11 episodes
Things Fell Apart BBC Podcasts
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- Society & Culture
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4.7 • 365 Ratings
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If you've ever yelled at someone on social media about, say, cancel culture or mask-wearing, then you are a soldier in the culture wars - those everyday battles for dominance between conflicting values. The acclaimed writer and podcaster Jon Ronson has seen friends swallowed up in them to the extent that it's ruined their lives. Jon was curious to learn how things fell apart, and so he went back into the history of the culture wars to find some of the origin stories: the pebbles thrown in the pond, creating the ripples that led us to where we are today. He had no idea what he'd find, but he's uncovered some extraordinary people and the strangest, yet most consequential tales.
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Bonus Episode: Jon Ronson Live at Hay
In front of a live audience at the Hay Festival 2023 in Wales, Jon Ronson and journalist and author Dolly Alderton discuss Jon’s multifarious adventures in nonfiction, and all things Culture Wars, including an appearance from a mystery guest from series one of Things Fell Apart.
Producer: Sarah Shebbeare -
How Things Fell Apart, with Jon Ronson and Louis Theroux
In this bonus episode of Things Fell Apart, Jon Ronson's friend and fellow documentary maker Louis Theroux asks him all about how he made the series. They take a deep dive into Culture Wars battles and explore Jon's storytelling methods, all while chatting about Jon's broken arm, putting old rivalries to bed, and how they deal with difficult interviewees when they both hate conflict.
Produced by Sarah Shebbeare -
8. A Mock Slave Auction
An incident of racist bullying on Snapchat is currently tearing apart a small town on a lake in Michigan. As the ripples spread, practically every conflict we’ve encountered throughout our series rears its head.
Presented by Jon Ronson
Produced by Sarah Shebbeare
Assistant Producer Sam Peach
Music composed by Phil Channell -
7. A Secret Room Behind a Fake Wall
It’s 2017. Late one night after a party a Hollywood actor plays a prank on a friend. But the prank backfires terribly and the ripples are seismic - taking us inside Donald Trump’s White House and the Capitol insurrection of January 2021.
Written and presented by Jon Ronson
Produced by Sam Peach
Original music by Phil Channell
Archive with credit to:
Videos discussing Isaac Kappy: Lisa Crapella.– Youtube , The Truth Blog Part 2 – Youtube , Miss M – Youtube , Truth Crossing - Youtube
Clip from the movie THOR (2011) – Produced by Marvel Studios, distributed by Paramount Pictures and Directed by Kenneth Branagh
Coverage of 2016 Democratic National Convention from ABC News
Coverage of Pizzagate and Isaac Kappy interview from Infowars
Coverage of Edgar Welch's arrest from ANV News
Coverage of Nicholas Sandmann incident from MSNBC, CNN and Fox News
Interview with Lin Wood from Fox News
Clip of Lin Wood’s speech from Ronnie N – Youtube
Coverage of 2021 US Capitol Attack from CNN -
6. Many Different Lives
This story is about how the unique experiences of a little girl growing up unconventionally in America in the 1970s seismically changed the face of feminism in the 90s and beyond. It's a story too about the invention of a word - one that's contributed to a ferocious schism in the British culture wars.
Written and presented by Jon Ronson
Produced by Sarah Shebbeare
Original music by Phil Channell -
5. A Scottish Jewish joke
This is the story of the very first person to be publicly shamed because of something they did online. It’s 1988, the internet exists only in its most nascent form, and a software designer, Brad Templeton, uploads onto a message board a joke in poor taste. How the architects of the emerging internet respond to the joke will create a set of rules that the rest of us have lived under ever since…
Written and presented by Jon Ronson
Produced by Sarah Shebbeare
Assistant Producer Sam Peach
Original music by Phil Channell
Customer Reviews
Sucked me right in
So glad there will be a season 2!!
Excellent podcast for curious people
You will hate it if what you want to hear is someone spew out your beliefs without question. So, if you are a person who as soon as someone touches one of your beliefs that person is automatically wrong, don’t bother. You will end up mad a probably belittling the bravery and the hard work of those interviewed in the podcast so that you can continue believing that you own the only truths out there.
If, on the other hand, you are not afraid of looking back so that we, as a society, can move forward, even if it means feeling uncomfortable and maybe daring to adjust your beliefs a millimeter or so, you’re in for a treat.
Robin DiAngelo
I had an unfortunate personal connection to her and also despise what she’s done. Jon interviews her in a way that lets the world see what a hurt, dangerous soul she is.
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