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Sep 2023
1m 18s

Introducing: Hoaxed

The Observer
About this episode

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. 


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.


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Sep 2023
Secrets and lies | Hoaxed Ep 1
<p>Two young children make horrific allegations in a London police station, lighting the fuse on the most serious British conspiracy theories in decades.</p><br><p>Listen to the full series today. For the&nbsp;premium Tortoise listening experience, curated by our journalists,&nbs ... Show More
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Sep 2023
Ella's list | Hoaxed Ep 2
<p>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.</p><br><p>Listen to the full series today. For the&nbsp;premium Tortoise listening expe ... Show More
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<p>The perpetrators of the Hampstead&nbsp;hoax&nbsp;meet their match in an unassuming mystery novelist, who is determined to expose their lies and bring them to justice.</p><br><p>Listen to the full series today. For the&nbsp;premium Tortoise listening experience, curated by our ... Show More
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