Marianna In Conspiracyland

Episode

Title

First
Broadcast

Repeated

Comments

1. Entering Conspiracyland

20230612

What's happening in the Devon town of Totnes? The small town of Totnes in Devon is known for its warmth and open-mindedness, gong baths and healing crystals, but a fault line has emerged between the minority who've been drawn in by disinformation laced with hate and those who are fighting against it. Some in the town were drawn into a conspiracy theory movement during the pandemic, one whose monthly marches and rallies persist to this day. A conspiracy theory newspaper called The Light seems to have played a key part in the division there. BBC disinformation and social media correspondent Marianna Spring investigates how the theories that dominate its pages are changing the town.

Host: Marianna Spring

Producers: Philip Marzouk and Olivia Lace-Evans

Producer for BBC Radio 4 podcasts: Nathan Jones

Technical Producer: Alex Portfelix

Series producer: Emma Close

Senior news editor: Sam Bonham

Commissioner: Rhian Roberts

New episodes released every few days. If you're in the UK, listen to the whole series first on BBC Sounds BBC.in/42x5sO5

And please get in touch with Marianna by emailing at: mariannainconspiracyland@BBC.co.uk.

Bonus Episode: Can you hold papers sharing disinformation and hate to account?

2. Down The Rabbit Hole

20230612

20230613 (R4)

What do those in the movement believe? And why? BBC disinformation and social media correspondent Marianna Spring continues her investigation into Totnes' conspiracy theory movement after hearing about one of its prominent members: an artist named Jason Liosatos. Meeting him in his gallery she learns more about some of his beliefs and what that indicates about the movement.

Host: Marianna Spring

Producers: Philip Marzouk and Olivia Lace-Evans

Producer for BBC Radio 4 podcasts: Nathan Jones

Technical Producer: Alex Portfelix

Series producer: Emma Close

Senior news editor: Sam Bonham

Commissioner: Rhian Roberts

New episodes released every few days. If you're in the UK, listen to the whole series first on BBC Sounds BBC.in/42x5sO5

And please get in touch with Marianna by emailing at: mariannainconspiracyland@BBC.co.uk.

Bonus Episode: Can you hold papers sharing disinformation and hate to account?

3. Trestle Tables For Truth

20230612

20230614 (R4)

Where does all the anger come from? As Marianna delves further down the rabbit-hole, she finds herself in the alternative medicine clinic of one of Totnes' movement's figureheads. He is one of the people behind a conspiracy-theory group in the town called the New World Alliance who are key to organising monthly rallies in the town and distributing The Light. Curiously Marianna finds herself invited along to one of the rallies to learn more about it and the people within it.

Host: Marianna Spring

Producers: Philip Marzouk and Olivia Lace-Evans

Producer for BBC Radio 4 podcasts: Nathan Jones

Technical Producer: Alex Portfelix

Series producer: Emma Close

Senior news editor: Sam Bonham

Commissioner: Rhian Roberts

New episodes released every few days. If you're in the UK, listen to the whole series first on BBC Sounds BBC.in/42x5sO5

And please get in touch with Marianna by emailing at: mariannainconspiracyland@BBC.co.uk.

Bonus Episode: Can you hold papers sharing disinformation and hate to account?

4. The Conspiracy Theory Newspaper

20230612

20230615 (R4)

Who is the man behind The Light? BBC disinformation and social media correspondent Marianna Spring tracks down the editor of the conspiracy theory newspaper, The Light. His name is Darren and he agrees to meet Marianna in a pub just outside Manchester for a dual interview in which she interviews him for the podcast and he interviews her. What answers will she get about the paper and the man at its helm?

Host: Marianna Spring

Producers: Philip Marzouk and Olivia Lace-Evans

Producer for BBC Radio 4 podcasts: Nathan Jones

Technical Producer: Alex Portfelix

Series producer: Emma Close

Senior news editor: Sam Bonham

Commissioner: Rhian Roberts

New episodes released every few days. If you're in the UK, listen to the whole series first on BBC Sounds BBC.in/42x5sO5

And please get in touch with Marianna by emailing at: mariannainconspiracyland@BBC.co.uk.

Bonus Episode: Can you hold papers sharing disinformation and hate to account?

5. Follow The Money

20230612

20230616 (R4)

Who is funding this UK conspiracy theory newspaper? Flicking through the pages of The Light, Marianna is drawn to the adverts that populate its back pages. After the face-to-face encounter with the paper's editor Darren she has more questions for the people involved in funding the paper. The advertisers. She manages to track down one: Iain, a property developer in Glastonbury. The two of them discuss wizards, goddesses, capital punishment and what motivates him to promote his business in The Light.

Host: Marianna Spring

Producers: Philip Marzouk and Olivia Lace-Evans

Producer for BBC Radio 4 podcasts: Nathan Jones

Technical Producer: Alex Portfelix

Series producer: Emma Close

Senior news editor: Sam Bonham

New episodes released every few days. If you're in the UK, listen to the whole series first on BBC Sounds BBC.in/42x5sO5

And please get in touch with Marianna by emailing at: mariannainconspiracyland@BBC.co.uk.

Who is funding this conspiracy theory newspaper?

Bonus Episode: Can you hold papers sharing disinformation and hate to account?

6. German Conspiracyland

20230612

20230619 (R4)

Why are journalists being attacked in Germany? Marianna travels to Berlin to meet a journalist called Jorg who's been covering the conspiracy theory movement in his country. He's been attacked several times trying to do his job, and he's not the only one. Jorg says he's heard from other journalists who've experienced something similar. And the latest figures from Germany show attacks against journalists have risen sharply since the pandemic.

Host: Marianna Spring

Producers: Philip Marzouk and Olivia Lace-Evans

Producer for BBC Radio 4 podcasts: Nathan Jones

Technical Producer: Alex Portfelix

Series producer: Emma Close

Senior news editor: Sam Bonham

Commissioner: Rhian Roberts

New episodes released every few days. If you're in the UK, listen to the whole series first on BBC Sounds BBC.in/42x5sO5

And please get in touch with Marianna by emailing at: mariannainconspiracyland@BBC.co.uk.

Bonus Episode: Can you hold papers sharing disinformation and hate to account?

7. After An Attempted Coup

20230612

20230620 (R4)

What can the UK learn from Germany? In Berlin, BBC disinformation and social media correspondent Marianna Spring meets a whistleblower who stopped writing for a conspiracy theory newspaper in his country because he feared it was becoming more radical. Marianna uncovers more about the connections between the German paper and a failed coup attempt, and unpicks what it can tell us about our own conspiracy theory movement in the UK.

Host: Marianna Spring

Producers: Philip Marzouk, Olivia Lace-Evans

Producer for BBC Radio 4 podcasts: Nathan Jones

Technical Producers: Graham Puddifoot, Tom Brignell, Neva Missirian

Series producer: Emma Close

Senior news editor: Sam Bonham

Commissioner: Rhian Roberts

New episodes released every few days. If you're in the UK, listen to the whole series first on BBC Sounds BBC.in/42x5sO5

And please get in touch with Marianna by emailing at: mariannainconspiracyland@BBC.co.uk.

Bonus Episode: Can you hold papers sharing disinformation and hate to account?

8. The Science Of Conspiracy

20230612

20230621 (R4)

Could people in the UK conspiracy theory movement ever become violent? Returning to the UK, BBC disinformation and social media correspondent Marianna Spring meets possibly the only person outside of the movement who has read as much of the Light as her: political scientist at King's College London Dr Rod Dacombe. What insights will he have for Marianna from his years studying The Light and the conspiracy theory movement in the UK?

Host: Marianna Spring

Producers: Philip Marzouk and Olivia Lace-Evans

Producer for BBC Radio 4 podcasts: Nathan Jones

Technical Producer: Tom Brignell and Neva Missirian

Series producer: Emma Close

Senior news editor: Sam Bonham

Commissioner: Rhian Roberts

New episodes released every few days. If you're in the UK, listen to the whole series first on BBC Sounds BBC.in/42x5sO5

And please get in touch with Marianna by emailing at: mariannainconspiracyland@BBC.co.uk.

Bonus Episode: Can you hold papers sharing disinformation and hate to account?

People Like Us

20230612

20230622 (R4)

Do you know someone who's fallen down the rabbit hole? During the investigation, Marianna's inbox has been filled with messages from people sharing their stories about those they know and love who've been sucked into conspiracy theories. With the help of social psychologist Karen Douglas, Marianna explores how people find themselves in Conspiracyland, why they stay, and how some managed to escape.

Host: Marianna Spring

Producers: Philip Marzouk, Olivia Lace-Evans

Producer for BBC Radio 4 podcasts: Nathan Jones

Technical Producer: Neva Missirian

Series producer: Emma Close

Senior news editor: Sam Bonham

Commissioner: Rhian Roberts

If you've been impacted by any of the issues that have come up in this podcast, please visit www.BBC.co.uk/actionline.

And please get in touch with Marianna by emailing at: mariannainconspiracyland@BBC.co.uk.

Bonus Episode: Can you hold papers sharing disinformation and hate to account?

A Risk That's Impossible To Ignore

20230612

20230623 (R4)

What will happen next in Conspiracyland? In the final episode, Marianna is back where she started, in the Devon town of Totnes. With the help of locals, she makes sense of the legacy left by the conspiracy theory newspaper and the wider movement all over the UK.

Host: Marianna Spring

Producers: Philip Marzouk and Olivia Lace-Evans

Producer for BBC Radio 4 podcasts: Nathan Jones

Technical Producer: Alex Portfelix

Series producer: Emma Close

Senior news editor: Sam Bonham

Commissioner: Rhian Roberts

New episodes released every Monday. If you're in the UK, listen to the whole series first on BBC Sounds.

And please get in touch with Marianna by emailing at: mariannainconspiracyland@BBC.co.uk.

Bonus Episode: Can you hold papers sharing disinformation and hate to account?

Episodes

Episode	Title	First Broadcast	Repeated	Comments
	1. Entering Conspiracyland	20230612		What's happening in the Devon town of Totnes? The small town of Totnes in Devon is known for its warmth and open-mindedness, gong baths and healing crystals, but a fault line has emerged between the minority who've been drawn in by disinformation laced with hate and those who are fighting against it. Some in the town were drawn into a conspiracy theory movement during the pandemic, one whose monthly marches and rallies persist to this day. A conspiracy theory newspaper called The Light seems to have played a key part in the division there. BBC disinformation and social media correspondent Marianna Spring investigates how the theories that dominate its pages are changing the town. Host: Marianna Spring Producers: Philip Marzouk and Olivia Lace-Evans Producer for BBC Radio 4 podcasts: Nathan Jones Technical Producer: Alex Portfelix Series producer: Emma Close Senior news editor: Sam Bonham Commissioner: Rhian Roberts New episodes released every few days. If you're in the UK, listen to the whole series first on BBC Sounds BBC.in/42x5sO5 And please get in touch with Marianna by emailing at: mariannainconspiracyland@BBC.co.uk. Bonus Episode: Can you hold papers sharing disinformation and hate to account?
	2. Down The Rabbit Hole	20230612	20230613 (R4)	What do those in the movement believe? And why? BBC disinformation and social media correspondent Marianna Spring continues her investigation into Totnes' conspiracy theory movement after hearing about one of its prominent members: an artist named Jason Liosatos. Meeting him in his gallery she learns more about some of his beliefs and what that indicates about the movement. Host: Marianna Spring Producers: Philip Marzouk and Olivia Lace-Evans Producer for BBC Radio 4 podcasts: Nathan Jones Technical Producer: Alex Portfelix Series producer: Emma Close Senior news editor: Sam Bonham Commissioner: Rhian Roberts New episodes released every few days. If you're in the UK, listen to the whole series first on BBC Sounds BBC.in/42x5sO5 And please get in touch with Marianna by emailing at: mariannainconspiracyland@BBC.co.uk. Bonus Episode: Can you hold papers sharing disinformation and hate to account?
	3. Trestle Tables For Truth	20230612	20230614 (R4)	Where does all the anger come from? As Marianna delves further down the rabbit-hole, she finds herself in the alternative medicine clinic of one of Totnes' movement's figureheads. He is one of the people behind a conspiracy-theory group in the town called the New World Alliance who are key to organising monthly rallies in the town and distributing The Light. Curiously Marianna finds herself invited along to one of the rallies to learn more about it and the people within it. Host: Marianna Spring Producers: Philip Marzouk and Olivia Lace-Evans Producer for BBC Radio 4 podcasts: Nathan Jones Technical Producer: Alex Portfelix Series producer: Emma Close Senior news editor: Sam Bonham Commissioner: Rhian Roberts New episodes released every few days. If you're in the UK, listen to the whole series first on BBC Sounds BBC.in/42x5sO5 And please get in touch with Marianna by emailing at: mariannainconspiracyland@BBC.co.uk. Bonus Episode: Can you hold papers sharing disinformation and hate to account?
	4. The Conspiracy Theory Newspaper	20230612	20230615 (R4)	Who is the man behind The Light? BBC disinformation and social media correspondent Marianna Spring tracks down the editor of the conspiracy theory newspaper, The Light. His name is Darren and he agrees to meet Marianna in a pub just outside Manchester for a dual interview in which she interviews him for the podcast and he interviews her. What answers will she get about the paper and the man at its helm? Host: Marianna Spring Producers: Philip Marzouk and Olivia Lace-Evans Producer for BBC Radio 4 podcasts: Nathan Jones Technical Producer: Alex Portfelix Series producer: Emma Close Senior news editor: Sam Bonham Commissioner: Rhian Roberts New episodes released every few days. If you're in the UK, listen to the whole series first on BBC Sounds BBC.in/42x5sO5 And please get in touch with Marianna by emailing at: mariannainconspiracyland@BBC.co.uk. Bonus Episode: Can you hold papers sharing disinformation and hate to account?
	5. Follow The Money	20230612	20230616 (R4)	Who is funding this UK conspiracy theory newspaper? Flicking through the pages of The Light, Marianna is drawn to the adverts that populate its back pages. After the face-to-face encounter with the paper's editor Darren she has more questions for the people involved in funding the paper. The advertisers. She manages to track down one: Iain, a property developer in Glastonbury. The two of them discuss wizards, goddesses, capital punishment and what motivates him to promote his business in The Light. Host: Marianna Spring Producers: Philip Marzouk and Olivia Lace-Evans Producer for BBC Radio 4 podcasts: Nathan Jones Technical Producer: Alex Portfelix Series producer: Emma Close Senior news editor: Sam Bonham New episodes released every few days. If you're in the UK, listen to the whole series first on BBC Sounds BBC.in/42x5sO5 And please get in touch with Marianna by emailing at: mariannainconspiracyland@BBC.co.uk. Who is funding this conspiracy theory newspaper? Bonus Episode: Can you hold papers sharing disinformation and hate to account?
	6. German Conspiracyland	20230612	20230619 (R4)	Why are journalists being attacked in Germany? Marianna travels to Berlin to meet a journalist called Jorg who's been covering the conspiracy theory movement in his country. He's been attacked several times trying to do his job, and he's not the only one. Jorg says he's heard from other journalists who've experienced something similar. And the latest figures from Germany show attacks against journalists have risen sharply since the pandemic. Host: Marianna Spring Producers: Philip Marzouk and Olivia Lace-Evans Producer for BBC Radio 4 podcasts: Nathan Jones Technical Producer: Alex Portfelix Series producer: Emma Close Senior news editor: Sam Bonham Commissioner: Rhian Roberts New episodes released every few days. If you're in the UK, listen to the whole series first on BBC Sounds BBC.in/42x5sO5 And please get in touch with Marianna by emailing at: mariannainconspiracyland@BBC.co.uk. Bonus Episode: Can you hold papers sharing disinformation and hate to account?
	7. After An Attempted Coup	20230612	20230620 (R4)	What can the UK learn from Germany? In Berlin, BBC disinformation and social media correspondent Marianna Spring meets a whistleblower who stopped writing for a conspiracy theory newspaper in his country because he feared it was becoming more radical. Marianna uncovers more about the connections between the German paper and a failed coup attempt, and unpicks what it can tell us about our own conspiracy theory movement in the UK. Host: Marianna Spring Producers: Philip Marzouk, Olivia Lace-Evans Producer for BBC Radio 4 podcasts: Nathan Jones Technical Producers: Graham Puddifoot, Tom Brignell, Neva Missirian Series producer: Emma Close Senior news editor: Sam Bonham Commissioner: Rhian Roberts New episodes released every few days. If you're in the UK, listen to the whole series first on BBC Sounds BBC.in/42x5sO5 And please get in touch with Marianna by emailing at: mariannainconspiracyland@BBC.co.uk. Bonus Episode: Can you hold papers sharing disinformation and hate to account?
	8. The Science Of Conspiracy	20230612	20230621 (R4)	Could people in the UK conspiracy theory movement ever become violent? Returning to the UK, BBC disinformation and social media correspondent Marianna Spring meets possibly the only person outside of the movement who has read as much of the Light as her: political scientist at King's College London Dr Rod Dacombe. What insights will he have for Marianna from his years studying The Light and the conspiracy theory movement in the UK? Host: Marianna Spring Producers: Philip Marzouk and Olivia Lace-Evans Producer for BBC Radio 4 podcasts: Nathan Jones Technical Producer: Tom Brignell and Neva Missirian Series producer: Emma Close Senior news editor: Sam Bonham Commissioner: Rhian Roberts New episodes released every few days. If you're in the UK, listen to the whole series first on BBC Sounds BBC.in/42x5sO5 And please get in touch with Marianna by emailing at: mariannainconspiracyland@BBC.co.uk. Bonus Episode: Can you hold papers sharing disinformation and hate to account?
09	People Like Us	20230612	20230622 (R4)	Do you know someone who's fallen down the rabbit hole? During the investigation, Marianna's inbox has been filled with messages from people sharing their stories about those they know and love who've been sucked into conspiracy theories. With the help of social psychologist Karen Douglas, Marianna explores how people find themselves in Conspiracyland, why they stay, and how some managed to escape. Host: Marianna Spring Producers: Philip Marzouk, Olivia Lace-Evans Producer for BBC Radio 4 podcasts: Nathan Jones Technical Producer: Neva Missirian Series producer: Emma Close Senior news editor: Sam Bonham Commissioner: Rhian Roberts If you've been impacted by any of the issues that have come up in this podcast, please visit www.BBC.co.uk/actionline. And please get in touch with Marianna by emailing at: mariannainconspiracyland@BBC.co.uk. Bonus Episode: Can you hold papers sharing disinformation and hate to account?
10	A Risk That's Impossible To Ignore	20230612	20230623 (R4)	What will happen next in Conspiracyland? In the final episode, Marianna is back where she started, in the Devon town of Totnes. With the help of locals, she makes sense of the legacy left by the conspiracy theory newspaper and the wider movement all over the UK. Host: Marianna Spring Producers: Philip Marzouk and Olivia Lace-Evans Producer for BBC Radio 4 podcasts: Nathan Jones Technical Producer: Alex Portfelix Series producer: Emma Close Senior news editor: Sam Bonham Commissioner: Rhian Roberts New episodes released every Monday. If you're in the UK, listen to the whole series first on BBC Sounds. And please get in touch with Marianna by emailing at: mariannainconspiracyland@BBC.co.uk. Bonus Episode: Can you hold papers sharing disinformation and hate to account?