Disaster Trolls: 5. Who Believes This Stuff?

How widespread is the belief in conspiracy theories that falsely claim UK terror attacks are faked? Marianna Spring reveals the results of a survey carried out for the BBC.

There’s a moment of revelation when she talks to Alicia, a fan of Richard D Hall, to learn more about the appeal of the online conspiracy show host. We also hear how Hall’s online reach has grown during the pandemic.

In this BBC Radio 4 podcast series, Marianna Spring, the BBC’s disinformation and social media correspondent, investigates how survivors of the Manchester Arena bombing and other tragedies, are targeted with online abuse and false claims that deny the reality of the horrific events they have lived through.

How popular are these extreme conspiracy theories? What are the factors that make people more susceptible to believing them? This episode provides some insight from the results of an online survey carried out for the BBC. King's College London interviewed more than 4000 adults in the UK, between 1-9 October 2022.

Presenter: Marianna Spring Producer: Ant Adeane Editor: Ed Main