In an era of high political melodrama there has to be a ‘big bad’ weaving a tangled web. In this episode we theorise conspiracy theories - from racist myths about ‘globalists’ plotting white genocide to fevered dreams of Hollywood Satanists harvesting ‘adrenochrome’ from stolen children. What makes these absurdities so compelling for so many? What is it about the digital portal that invites us to fall into them? What have they inherited from older conspiracy narratives? And how have movements like QAnon used digital technologies to make believers feel like heroic sleuths fighting the good fight together? In this episode secrets are revealed, an anonymous informant spills the beans and we do our own research.

Presented by: Alan Finlayson, Rob Gallagher, Sophie Ludkin & Rob Topinka

With: Clare Birchall, Florian Cramer, Matthew Feldman, Annie Kelly, Hugo Leal & Wu Ming 1

Produced by: Sophie Ludkin

Special thanks to: Cassian Osborne-Carey

Music composed by Harriet Riley and produced by Tom Jacob

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On YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNdYeOghWVoIb4vZF0B9jwQ/featured