10 episodes

A series of strange, unexpected human stories from the history of the culture wars.

Things Fell Apart BBC Podcasts

    • Podcasts
    • 4.7 • 344 Ratings

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A series of strange, unexpected human stories from the history of the culture wars.

Listen on Apple Podcasts
Requires subscription and macOS 11.4 or higher

    How Things Fell Apart, with Jon Ronson and Louis Theroux

    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

    • 43 min
    8. A Mock Slave Auction

    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

    • 36 min
    7. A Secret Room Behind a Fake Wall

    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

    • 32 min
    6. Many Different Lives

    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

    • 35 min
    5. A Scottish Jewish joke

    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

    • 33 min
    4. Believe the Children

    4. Believe the Children

    In the mid 1980s a new conspiracy theory proliferates across America - that cabals of Satanists are secretly preying on children and polluting the culture. This ‘Satanic panic’ is a madness with bizarre and dreadful consequences – as an unsuspecting young woman in New Jersey is about to discover…

    Written and presented by Jon Ronson
    Produced by Sarah Shebbeare
    Original music by Phil Channell

    • 32 min

Customer Reviews

4.7 out of 5
344 Ratings

344 Ratings

1XMOM ,

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.

Beccaaz746 ,

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.

Unica Sola ,

Fascinating and Valuable

Top-notch journalism: edifying AND entertaining.
I LOVE Jon Ronson’s sense of humor and always want MORE RONSON!!
… but he was totally right to step back on this series and simply allow the interviewees to tell their stories with minimal framing.
But sadly, the people who most need to hear this won’t listen…. Because it’s more gratifying to mainline Fox News and whichever dangerous narcissist takes Alex Jones’s place. Groan.

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