The Backstory with Andrew Neil

Introducing... Hoaxed, the new series from Alexi Mostrous and Tortoise, who brought you Sweet Bobby. 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.  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.  All 6 episodes are available now to listen for free. You can listen to the full series ad-free and get access to exclusive bonus content by downloading the Tortoise audio app or subscribing to Tortoise+ on Apple podcasts. Or join Tortoise as a member, where you can access more of our reporting, live events and support our work. Just visit the Tortoise website and use the code Alexi50 for half price membership. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Daphne Caruana Galizia spent her career uncovering corruption at the highest levels of politics on the Mediterranean island of Malta. As an investigative journalist in this tiny, tightly-knit country her surname became redundant – she was known simply as Daphne. She stood out as a lone voice in an increasingly hostile environment. She endured arson attacks and arrests, until October 2017, when she was murdered in a car bomb attack.  In this series, her son Paul Caruana Galizia, returns home to make sense of what led to his mother’s murder. But within a day of returning, events take an unexpected and momentous turn that will change the course of the murder investigation and Malta  This mini-series is produced by Tortoise Studios. To learn more, go to https://www.tortoisemedia.com/audio/my-mothers-murder/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Elon Musk is one of the most powerful men in the world. He's a billionaire, the founder of SpaceX, Tesla and more. To his followers, he's a hero; to his critics, a far-right rabble rouser.  But for someone so public, there’s one part of his life that’s less well known. Elon’s Spies investigates how this free-speech champion uses private investigators and surveillance to target everyone from whistleblowers at his companies, to online critics and people in his own life.  Episode 1 is available on Tuesday 8th October, with episodes releasing weekly. To get ad-free access and binge listen to all 3 episodes on Tuesday 8th October, subscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts or Spotify or by becoming a Tortoise member. You can 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 hello@tortoisemedia.com Reporter: Alexi Mostrous Producer: Gary Marshall Original Music & Sound design: Tom Kinsella Podcast artwork: Jon Hill  Executive producer: Ceri Thomas Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Harvey Proctor was a dark political star who burned brightly in the 1980s, until a tabloid sting brought him down. 25 years later he found himself facing another vicious scandal. What had he done - and what had we done - to bring him to that moment? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Slow Newscast from Tortoise takes the news slowly. We investigate, and every week we focus on stories that really matter in the UK and around the world. From the war in Ukraine, the downfall of Boris Johnson, to true crime and injustice and real life mysteries, The Slow Newscast team is devoted to narrative investigations. From a startup newsroom with a different approach to journalism. For the premium Tortoise listening experience, curated by our journalists,  download the free Tortoise audio app. For early and ad-free access, 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.

Season 2 of Londongrad: Iran's Hit Squads. Award-winning investigative reporter Paul Caruana Galizia returns to report the story of the foiled assassination attempts on British soil of Iranian nationals. Since January 2022, there has been an attempted assassination or kidnap at least once a month – all ordered by the Iranian government.  In this four-part series, Paul will delve into how these attempts unfolded, why they have become so prevalent and who is behind them. It's a story about Iran, about freedom of the press, but most of all, it’s about Britain – who the country chooses to protect and why. For the premium Tortoise listening experience, curated by our journalists,  download the free Tortoise audio app. For early and ad-free access, 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.