Alexi Mostrous worked at The Times and at the Guardian for 13 years in roles including Head of Investigations and Saturday News Editor, before joining Tortoise Media as a partner in September 2019. In 2013 he won News Reporter of the Year and Scoop of the Year for exposing celebrities such as Jimmy Carr and Gary Barlow as aggressive tax avoiders. In 2018 he was nominated for the same awards for his reporting on Google and Facebook. He has reported from both London and Washington DC as a Stern Fellow for the Washington Post. Previously a barrister, Mostrous studied English at Cambridge.
Alexi Mostrous
Investigations Editor
“In a world of Facebook clickbait, Twitter streams and iPhone alerts, in-depth journalism has never been more important. As an investigative reporter, it’s great to work for an organisation which takes the time to look beyond the headlines and tell important stories in new and innovative ways.”
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Tuesday 28 November 2023
12:00-13:00 GMT
Can we trust Sam Altman?
Join Tortoise Media journalists in their editorial meeting to discuss what stories should be investigated further.
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Thursday 9 February 2023
13:00-14:00 GMT
Generative AI: more than just hype?
Join us as we explore the new wave of generative AI, like DALL-E and ChatGPT that has sent the tech world into a frenzy
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Tuesday 29 March 2022
13:00-14:00 BST
Has Covid-19 helped or hindered the responsible business agenda?
Two years on from the start of the pandemic, what does it mean to be a responsible business?
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Monday 7 February 2022
18:30-19:30 GMT
Eugenics: have we moved on? A ThinkIn with Adam Rutherford
At a time when there are more people and fewer resources than ever before, could eugenics work, or was it always a harmful pseudoscientific fantasy?
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Tuesday 22 February 2022
13:00-14:00 GMT
How can responsible businesses ensure they approach AI the right way?
How can businesses ensure that they approach adoption in a way that protects stakeholders, observes regulation and puts value for their people at the centre of AI projects?
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Tuesday 25 January 2022
13:00-14:00 GMT
The great global economic unlearning: is everything we’ve learned suddenly wrong?
How will responsible business leaders cope with the changing dynamics in global labour and finance markets?
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Tuesday 30 November 2021
15:00-16:00 GMT
Small business, big problem: are SMEs in the UK falling behind?
From better financing to digital skills, what can policymakers do to turn the UK’s SME population into a growth engine?
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Tuesday 26 October 2021
13:00-14:00 BST
How do we prepare today for the labour market of tomorrow?
Join us for a ThinkIn as we consider how we might start preparing for the labour market of tomorrow.
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Tuesday 21 September 2021
13:00-14:00 BST
In conversation with Katherine Ainley, CEO, Ericsson UK & Ireland
An hour with Katherine Ainley, covering the critical role that 5G can play in enabling exponential change, building a resilience zero-emissions future, and diversity and inclusion in the ICT sector.
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Wednesday 22 September 2021
18:30-19:30 BST
Will technology widen the power gap? In conversation with Azeem Azhar
An hour with Azeem Azhar to discussing his new book, Exponential – about the ‘exponential gap’ between the power of new technology and our ability to keep up.
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Wednesday 5 May 2021
18:30-19:30 BST
Banning Trump: did Facebook call it right?
What does Trump’s ban from Facebook mean for the future of the platform? We ask the experts.
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Tuesday 16 March 2021
08:00-09:00 GMT
Toxicity in tech: Why are Google’s leading AI ethics researchers being ‘silenced’?
Is Google silencing its researchers who speak out about their AI ethics? Join us as we ask the experts.
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Friday 26 March 2021
09:00-15:00 GMT
The Future of Cars Summit
Join us and invited experts to discuss the big questions about the future of cars
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Tuesday 2 February 2021
08:00-09:00 GMT
The Battle for Truth: Who will save the internet?
In the first ThinkIn of our Battle for Truth series we are asking – who will save the internet?
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Thursday 25 February 2021
08:30-14:50 GMT
The Future of Money Summit
Join us an invited experts to discuss the big questions about the future of money
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Thursday 3 December 2020
08:30-14:00 GMT
The Global AI Summit
On 3rd December, second Global AI Summit will imagine a world with AI at its core.
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Monday 26 October 2020
18:25-19:30 GMT
The future of information: what is saved, what’s deleted and who decides?
Once you share something online, is it really out there forever?
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Tuesday 6 October 2020
07:55-09:00 BST
Is a more automated job market less fair?
Breakfast ThinkIn: is a more automated job market less fair?
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Tuesday 24 October 2023
The dangerous appeal of Robert F. Kennedy Jr
Robert F. Kennedy Jr is running as an independent candidate for president. His campaign may not last – but his anti-vaccine and conspiracy-centred views will
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Friday 21 July 2023
How to do AI
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Wednesday 19 July 2023
Microsoft vs the regulators
Microsoft’s proposed takeover of Activision – the publisher behind Call of Duty – finally looks set to go ahead
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Wednesday 12 July 2023
Sarah Silverman sues Big Tech
The comedian is taking Meta and OpenAI to court over copyright infringement. It’s a case that could redefine the boundaries of how AI learns
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Wednesday 5 July 2023
End of Twitter
A growing field of challengers are seeking to supplant Elon Musk’s Twitter.
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Wednesday 28 June 2023
Europe falls behind in AI
When it comes to harnessing AI-driven technologies, China and the US are leading the way
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Wednesday 28 June 2023
The Global Artificial Intelligence Index
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Wednesday 21 June 2023
Livestream wars
xQc, the king of video-game livestreaming, is leaving Amazon-owned platform Twitch for Australian start-up Kick – and he’s not alone
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Wednesday 14 June 2023
Musk vs. bots
Elon Musk promised to defeat Twitter’s spam bots. He’s failing
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Monday 24 April 2023
Rogue lawyer
What just happened
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Wednesday 15 March 2023
Sili Money
Silicon Valley Bank’s collapse was driven by interest rate changes and mismanagement. It’s possible that more banks which serve the technology sector are similarly exposed, and that the silly amount of money available to tech entrepreneurs over the past decade is finally drying up.
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Wednesday 8 March 2023
TikTok blocked
TikTok is facing a string of bans in the public sector, and a bill that could see it wiped out of the US market altogether. Why?
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Wednesday 1 March 2023
Platforms v the people
The Supreme Court has heard two cases that question the immunity of internet platforms when it comes to publishing extreme content. The rulings could reshape the internet, and the fate of generative artificial intelligence.
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Wednesday 22 February 2023
Back in the game
China’s video game companies have pledged ideological conformity in return for an economic lifeline, as the Microsoft Activision Blizzard deal looms.
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Wednesday 15 February 2023
Scrape, borrow or steal?
Generative artificial intelligence is forcing changes in the creative industries, with the nature of creativity being called into question.
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Wednesday 8 February 2023
A new paradigm for search
Four months after the arrival of the AI-powered chatbot ChatGPT, the Tech States are starting to develop rival services
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Wednesday 1 February 2023
Meta: Back from the brink
Meta is using AI to boost its ad-targeting systems. This helped it bounce back from the impact of Apple’s privacy changes, but uncertainties remain
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Wednesday 25 January 2023
Code Red
ChatGPT presents a significant threat to Alphabet’s Google. It’s caused it to issue the first “code red” warning to a single product in a decade.
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Wednesday 18 January 2023
Should tech bosses be sent to jail?
A new proposed amendment in the Online Safety Bill could mean tech executives responsible for the harms of children could face jail time. Will it work?
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Wednesday 11 January 2023
Big Tech job cuts: a silver lining?
The tech states misread demand during the pandemic and hired hundreds of thousands of staff. Now, as the pandemic is replaced by a recession, over 150,000 tech jobs are at risk. The question is, where will all the tech workers go?
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Wednesday 4 January 2023
Meta’s Trump card
Trump’s suspension from Meta platforms expires this Saturday. The company must rule on whether to extend or lift the suspension. Here’s why that decision is so important.
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Friday 11 November 2022
Sweet Bobby and me
Alexi Mostrous untangles the extraordinary web of deceit and manipulation revealed in Tortoise’s chart-topping podcast
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Wednesday 20 July 2022
A test of leadership: The Online Safety Bill
With various candidates jostling to become the next prime minister, the government’s Online Safety Bill is up in the air
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Wednesday 13 July 2022
The crisis of Meta’s left behind languages
Facebook has left many languages behind in the past, particularly in Asia and Africa. Could a new language model change that?
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Wednesday 6 July 2022
Prime before Pride
In the wake of Pride month, Amazon’s relations with countries in the Middle East threaten to undermine its stance on LGBTQ+ rights
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Wednesday 29 June 2022
Is platform transparency going backwards?
Meta plans to shut down CrowdTangle, a tool for tracking the spread of content on Facebook
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Wednesday 22 June 2022
Is Google facing a retail downturn?
Google’s Ad and Search business made hay during the pandemic. Could it all come crashing down?
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Wednesday 15 June 2022
I am Lamda
Is Google’s AI starting to think like a human?
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Wednesday 25 May 2022
Is Amazon in trouble?
The online retail giant’s stock price is dropping as inflation bites
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Wednesday 18 May 2022
Streaming extremism
The horrific massacre in Buffalo, NY, at the weekend raises disturbing questions about the responsibility of tech companies when it comes to online hate
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Wednesday 11 May 2022
How will big tech navigate the end of Roe v. Wade?
America is on the brink of stripping away half a century of abortion rights. The decision will present major challenges for the tech states
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Wednesday 4 May 2022
Downturn dawning
The age of infinite optimism in the stocks of the world’s largest technology companies may be drawing to an end
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Wednesday 27 April 2022
Musk’s Twitter revolution
Elon Musk has just bought Twitter. What happens now?
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Wednesday 30 March 2022
The EU busts its tech borders
If you’re a citizen of Apple’s ecosystem, it’s not easy to travel to neighbouring Google – or vice versa
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Wednesday 23 March 2022
The online safety build up
Five years after the Online Safety Bill was first proposed, it’s beginning the last leg of its legislative journey, having been formally introduced to parliament last week
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Wednesday 16 March 2022
The Russian splinternet
Russia is closing its internet off from the rest of the world. How far will its tech isolationism go?
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Wednesday 9 March 2022
Can Ukraine be a proving ground for Clegg’s Meta?
Will Meta’s new President of Global Affairs be able to guide Facebook through one of the most significant of global affairs – war?
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Wednesday 2 March 2022
Tech during wartime
The world has moved to isolate Russia in the wake of the invasion of Ukraine – and the tech states have joined in
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Wednesday 23 February 2022
“Hey Google, are you unstoppable?”
Is the search engine’s dominant streak set to last?
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Wednesday 16 February 2022
The Hatecast
Spotify’s Joe Rogan controversy last month has lifted the lid on how podcasts are moderated on major tech platforms – or, rather, how they aren’t
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Wednesday 9 February 2022
Is Meta’s party over?
Last week, Facebook turned 18. It should have been a celebration for the world’s biggest social network
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Wednesday 2 February 2022
Regulating your best life
The influencer economy is growing rapidly – and is proving a challenge for regulators
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Wednesday 26 January 2022
Are regulators game for Microsoft’s big new deal?
Microsoft’s planned acquisition of Activision Blizzard is a seriously big deal – if lawmakers let it go ahead
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Wednesday 19 January 2022
Meta’s morning suit
The tech states’ ability to freely harvest and then profit from their users’ data has always been key to their power. But could that all be coming to an end?
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Wednesday 12 January 2022
Is it time for Tesla?
Attention turns to Tesla’s controversial showroom in Xinjiang. Does Elon Musk’s company now act like a state unto itself?
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Wednesday 15 December 2021
Tech States 2021. Wrapped
As the year draws to a close, here’s our roundup of the Tech States stories that mattered the most in 2021
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Wednesday 8 December 2021
NFT… Metaverse… scam!
People in the US lost nearly $3.5bn to scams this year, many of them centred around buzzwords: metaverse, cryptocurrency and NFTs
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Wednesday 1 December 2021
Unfairly labelled
A hidden workforce of labellers props up innovation in the tech states. While the demand for data labelling grows, is enough being done to protect labour rights and dignity?
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Wednesday 24 November 2021
Credit card declined
Amazon has announced it will no longer be accepting Visa credit cards on its platform. It’s a decision which may result in more than a little inconvenience at checkout
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Wednesday 17 November 2021
Age appropriation
Meta have announced that they’re limiting companies’ power to target children on their platforms. But they’re keeping that power for themselves
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Wednesday 10 November 2021
Killing Cop
Climate misinformation is rife online – and it’s particularly bad on Meta (formerly Facebook). Is the tech state doing enough to combat it?
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Wednesday 3 November 2021
Not so Dear Anonymous…
Nadine Dorries has claimed that the UK’s new Online Safety Bill will bring an end to anonymous online abuse. Will it really?
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Wednesday 27 October 2021
Inside Project “Jedi Blue”
Two tech states control more than half of the world’s online advertising market; Google and Facebook
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Wednesday 20 October 2021
The extremes of Facebook’s “Hate Curve”
The more time you spend on Facebook, the more likely you are to see extreme and potentially harmful posts
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Wednesday 13 October 2021
Digital Defence Department
State-sponsored cyber attacks are on the rise, and while there are numerous perpetrators, there’s one which sponsors the attacks more than any other – Russia. Is Microsoft the first, best line of defence?
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Wednesday 6 October 2021
Big tech, big carbon?
Several of the Tech States talk a good game when it comes to climate action. But their lobbying activity and carbon emissions tell a different story
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Wednesday 29 September 2021
The safest place in the world to be online…
The tech states could find themselves on the wrong end of the UK’s Online Safety Bill
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Wednesday 22 September 2021
Water off a Zuck’s back…
How will Zuckerberg’s tech state survive the Facebook Files?
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Wednesday 15 September 2021
The black hole of cybersecurity spending
Cybersecurity is becoming more and more expensive, but the quality of protection isn’t getting any better
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Wednesday 8 September 2021
The Tech States’ “Me Too” moment
How is Big Tech handling its employee revolution?
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Wednesday 1 September 2021
Is China playing with its e-sports future?
China’s young gamers will have to hang up their headsets, as new restrictions block gaming during much of the week. What does this mean for their prospects in the fast growing and extremely lucrative e-sports scene; where most players start young, and play for hours on end?
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Wednesday 25 August 2021
How should big tech treat the Taliban?
When a violent extremist group takes over a country, how should social media platforms respond?
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Wednesday 18 August 2021
China’s techlash explained
China’s tech sector is hemorrhaging share value as the country undergoes its own big techlash. As the power of its internet giants is curbed by aggressive legislation; we take a look inside the crackdown as it’s unfolding, and ask the question on every commentator’s mind: why?
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Wednesday 28 July 2021
Enter the race to the metaverse
Mark Zuckerberg wants to take the internet beyond the confines of mobile devices and create his own life-like digital world. He’s not the only one…
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Wednesday 21 July 2021
Huge spyware leak raises questions for Big Tech
Recent leaked data revealing the widespread use of the NSO Group’s controversial Pegasus spyware raises serious questions for the tech states – and their role in the cyber-surveillance ecosystem
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Wednesday 14 July 2021
Surveillance for sale
Facial recognition technology is becoming a point of contention between tech states in China, and those in the US
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Wednesday 7 July 2021
The rise and rise of data politics
Tension is building between China and technology companies. Increasingly, the source of it is data privacy
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Wednesday 30 June 2021
Language in the age of big tech
Internet abbreviations are nothing new, but recently a greater shift has started to take place online, one that’s more about how new forms of language are going to be interpreted. Could we be witnessing the online democratisation of language?
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Wednesday 23 June 2021
Microsoft, censorship and China
Walking the tightrope between the West and China is becoming increasingly difficult for big tech – just ask Microsoft
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Friday 18 June 2021
The Responsible AI Forum at Waddesdon: Our statement
We brought together leading thinkers from around the world to discuss the responsible development and deployment of AI. Here’s what we learned on the day
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Wednesday 16 June 2021
Does Amazon raise prices?
The e-commerce giant’s days avoiding antitrust regulation may soon be over
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Friday 11 June 2021
10 minute readSensemaker: The human in the machine
What just happened
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Wednesday 9 June 2021
Facebook’s busy week
As Zuckerberg moves to cement Facebook’s role as a publisher with its new audio and newsletter products, his company has come under pressure, both from foreign regulators, and from its own oversight board
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Wednesday 2 June 2021
Can AI be independent from big tech?
AI technology is becoming increasingly powerful, and, with much of the funding coming from the Tech States, several scientists have raised the alarm about the role corporate interests play in its development. How worried should we be?
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Wednesday 26 May 2021
How to fix the internet (by Nick Clegg)
In an op-ed for CNBC, Facebook’s Sir Nick Clegg has set out the company’s vision for internet reform. But is there more to the former deputy prime minister’s proposals than meets the eye?
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Friday 21 May 2021
#PornPlanet
Hunt for the porn king: the secretive owner of Pornhub revealed
As dozens of women accuse the world’s largest porn company of profiting from their abuse, we trace its owner to his London mansion
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Wednesday 19 May 2021
Is the tech-lash faltering?
Welcome to Tech Nations Sensemaker – a weekly newsletter dedicated exclusively to covering the tech giants
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Wednesday 12 May 2021
Grocery wars
Welcome to Tech Nations Sensemaker – a weekly newsletter dedicated exclusively to covering the tech giants
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Wednesday 5 May 2021
Big Tech gets bigger
Welcome to Tech Nations Sensemaker – a weekly newsletter dedicated exclusively to covering the tech giants
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Wednesday 28 April 2021
10 minute read
Introducing the Tech States Sensemaker
Welcome to Tech Nations Sensemaker – a weekly newsletter dedicated exclusively to covering the tech giants
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Wednesday 21 April 2021
10 minute readSensemaker: Newspapers vs Google
What just happened
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Wednesday 7 April 2021
10 minute readSensemaker: Where AstraZeneca went wrong
What just happened
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Friday 5 March 2021
The Future of Money Summit: The Readout
Last week we held the Future of Money Summit, a day of ThinkIns examining the rapidly evolving financial landscape and the implications of change for business, society and government
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Thursday 25 February 2021
Tax and Honour
A very British racer
Sir Lewis Hamilton was knighted despite living in a tax haven. Did the decision set a dangerous precedent?
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Friday 12 February 2021
Money & monarchy
‘Hoodwinked’ over Royal finances
The royal family’s income from the taxpayer has soared since the financial crisis, a Tortoise Investigation found last year. Now the UK’s former top civil servant says there’s been a deliberate attempt to keep the public in the dark
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Thursday 10 December 2020
The Tortoise Global AI Summit: the Readout
We very much hope that you were able to join us at the Global AI summit last Thursday. We had more than 1,500 guests tune in to catch the results of the 2020 Tortoise Global AI Index, to discuss the geo-politics of AI, to examine its impact on talent, investment, and the most recent technological breakthroughs
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Wednesday 5 August 2020
Infodemic II
Going viral
Robert Kennedy Jr’s transformation from hero environmentalist to anti-vaxx superstar
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Tuesday 30 June 2020
Money & monarchy
Family misfortunes
Money is at the root of most of the royals’ problems
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Monday 29 June 2020
Money & monarchy
Royal Flush
The royal family has more than doubled its income in the past 12 years, and is expecting a windfall of half a billion. Yet tensions in the family over money remain
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Wednesday 3 June 2020
Tech States: Amazon
At war:
Amazon in the pandemic
How Jeff Bezos steadied his empire when Covid-19 hit – and whether he paid enough attention to employee safety – will be a defining moment for the billionaire and his Everything Store
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Tuesday 2 June 2020
Tech States: Amazon
The flywheel:
Inside Amazon’s economy
Amazon is not just a player in the market – it is the market, growing in momentum every year. Now, anti-trust regulators are racing to catch up
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Monday 1 June 2020
Tech States: Amazon
Welcome to the United States of Amazon
The tech giants have as much money and influence as nation states. What if we reported on these companies like countries?
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Monday 23 March 2020
Infodemic-1
Fake news in the time of C-19
From miraculous cures to paranoid conspiracies, our investigation reveals how misinformation about coronavirus is going viral at a disturbing rate
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Thursday 9 January 2020
Tech States: Apple
Sourcing and further reading
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Thursday 9 January 2020
Tech States: Apple
Part VIII
Artificial Intelligence: Hey Siri, what’s the story?
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Wednesday 8 January 2020
Tech States: Apple
Part VI
Domestic policy: facing both ways
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Wednesday 8 January 2020
Tech States: Apple
Part V
Cultural affairs
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Tuesday 7 January 2020
Tech States: Apple
Part IV
Foreign policy: The great game
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Tuesday 7 January 2020
Tech States: Apple
Part III
The economy: who gets rich?
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Tuesday 7 January 2020
Tech States: Apple
Part II
Apple’s constitution
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Monday 6 January 2020
Tech States: Apple
Part I
Leadership: Inside the politburo
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Monday 6 January 2020
Tech States: Apple
Welcome to Apple
A one-party state
The tech giants have as much money and influence as nations. So what if we reported on them like countries? What would Apple be? A liberal China…
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Monday 11 November 2019
Putin’s Davos
In Rhodes, a glitzy forum organised by a former KGB spy spreads Russia’s message to the world
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Tuesday 24 October 2023
The rock star
Andrew Wakefield becomes a superstar thanks to the support of celebrities and an army of mothers – and establishes anti-vax as a moneymaker
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Tuesday 24 October 2023
The movement
Radicalised by Covid, the anti-vax movement goes mainstream – and RFK Jr emerges as a new figurehead
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Monday 23 October 2023
Dr Anti-vax: The making of a modern panic
How did the anti-vax movement get so big? Alexi Mostrous tells the story of the fall and rise of the man who started it all
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Monday 23 October 2023
The fall
A British doctor sparks a global health panic about the safety of vaccines. But even though his work is discredited, he lights a fire that becomes the modern anti-vax movement
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Monday 25 September 2023
Is HS2 a high-speed failure?
Plus: Adidas’s single-use super shoe and the asteroid sample that could hold the secret to how life began
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Friday 18 August 2023
Why is the US failing Afghan refugees?
Plus: the ongoing impact of the PSNI data breach and what makes Elon Musk a “space dictator”
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Friday 14 July 2023
Sarah Silverman sues OpenAI and Meta
The Hollywood star is among a group of authors suing the tech companies for $1 billion each, alleging copyright infringement. The cases could set important legal precedents.
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Friday 7 July 2023
Threads vs. Twitter, OnlyFans billboard, and Horizon membership
The team discusses Meta launching Threads to challenge Twitter, the billboard advertising an explicit OnlyFans account that sparked complaints and the UK edging closer to rejoining the EU’s Horizon programme.
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Thursday 6 July 2023
The whole truth
In the final episode, Ceri travels to meet Rob in a peaceful garden in rural Wiltshire. What unfolds is a heated exchange about what Rob’s story really is and what adds up to the whole truth.
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Tuesday 4 July 2023
Chicken feed
Rob is adamant that in all the years he was undercover, he never sent information back to his spymasters that harmed the campaigners. But when you’re the only one in control of the decisions, can you always get it right?
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Tuesday 4 July 2023
The verge
When Global Witness out Rob in 2015, things quickly fall apart. He loses everything that matters to him but to this day he believes that if his voice had been heard, it would have all worked out differently.
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Tuesday 27 June 2023
Poison into medicine
Rob Moore says he can justify going undercover among anti-asbestos campaigners because he was following a Buddhist principle, turning poison into medicine. To this day he believes that if the people he infiltrated would really listen to his story they’d understand him differently. But does his story really stand up to scrutiny?
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Tuesday 27 June 2023
The truth
Three years ago a former private spy came to our newsroom at Tortoise. He told an incredible story about infiltrating a campaign group, deceiving people for years but all the while being a ‘double agent’, before his world fell apart. And it all played out in the opaque world of corporate intelligence. Since then, journalist Ceri Thomas has been asking who Rob Moore really is and what his motivations were.
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Tuesday 27 June 2023
Project spring
It’s 2012 and Rob Moore goes ‘into the dirt’, undercover, to infiltrate a group of campaigners fighting for a ban on deadly asbestos. None of them knew they had a private spy in the camp. But it’s hard to stay hidden forever.
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Monday 26 June 2023
Into The Dirt
Private spy. Double agent. Whistleblower. Just who was Rob Moore?
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Monday 12 June 2023
The News Meeting Live: Trump’s toilet troubles, wildfires and the allegations against Crispin Odey
In this episode, recorded at Kite Festival on Sunday 11th June, James Harding is joined on stage by Tortoise editors Alexi Mostrous, Basia Cummings and Jeevan Vasagar.
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Thursday 18 May 2023
The News Meeting Live: immigration, Ron DeSantis and Zelensky’s European tour
James Harding is joined by Tortoise’s Alexi Mostrous, Liz Moseley and Katie Gunning in front of a live audience at London’s Picturehouse Central.
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Friday 5 May 2023
Artificial intelligence, house building and the TV writers strike
Liz Moseley is joined by Tortoise’s political editor Cat Neilan, investigations editor Alexi Mostrous and head of live events Mark St Andrew. In this episode they discuss the American writers strike, the Conservative Party’s problem with housing and dire warnings about the future of artificial intelligence.
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Monday 24 April 2023
Rogue Lawyer: Power, money and a scandal at a London law firm
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Friday 31 March 2023
Manchester United, Israel and treatment of asylum seekers
James Harding is joined by Tortoise news editor Jess Winch, head of investigations Alexi Mostrous and head of social media Andrew Butler. In this episode they discuss the sale of Manchester United, Israel’s government pausing a judicial overhaul after protests and attitudes towards asylum seekers around the world
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Friday 24 March 2023
Boris Johnson, Met Police report and life expectancy
In this episode Tortoise’s editor-in-chief James Harding is joined by political editor Cat Neilan, editor Dave Taylor and head of investigations Alexi Mostrous. They discuss Boris Johnson’s future, Baroness Casey’s scathing review of the Metropolitan Police and the life expectancy gap between the wealthiest and poorest areas.
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Friday 3 February 2023
Dominic Raab, Adani vs. Hindenburg and the British Army
Three journalists pitch their top story of the week to Tortoise’s editor-in-chief James Harding. In this episode James is joined by Tortoise reporter Claudia Williams, head of programming Mark St Andrew and investigations editor Alexi Mostrous
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Friday 20 January 2023
Britishvolt, David Carrick and online harms
Journalist and broadcaster Adam Boulton is the guest host of this week’s News Meeting. He’s joined by Tortoise editors Liz Moseley, Alexi Mostrous and Dave Taylor
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Friday 13 January 2023
Prince Harry, Brazil and the Westminster Accounts
Tortoise Editor James Harding is joined by Alexi Mostrous, Cat Neilan and Keith Blackmore to discuss the stories they think mattered most this week
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Friday 30 December 2022
Sheryl Sandberg leaves Meta
One of the most powerful women in tech left the world’s biggest social media company this year. Alexi Mostrous explains how Sheryl Sandberg’s departure from Meta helps him make sense of 2022
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Thursday 15 December 2022
The OG Satanic Panic – where’s the evidence?
In this special bonus episode of Hoaxed, Alexi and Gemma catch up on what’s happened since the last episode of Hoaxed went out and Alexi goes back to the original satanic panic to examine the evidence. He speaks to a professor who investigated dozens of satanic ritual abuse cases in the 1990s – and to a psychotherapist who believes that satanism is a modern-day “Auschwitz”.
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Friday 9 December 2022
German plot, ChatGPT, World Cup
In this episode James Harding is joined by Alexi Mostrous from the hit podcast Sweet Bobby, and Tortoise editors Liz Moseley and Keith Blackmore, to discuss the stories they think mattered most this week
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Thursday 13 October 2022
Bonnie and Clyde
In the final episode of Hoaxed, Alexi confronts Abraham and Ella about what they did in Hampstead – and why. And the police give Alexi some surprising news
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Thursday 6 October 2022
The Healer
Alexi and his producer fly to Morocco to confront Abraham Christie – and learn dark secrets about his past
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Thursday 29 September 2022
Infiltration
For a conspiracy to spread, important people need to be listening. Alexi discovers that the perpetrators of the Hampstead hoax have friends in high places, while he and the team close in on Abraham’s location
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Thursday 22 September 2022
Secrets and lies
Two young children make horrific allegations in a London police station, lighting the fuse on one of the most serious British conspiracy theories in decades
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Thursday 22 September 2022
Ella’s list
Seized upon by conspiracy theorists, Ella’s list of alleged cult members spreads like wildfire across the Internet. Hampstead parents start receiving death threats and lives are torn apart
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Thursday 22 September 2022
The Avengers
The perpetrators of the Hampstead hoax meet their match in an unassuming mystery novelist, who is determined to expose their lies and bring them to justice
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Monday 8 August 2022
Hunt for the porn king: a reckoning
Last year, as women accused Pornhub of profiting from their abuse, we tracked down its intensely secretive owner. This week, we’re looking back to find out: what happened next?
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Monday 7 March 2022
Russian warship, go f*** yourself
We thought the Russians were masters of the information war; that they’d sweep Ukraine aside. Why is it not turning out that way?
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Monday 17 January 2022
Virginia
Twenty years ago, Prince Andrew’s attacks on Virginia Roberts Giuffre’s credibility may have proved fatal to her case. Now, the power has shifted
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Monday 6 December 2021
Bonus episode: Questions and answers
Since the series finished, so many listeners have written to Alexi and Kirat with burning questions. In this bonus episode, they sit down in the studio and answer them. What did the Skype voice sound like? Did the catfisher have burner phones? How did the WhatsApp group work?
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Monday 29 November 2021
Episode 6: Motive
In the final episode of Sweet Bobby, Kirat’s case against the catfisher takes an unexpected turn. As Alexi is putting the finishing touches to the series, he gets a phone call that changes everything
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Thursday 18 November 2021
Episode 5: (In)justice
After the confession, Kirat goes to the police. But their reaction to her case isn’t what she’s expecting. Plus: Alexi tries a new approach with the catfisher
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Thursday 11 November 2021
Episode 4: Dark triads
In this episode, Kirat deals with the fallout from the confession. Alexi’s investigation reveals the startling true beginnings of the scam, as he tries to work out why this this happened
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Thursday 4 November 2021
Episode 3: Confession
Bobby keeps slipping through Kirat’s grasp and she’s pushed to breaking point. Finally she makes a big decision – and discovers the truth
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Thursday 28 October 2021
Episode 2: Witness protection
Bobby finds his way back into Kirat’s life, and their relationship grows closer – with devastating consequences. Meanwhile, Alexi investigates the sophistication of the catfishing scam
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Monday 25 October 2021
Episode 1: Sliding Doors
Kirat is a successful marketer and local radio presenter. Online, she’s contacted by a man she vaguely knows called Bobby, and they start chatting. Slowly, they become close… and she’s reeled in to a scam of epic proportions
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Monday 19 July 2021
The porn headmaster
In the internet age, anyone with a camera can make and sell porn. But what happens when a shoot goes wrong? In the second episode in our #PornPlanet series investigating online pornography, we look into the world of porn production
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Monday 24 May 2021
Hunt for the porn king
As dozens of women accuse the world’s largest porn company of profiting from their abuse, listen to the full story of how we traced its secretive owner to his London mansion
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Monday 22 February 2021
A very British business
Sir Jim Ratcliffe is one of Britain’s richest men. His decision to move to Monaco after receiving a knighthood has angered those who recommended him and raises questions about how this country’s honours system works
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Friday 10 July 2020
Covid.com: digital change and opportunity post-pandemic
In the midst of the crisis, we held a ThinkIn on how we can already see a landscape of economic and governmental uncertainty stretching ahead of us. How can digital technology be best deployed to build economic resilience and nimble government in the new era?
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Thursday 4 June 2020
Inside Amazon: A superpower in a pandemic
What’s in the Amazon box? We open up the world’s biggest company and take a look inside
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Thursday 9 January 2020
The new superpowers: Apple
The big technology corporations are more than companies, they’re global powers. It’s time we treated them that way