Joanne McNally Investigates

It's been a long journey, but finally Joanne is ready to close the book on Furby. She's learned about their rise to fame, and the rumours of espionage. And she's done her best to de-bunk them, by intrusively opening one up for examination, speaking to experts, and tracking down the man behind the marketing. But as the sun sets on her quest, she still needs to find out why the rumour began in the first place. And she needs to speak to David Hampton - the inventor.

That journey takes her via TikTok and FaceSwap - two apps which, Joanne discovers, have been linked to data gathering. Joanne is already fearful of what data she's sharing online, and her browsing habits have radically changed. But one last browse deep into the web reveals a stunning new find - a dossier of evidence which includes the original NSA memo about the Furby... and within it, the real reason it was banned by security experts.

Convinced that she finally understands what went on, Joanne concludes by meeting David Hampton. She learns about the Furby origins, little-known facts about it's powers, and some secrets about the brains behind it. But was Furby designed to spy? David has a surprising answer in store.

A What's The Story podcast for BBC Sounds

So far in the series, Joanne has been getting more and more concerned about the amount of listening and surveillance which is all around her. And to make matters WORSE, her producers then take her to visit the worlds biggest listening station - on a hillside in North Yorkshire. Intrigued and terrified in equal measure - Joanne starts to wonder why it even exists, and why America was so worried about Furbys when they have an entire fleet of listening devices in the UK!

Joanne then speaks to her pal Roisin Conaty and together they conduct an experiment to find out if their mobile phones really listen to conversations. Picking a random topic which they've never discussed before, they go in deep, and then wait to see if their phones start sending bespoke adverts. And the results are surprising.

With so much concern, Joanne then calls on a tech expert Jake Moore to clean up her social media... fix her privacy settings, and generally help her stay safe online. Jake spots some issues within Joanne's apps, uncovers a scam she recently fell for, and then, inexplicably, helps Joanne access the dark web...

The series is produced by What's The Story for BBC Sounds.

Determined to get to the bottom of the rumours once and for all, Joanne lines up a meeting with one of the marketing brains behind the toy. She learns that the scandals which rocked Furby in 1998 did wonders for it's sales... and she wonders if it's still popular today because of the mystery around it.

Joanne also journeys to a toy shop, to do some hands-on research. And she finds out that the Furby is so coveted that it's kept inside a sealed glass container.

We also hear from an expert who explains why smart toys, and other smart devices, need to be treated with caution... and she meets an ethical hacker who was able to prove that some smart toys have been able to be hacked, and manipulated.

Joanne then hears some real stories of accidental espionage from her gaggle of followers. And she meets Jamie - a woman with a terrifying story of what can happen when your smart tech is infiltrated by strangers...

Rocked by Gearoid’s suggestion that the Furby could have been adapted by secret organisations to be a real actual spy, Joanne travels to the north of England, and visits a shop which specialises in selling covert gadgets. She discovers that for a modest sum of money she can be the proud owner of multiple listening bugs...and while using them is a legal minefield – please do your own research to make sure you don’t fall foul of the law – she hears that that there are no shortage of customers.

Joanne even decides to hide a few around her own apartment, to see if she's really made for the covert world. But will Gearoid be able to spot them?

Elsewhere – Joanne is introduced to a real life member of MI6. And she finds out what life as a spy is really like, and gets to ask if a Furby might have been the perfect device for a spy to use.

After falling in love with a Furby in episode 1, Joanne begins looking for evidence on its spying capabilities. So – with the help of Gearoid, she decides to open up a Furby for a closer look. The operation is complex, and a little gruesome, but once inside, the pair discover that the Furby is fitted with an abundance of electronics.

To understand how it all worked, Joanne consults the operating manual. And she discovers that the Furby really was advanced for its time, and she tests its comedy potential.

We also speak to Dr Megan Rose, an expert in all things soft toys – who explains why the Furby’s unique visual design may have helped it gain a reputation for espionage.

Equipped with a better understanding of the Furby, and it’s skills, Joanne is ready to put the rumour to bed… until she receives a surprising call from Gearoid which sees her question everything.

Joanne McNally is back on the investigative trail…. and with the Avril / Melissa theory no longer giving her sleepless nights, she’s keen to find a new story to get her teeth into. Helped by her loyal gaggle of fans, she draws up a list of options, and then sets down with friend and ‘original sleuth’ Joe Lycett to go through them.

As her journey begins, Joanne visits a Furby collector to try and understand their capabilities. She reaches out to the manufacturers to ask them if the claims are true. And she has an uncomfortable bonding experience with a Furby all of her own.

Joanne McNally is back on the investigative trail…. and with the Avril / Melissa theory no longer giving her sleepless nights, she’s keen to find a new story to get her teeth into.

Top of her list, after some deliberation is a story from the late 90’s… about a soft toy, the Furby, which took over the world and became the no.1 gift for Christmas. But Joanne has found headlines that claim the toy was banned, suspected of being a spy, linked to international espionage… there couldn’t be any truth to it… could there?

Joanne is back Canada… she has something she really needs to tell Avril. After months of digging – Joanne has finally tracked down the source of this rumour.

Who Replaced Avril Lavigne? Joanne McNally Investigates is a 6-part series produced by What’s The Story Sounds – for BBC Sounds and CBC.

Joanne was beginning to come to terms with the fact that this might all be nonsense. She turns her sights on who started this conspiracy. Where did it come from?

Joanne speaks to experts in online rumour spreading. She hears some extraordinary stories about how lies have gotten completely out of hand and become widely believed (to devastating effect.) Perhaps whoever started this had no idea it would go viral. We really should think more carefully about what we write on the internet…

Who Replaced Avril Lavigne? Joanne McNally Investigates is a 6-part series produced by What’s The Story Sounds – for BBC Sounds and CBC.

Joanne and her producer Sophie set up a war room with all of the evidence about Avril being replaced layed out. Her clothing, height, make up, song lyrics, voice.. it’s all there – being held up to the light. Joanne lines up some experts to prove once and for all if the Avril story is true.

Who Replaced Avril Lavigne? Joanne McNally Investigates is a 6-part series produced by What’s The Story Sounds – for BBC Sounds and CBC.