22 episodes
Things Fell Apart BBC Podcasts
-
- Society & Culture
-
-
4.7 • 517 Ratings
-
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.
-
S2. Bonus episode: An Audience with Jon Ronson
Jon Ronson’s second season of unexpected human stories from the culture wars focused on the divisions that erupted in the wake of the Covid lockdown. It was a number 1 hit podcast and received five star reviews. In a fun, free-flowing live discussion from the Hay Festival in Wales, Jon turns the tables on himself and asks his audience to ask him anything they like.
Series Producer: Sarah Shebbeare -
S2. How Things Fell Apart, with Jon Ronson and Adam Buxton
In this bonus episode, Jon Ronson's friend and fellow podcaster Adam Buxton chat about the latest season of Things Fell Apart. They discuss their favourite moments from the show and how to best navigate the culture wars, all while also chatting about lockdown, fatherhood, social anxiety and how a rough time at Cardiff High School made Jon Ronson a better journalist.
-
S2. Ep 8: Mikki’s Hero’s Journey
How a former actor and model, burned by Hollywood and devastated by the death of his brother, has become an important culture warrior, fueling the flames of every story we tell this season.
Written and presented by Jon Ronson
Produced by Sarah Shebbeare
Original music by Phil Channell -
S2. Ep 7: You’ll Own Nothing and You’ll Be Happy
How a young man with a novel idea for affordable accommodation, and an Oxford man with a plan for bus lanes, and a Danish woman writing a thought experiment about car rentals, unwittingly became hate figures for conspiracy theorists.
Written and presented by Jon Ronson
Produced by Sarah Shebbeare
Original music by Phil Channell -
S2. Ep 6: A Hierarchy of Trauma
How a bestselling book about trauma - lockdown’s number one bestseller - helped the culture war over free speech burst out of colleges and into the workplace. A shift some people pejoratively call the Great Awokening.
Written and presented by Jon Ronson
Produced by Sarah Shebbeare
Original music by Phil Channell -
S2. Ep 5: Things Weren’t Going Back to Normal
How a schism between a mother and her teenage daughter during lockdown contributed to Governor Ron DeSantis enacting new and far-reaching laws in Florida.
Written and presented by Jon Ronson
Produced by Sarah Shebbeare
Original music by Phil Channell
Customer Reviews
Best podcast I’ve listened to
All of Jon Ronson’s work is stellar. But Things Fell Apart is by far the best one. His fact checking is spot on and his manner of storytelling is down right addictive. Thank you for seeing and telling all sides! He’s the first I’ve seen to transcend the culture wars.
Fabulous Storytelling
A joy to listen to. Fabulous storytelling. Binged both seasons over a weekend.
Tremendous podcast
Jon Ronson has an extraordinary way of connecting the dots, and his interviews are done with the deft and even hand of a remarkably skilled, curious and intelligent man. I would nominate him as the most important and accessible journalist on the topic of conspiracy theories today.
Top Podcasts In Society & Culture