoski explores the frontiers of the extreme longevity pioneers. They've made their money in Silicon Valley. And with their technology solutions - PayPal, Facebook, cryptocurrencies - they've ushered in the world that we live in today, with all its unintended consequences. Some of them now want to solve the 'problem' of aging, or even death, and they are making bigger strides than we may think. Can they? Should they? A Pillowfort production for BBC Radio 4 New episodes released Mondays. If you're in the UK, listen to the full series of Intrigue: The Immortals first on BBC Sounds: BBC.in/3WEQS5W Does injecting the blood plasma from young people really reverse aging? Investing in immortality - the tech pioneers who want to live forever. |
| To Catch A King | 20260422 | 20260429 (R4) 20260513 (R4) |  A new people-smuggling boss is running routes into the UK. Can he be unmasked? Next on Intrigue: Ransom Man. What if your deepest secrets were held to ransom? A new investigation from the Intrigue strand Next on Intrigue: Ransom Man. \r |
| To Catch A King: Episode 2 | 20260520 | A new people smuggling boss is running routes into the UK. Can he be unmasked? Next on Intrigue: Ransom Man. What if your deepest secrets were held to ransom? |