The Trojan Horse Affair
A strange letter appears on a city councillor’s desk in Birmingham, England, laying out an elaborate plot by Islamic extremists to infiltrate the city’s schools. The plot has a code name: Operation Trojan Horse. The story soon explodes in the news and kicks off a national panic. By the time it all dies down, the government has launched multiple investigations, beefed up the country’s counterterrorism policy, revamped schools and banned people from education for the rest of their lives. To Hamza Syed, who is watching the scandal unfold in his city, the whole thing seemed … off. Because through all the official inquiries and heated speeches in Parliament, no one has ever bothered to answer a basic question: Who wrote the letter? And why? The night before Hamza is to start journalism school, he has a chance meeting in Birmingham with the reporter Brian Reed, the host of the hit podcast S-Town. Together they team up to investigate: Who wrote the Trojan Horse letter? They quickly discover that it’s a question people in power do not want them asking. From Serial Productions and The New York Times comes The Trojan Horse Affair: a mystery in eight parts. To get full access to this show, and to other Serial Productions and New York Times podcasts on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, subscribe at nytimes.com/podcasts. To find out about new shows from Serial Productions, and get a look behind the scenes, sign up for our newsletter at nytimes.com/serialnewsletter. Have a story pitch, a tip, or feedback on our shows? Email us at serialshows@nytimes.com
Season 1
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Hosts & Guests
A good balance of complexity and empathy
Jun 25
I was put off from listening to this podcast after reading the piece in the Guardian and some reviews claiming this podcast is biased and doesn’t provide objectivity. After finishing the series, I personally found it to be objective and well-researched. If you’re looking for something that’s going to say, “this is the bad guy, this is the good guy, here’s who wrote the letter,” you’re not going to find it. Instead, you’ll find a thoughtful dive into the way local school governments and private disputes within them were used by influential people to enact policy that negatively affects certain communities to this day. It’s definitely worth the time to listen to every episode.
Inconsistent with other reporting.
Sep 15
This podcast is inconsistent with other reporting on these events from multiple newspapers. It does seem as though the reporter is trying to get a particular outcome that vindicates people who he personally supports.
Honest Storytelling
Jul 3
The rabbit hole of the Trojan house affairs reveals many truths and leaves one with many questions. What works in this series is the refreshingly human take on injustice that does labor the point but rather illustrates it in real time. Good podcast to listen to while you’re busy.
Thank you
12/30/2023
Thank you for dedicating so much of your time to uncover truth and shift narratives. I hope this opens people’s eyes at a minimum, and I am gravely sorry it has not led to more accountability in the UK regarding the extreme impact this has caused. I wish there were a way to convert the millions of downloads to action to support a campaign for the opening of an official inquiry into this issue, and I feel that even if the impact is not immediate or what you all may have expected, it is significant and long lasting.
About
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- Channel
- CreatorSerial Productions & The New York Times
- Episodes10
- Seasons1
- RatingExplicit
- Show Website
- ProviderThe New York Times Company
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