Episodes
Introducing...Dangerous Memories When Sarah watched her 23 year old daughter cycle away from her in Chelsea - a well-off corner of London - she had no idea it would be the last time they’d see each other for 6 years. What would make a loving child from a life of privilege sever ties with friends and family, and disappear?  It turns out, Sarah wasn’t alone in losing a daughter. Something strange was happening to other young women, too. And they all had one thing in common: a kind of therapist...
Published 07/09/24
Published 07/09/24
Introducing...The Gas Man It starts with a tip-off.  It’s the late 1980s and US Special Agent Dennis Bass is warned about a shipment of suspicious chemicals headed to a secret destination. So he follows the lead – and ends up stumbling into a global plot helping fuel a war. The main suspect? The Gas Man.  In the decades since, Special Agent Bass has been locked in an international game of cat and mouse with the man who supplied a dangerous regime with the chemicals to make weapons. Every time...
Published 05/28/24
Introducing Walter's War, a brand new investigation from Tortoise.  It’s London, 2012. Oliver is a dashing diplomat. Charlie is a young graduate trying to find her feet in the world. They meet online and she falls in love. With his encouragement, Charlie applies for a job in British intelligence. Then, she receives a text message that turns her life - and her relationship - upside down, and 10 years later, a mystery is still hanging over her. Walter's War is an investigation into what...
Published 11/24/23
Nikki Allan was 7 years old when she was brutally murdered. Her mother never gave up the hunt to find her killer. David Boyd was a convicted child sex offender who lived three doors down from where Nikki first went missing. So how did it take the police thirty years to find him? This is a story of class prejudice, police corruption and a shocking miscarriage of justice. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Published 07/20/23
We are partnering with Crowd Network, so that we can continue to bring our listeners brilliant investigations like Pig Iron. You can join Tortoise as a member to get access to more of our stories, support our investigations and get invites to exclusive newsroom events, using the code Slow60 at www.tortoisemedia.com/invite  Introducing Crowd Network Presents: The Secret History of the Estonia A tale of secrets, smugglers, and spies. Journalist Stephen Davis investigates the mystery behind why...
Published 02/21/23
In the last episode of the series, the team finally hears from a man they’ve been chasing for months. And they return to Maine, to tell Christopher’s parents what they have discovered about their son's life and death. All episodes of Pig Iron are now available for free. Tortoise members and Tortoise+ subscribers on Apple Podcasts can listen to the entire series, ad-free and get access to bonus content, coming soon. Just subscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts or join Tortoise as a member,...
Published 11/29/22
The team tries to understand the connection between Chris's trip to South Sudan, and one taken by a group of American fighters just weeks before. Could this explain why Chris was called a white rebel? And after months investigating, Basia finally speaks to the fighter who fascinated Chris, and she asks – how close really were you?  All episodes of Pig Iron are now available for free. Tortoise members and Tortoise+ subscribers on Apple Podcasts can listen to the entire series, ad-free and get...
Published 11/14/22
Months after Jeremy first approached Basia, the team fly to Nairobi to sit down with the mysterious essay writer. And it turns out that he is not the only person ready to share what he knows about who killed Christopher Allen. All episodes of Pig Iron are now available for free. Tortoise members and Tortoise+ subscribers on Apple Podcasts can listen to the entire series, ad-free and get access to bonus content, coming soon. Just subscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts or join Tortoise as a...
Published 11/13/22
There is a new layer of horror to Chris's story – and in trying to understand it, Basia investigates the evidence that Chris was killed on purpose. The team figures out how to get to South Sudan – and how to finally meet the essay-writer. All episodes of Pig Iron are now available for free. Tortoise members and Tortoise+ subscribers on Apple Podcasts can listen to the entire series, ad-free and get access to bonus content, coming soon. Just subscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts or join...
Published 10/31/22
Basia traces Chris's career as a young freelancer. By now, it's clear his death is tied to his life as a reporter. But who was he trying to be? Just how close was he to a group of fighters? And after years in Ukraine, how did he end up in a remote corner of South Sudan? You can listen to Episodes 1-6 for free today, with new episodes dropping each Tuesday. Tortoise members and Tortoise+ subscribers on Apple Podcasts can now exclusively listen to the entire series, ad-free. Just subscribe to...
Published 10/27/22
At just 22 years old, Chris travels to Ukraine for his spring break, keen to see war up close. For the first time, he experiences the thrill and horror of the frontline. He's hooked. Five years later, Basia, along with Chris's cousin, Jeremy, visit Chris's parents in America to piece together who he really was. There they learn a troubling new detail about Chris's time in Ukraine. You can listen to Episodes 1-6 for free today, with new episodes dropping each Tuesday. Tortoise members and...
Published 10/25/22
Five years after his death on a distant frontline in South Sudan, the truth about what happened to Christopher Allen is still a mystery. Was he a reckless freelancer? A mercenary? Or a young and ambitious reporter, caught in the crossfire? Approached by a family member looking for answers, journalist Basia Cummings begins investigating. You can listen to Episodes 1-5 for free today, with new episodes dropping each Tuesday. Tortoise members and Tortoise+ subscribers on Apple Podcasts can now...
Published 10/18/22
Christopher Allen, an aspiring war reporter, was just 26 when he was shot and killed in South Sudan. At first, it looked like another tragedy of war… a young journalist caught in the crossfire. Until, just hours after his death, his story splintered. The government claimed he wasn’t a journalist at all, but a foreign fighter – a legitimate target. Other evidence suggested he was killed on purpose for being a reporter. In this new series from Tortoise and the team behind Sweet Bobby, Pig Iron...
Published 10/04/22