It's 1989, rural Wales, a lonely old farmhouse in the shadow of the imposing Brecon Beacons mountains. Young, pregnant Liz Rich and her artist husband Bill rent an isolated farmhouse in the Welsh countryside, with Bill's teenage son Laurence. They're hoping for a fresh start, but the house holds dark secrets, and the family's new life becomes a terrifying ordeal that will change them forever. Their dream home has become a haunted nightmare - but what is real and what is in their minds? Written and presented by Danny Robins, creator of The Battersea Poltergeist, Uncanny and West End hit 2:22 - A Ghost Story, The Witch Farm stars Joseph Fiennes (The Handmaid's Tale) and Alexandra Roach (No Offence), with original theme music by Mercury Prize-nominated Gwenno. This 8-part series interweaves a terrifying supernatural thriller set in the wild Welsh countryside with a fascinating modern-day investigation into the real-life mystery behind what has been called Britain's most haunted house.
Global investigations from the BBC. Uncovering stories around the world and telling them, episode by episode, with gripping storytelling. Delve into a World of Secrets.
Latest season: Death in Dubai. A woman falls from a tower block. It's caught on camera and the clip goes viral. Within hours, Mona Kizz’s name is trending worldwide. In death, the beautiful 23-year-old Ugandan is accused of being a #DubaiPortaPotty. With over 450 million views on TikTok, the hashtag leads to parodies and speculative exposés of women suspected of being paid by men to be their human toilet. But nothing is as it seems. Behind the online rumours lies an even darker reality.
Also, previously on World of Secrets: Al Fayed: Predator at Harrods. Women accuse Mohamed Al Fayed of rape.
And: The Abercrombie Guys. Investigating sexual exploitation claims against the former CEO of fashion giant Abercrombie & Fitch.
Introducing... Hoaxed, the new series from Alexi Mostrous and Tortoise, who brought you Sweet Bobby.
In 2014, two children told police a shocking story: that they were being abused by a Satanic cult; a cult headed by their father and by parents and teachers at their school in the wealthy London suburb of Hampstead. The story was a lie. But on the internet, that didn't matter.
Hoaxed is an investigation into one of Britain's most serious-ever conspiracy theories. A story about a modern-day Satanic panic; about the victims whose lives were destroyed and about the conspiracists who spread the lie around the world. Oh, and it's about our hunt for the perpetrators - the people who forced the kids to lie - the ones who started it all.
All 6 episodes are available now to listen for free. You can listen to the full series ad-free and get access to exclusive bonus content by downloading the Tortoise audio app or subscribing to Tortoise+ on Apple podcasts. Or join Tortoise as a member, where you can access more of our reporting, live events and support our work. Just visit the Tortoise website and use the code Alexi50 for half price membership.
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Three years ago travel writer Lydia Gard discovered freediving almost by accident. It’s an extreme and beautiful sport defined by one simple objective: to dive as deep as you can on one single breath. Record holders are now routinely diving to more than 120 metres, pushing the sport and their bodies to find out what’s humanly possible.
Through her coach, Lydia was drawn into a small but fanatical community of competition athletes all united in their drive for depth, and that’s where she stumbled on a darker side of the sport. Rumours swirled that a group of top divers were doping to get deeper, faster.
As the community began to turn on each other over the allegations, one prominent diver decided to take the law into his own hands. A secret sting operation was meant to put an end to the problem by bringing the alleged dopers out of the dark, and into the light. But the issue hasn't gone away. And now, a lot of people who’ve been too scared to speak up, are ready to talk.
Episode 1 will be available to listen on Tuesday 18th November.
Subscribe to Observer+ on Apple Podcasts and Spotify to binge listen to the entire series on Tuesday 18th November.
To find out more about The Observer:
Subscribe to TheObserver+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free content
Head to our website observer.co.uk
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