Marianna in Conspiracyland

4.0 (46)
DOCUMENTARY
SERIES

The home of Marianna Spring's social media and disinformation investigations for BBC Radio 4, with new series "Marianna in Conspiracyland 2".

EPISODE 1

1. The Dove and the Pigeon

What happened to Paloma? Aged 22, Paloma Shemirani has her whole life ahead of her. She’s recently graduated, moved into a flat and found a job. But just days before Christmas in 2023 she receives bad news, she has cancer - an aggressive but treatable form of Lymphoma. Despite a good prognosis, Paloma decides - at least initially - to reject chemotherapy. The BBC’s social media investigations correspondent Marianna Spring investigates what happened and what this tells us about the mainstreaming of anti-medicine ideas. Host: Marianna Spring Producer: Anna Harris Story Editor: Matt Willis Sound Designer: Tony Churnside Editor: Sam Bonham Commissioning producer: Nathan Jones Commissioning editor: Rhian Roberts This was a BBC collaboration with Panorama.

33 min
EPISODE 2

2. Conspiracyland at home

Could the answer lie in the past? The BBC’s social media investigations correspondent, Marianna Spring, continues investigating what happened to Paloma Shemirani. She speaks to Paloma’s brothers to see if the answers could lie in the house they grew up in. Who is Paloma’s mum - prominent British conspiracy theorist influencer Kate Shemirani - and how did her beliefs evolve and impact Paloma and her siblings? Could her mum’s conspiracy theory views have influenced Paloma’s decision to reject chemotherapy? Host: Marianna Spring Producer: Anna Harris Story Editor: Matt Willis Sound Designer: Tony Churnside Editor: Sam Bonham Commissioning producer: Nathan Jones Commissioning editor: Rhian Roberts This was a BBC collaboration with Panorama. Watch Cancer Conspiracy Theories on iPlayer now.

30 min
EPISODE 3

3. Down the cancer conspiracy rabbit hole

What are cancer patients seeing on social media? The BBC’s social media investigations correspondent Marianna Spring goes down the cancer conspiracy rabbit hole to find out. She returns to the days Paloma spent in hospital after her cancer diagnosis to analyse the advice Paloma was being given by medical staff versus the advice she was receiving from alternative practioners and her Mum, Kate Shemirani. Marianna investigates Paloma’s mum’s platform as a conspiracy theory influencer and looks at the wider role some social media sites are playing in turbocharging accounts that promote health misinformation. Plus, she speaks to the Vice President of Royal College of Radiologists to understand how harmful content on social media is affecting patients. Host: Marianna Spring Producer: Anna Harris Sound Engineer: Tony Churnside Editor: Sam Bonham Commissioning producer: Nathan Jones Commissioning editor: Rhian Roberts This was a BBC collaboration with Panorama.

31 min
EPISODE 4

4. The Archaeologists

Are we equipped to deal with a rising tide of misinformation? The BBC’s social media investigations correspondent Marianna Spring investigates how safeguarding procedures work and how social services and hospitals are trying to deal with the mainstreaming of medical misinformation. She speaks to a social worker who says it’s time for the law to be reviewed in England and finds out more about what happened to Paloma in the months after she left hospital. Were there missed opportunities to help her? Host: Marianna Spring Producer: Anna Harris Story Editor: Matt Willis Sound Engineer: Tony Churnside Production Coordinator: Maria Ogundele Editor: Sam Bonham Commissioning producer: Nathan Jones Commissioning editor: Rhian Roberts This was a BBC collaboration with Panorama. Watch Cancer Conspiracy Theories on iPlayer now.

23 min
EPISODE 5

5. A collective immune system

Can people fight back against medical misinformation? In the months after Paloma’s death, her brothers say they want to prevent other deaths, and they believe social media companies should take stronger action against medical misinformation. Meanwhile her Mum, Kate Shemirani, takes to social media to share a different account of her death. She has promoted a range of unproven theories on social media and podcasts about how Paloma was murdered by medical staff. The BBC has not seen evidence to support this. The BBC’s social media investigations correspondent Marianna Spring interrogates whether and how some politicians and social media companies are emboldening anti-medicine conspiracy theorists, and speaks to a former cancer surgeon and patient trying to bust cancer myths online. Host: Marianna Spring Producer: Anna Harris Sound Engineer: Tony Churnside Editor: Sam Bonham Commissioning producer: Nathan Jones Commissioning editor: Rhian Roberts This was a BBC collaboration with Panorama.

24 min
EPISODE 6

6. The Inquest

Can Coroners' courts cope with conspiracy? It’s been more than a year since Paloma Shemirani died after rejecting chemotherapy in favour of alternative methods. Her brother Gabriel blames the beliefs of their mum Kate - who is a prominent British conspiracy theorist - for his sister’s death. This summer, he’s found himself face to face with his mum for the first time since Paloma died at an inquest into how and why she lost her life. After investigating - and revealing - what happened to Paloma for the first time almost four months ago, the BBC’s social media investigations correspondent Marianna Spring is back following the twists and turns of an inquest that has felt like Conspiracyland colliding with the real world. In the coroner’s court she see’s medics questioned by conspiracy theorists and tense family feuds unfolding in real-time. Could Paloma have been saved? And can society handle Conspiracyland?

30 min

See All Season 7 (6)

The Global News Podcast brings you the breaking news you need to hear, as it happens. Listen for the latest headlines and current affairs from around the world. Politics, economics, climate, business, technology, health – we cover it all with expert analysis and insight. Get the news that matters, delivered twice a day on weekdays and daily at weekends, plus special bonus episodes reacting to urgent breaking stories. Follow or subscribe now and never miss a moment. Get in touch: globalpodcast@bbc.co.uk

4.3 (6771)

DAILY NEWS
Global investigations from the BBC. Uncovering gripping stories from around the world and telling them episode by episode. Delve into a World of Secrets. Latest season: The Child Cancer Scam. Your child is critically ill. It’s the worst news you can get. But to make the situation even more awful, you struggle to afford the care they need. So when someone tells you a foreign sponsor can help raise the money, you’ll do anything. You make a video: your child begs for help from strangers online. But it comes to nothing. You wait and wait for the cash that was donated. It never comes, and all the while your child is fighting for their life. Previously on World of Secrets: Death in Dubai. A woman falls from a tower block and her name starts trending. But behind the online rumours lies an even darker reality. The Abercrombie Guys. Investigating sexual exploitation claims against the former CEO of fashion giant Abercrombie & Fitch. And Al Fayed: Predator at Harrods. Women accuse Mohamed Al Fayed of rape.

4.6 (958)

DOCUMENTARY
Spanning history, religion, culture, science and philosophy, In Our Time from BBC Radio 4 is essential listening for the intellectually curious. In each episode, host Melvyn Bragg and expert guests explore the characters, events and discoveries that have shaped our world. History fans can learn about pivotal wars and societal upheavals, such as the rise and fall of Napoleon, the Sack of Rome in 1527, and the political intrigue of the Russian Revolution. Those fascinated by the lives of kings and queens can journey to Versailles to meet Marie Antoinette and Louis XIV the Sun King, or to Ancient Egypt to meet Cleopatra and Nerfertiti. Or perhaps you’re looking to explore the history of religion, from Buddhism’s early teachings to the Protestant Reformation. If you’re interested in the stories behind iconic works of art, music and literature, dive in to discussions on the artistic genius of Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel and Van Gogh’s famous Sunflowers. From Gothic architecture to the works of Shakespeare, each episode of In Our Time offers new insight into humanity’s cultural achievements. Those looking to enrich their scientific knowledge can hear episodes on black holes, the Periodic Table, and classical theories of gravity, motion, evolution and relativity. Learn how the discovery of penicillin revolutionised medicine, and how the death of stars can lead to the formation of new planets. Lovers of philosophy will find episodes on the big issues that define existence, from free will and ethics, to liberty and justice. In what ways did celebrated philosophers such as Mary Wollstonecraft and Karl Marx push forward radical new ideas? How has the concept of karma evolved from the ancient Sanskrit texts of Hinduism to today? What was Plato’s concept of an ideal republic, and how did he explore this through the legend of the lost city of Atlantis? In Our Time celebrates the pursuit of knowledge and the enduring power of ideas.

4.6 (5084)

HISTORY
The comedy podcast that takes history seriously. In each episode of You’re Dead to Me from BBC Radio 4, Greg Jenner is joined by a comedian and an expert historian to learn and laugh about the past. History isn’t just about dates and textbooks – it’s about extraordinary characters, amazing stories, and some very questionable fashion choices. How long did it take to build an Egyptian pyramid? What does the Bayeux Tapestry reveal about medieval life? Why did it take nearly half a millennium for Joan of Arc to become a saint? And was Catherine the Great really all that great? Whether you want to explore ancient landmarks like Stonehenge and Machu Picchu, dance through the history of Broadway and Bollywood, or find out how the Tudors rose to power, Greg and his guests promise to teach you something new that you won’t have heard in history lessons. Previous episodes of You’re Dead To Me have covered everything from royals to revolutionaries, actors to activists and divas to dictators. Take a stroll through the history of high-heeled shoes or get the scoop on the history of ice cream. Maybe you’d like to paint like the cave artists of the Palaeolithic era, work out like a Victorian bodybuilder, or fight like a Spartan? We’ve even hosted a special, live episode with the BBC Concert Orchestra to explore the dramatic life of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Whatever your historical interests, Greg and his guests make even the trickiest topics easy to follow. Join them for a history lesson that’s as entertaining as it is enlightening - with no homework required.

4.7 (2928)

HISTORY
Interviews, news and analysis of the day’s global events.

4.2 (934)

DAILY NEWS
Professor Brian Cox and Robin Ince host a witty, irreverent look at the world through scientists’ eyes. Joined by a panel of scientists, experts and celebrity science enthusiasts they investigate life, the universe and everything in between on The Infinite Monkey Cage from the BBC. From the smallest building blocks of life to the furthest stars, the curious monkeys pull apart the latest science to reveal fascinating and often bizarre insights into the world around us and what lies beyond. Can trees talk to each other? Can science help you commit the perfect murder? What might aliens look like and the burning question of our time, are strawberries alive or dead? Join them as each episode they put a different scientific topic under the microscope, from aliens, black holes and hedgehogs, to bacteria, poison and the Big Bang. With past guests including actors Dame Judi Dench and Sir Patrick Stewart, comedians Steve Martin and Conan O’Brien, astronaut Tim Peake, primatologist Jane Goodall and mathematician Hannah Fry, The Infinite Monkey Cage promises to make you laugh, enrich your knowledge and leave you with a deeper appreciation for the universe that we call home. Whether you’re a seasoned scientist or someone who nodded off in physics class, listen in to learn all about funny, fascinating and sometimes ridiculous topics – with the occasional monkey business.

4.7 (1834)

SCIENCE

View Subscription FAQs

Marianna Spring

Host

4

out of 5

46 Ratings

Her mum is a witch

Aug 9

posseh

Her mum should be arrested immediately
I’m losing interest in stories about crazy people…

10/01/2023

jlm188

This story went in too many directions and lost focus. Might have been more interesting to stay in Totnes and talk about the negative impacts that the mentally unstable people (who are “losing family and friends in their quest to make everyone “see the light””) have had on the community there. Series could have been shorter. At some point, I lose interest in psychologically fragile people who could not handle the Covid pandemic and coped by throwing fits and blaming random people based on elaborate conspiracies. plagues have tormented humans for thousands of years - LONG before the existence of the current government and the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation. No one managed the Covid pandemic perfectly because no one had lived thru Covid 19 before and no one knew what the future would bring. That certain people were unable to cope with this is a mental health issue.
Could’ve Done This One in Five Parts.

06/30/2023

FireVaney

Unlike “Disaster Trolls,” “A Very British Cult,” “The New Gurus,” “Things Fell Apart,” and “The Coming Storm,” this BBC podcast on conspiracy theories spread itself a bit too thin. It’s a good place to start, though.
If it isn’t state approved it is a conspiracy theory.

09/10/2023

Nardwuar Sr.

Cover the Crown and the BOE if you want actual conspiracies. This is disinformation. When the state run media has a truth czar you know whatever they say is a lie to cover the crown.