Deep Water | Tortoise Investigates

Deep Water | Tortoise Investigates

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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episodes

October 16, 2021 1 min
Welcome to Tortoise Investigates, where we curate the best of our chart-topping investigative series in one place. Over the last three years we’ve covered everything from extraordinary tales of deception to suspicious deaths to one mother’s decades-long fight against the police. There's Sweet Bobby, Hoaxed, Pig Iron and more. Keep an eye on the feed, we’ll be updating it regularly with all of our best and most ambitious stories.&nb...

Mark as Played

How much do you know about the person you love? Sweet Bobby is the #1 award-winning investigative series in search of the world's most sophisticated catfishers. All 6 episodes are available to listen now.


To get exclusive access to the bonus episode, subscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts.


To find out more about Tortoise:




Download the Tortoise app - for a listening experience curated by our journalists



Mark as Played
October 26, 2021 31 mins

Kirat is a successful marketer and 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. All 6 episodes are available to listen now.


To get exclusive access to the bonus episode, subscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts.


To find out more about Tortoise:




Download the Tortoise app - for a...

Mark as Played
November 3, 2021 41 mins

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. 

All 6 episodes are available to listen now.


To get exclusive access to the bonus episode, subscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts.


To find out more about Tortoise:




Download the Tortoise app - for a listening experience curated...

Mark as Played
November 10, 2021 43 mins

Bobby is now closer than ever – and yet he keeps slipping through Kirat's grasp. After being pushed to breaking point, she makes the life changing decision to confront him – and discovers the truth...

All 6 episodes are available to listen now.


To get exclusive access to the bonus episode, subscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts.


To find out more about Tortoise:




Download the Tortoise app - for a listening expe...

Mark as Played
November 17, 2021 40 mins

Kirat deals with the fallout from the confession. Alexi’s investigation reveals the startling true beginnings of the scam, as he tries to unravel the catfisher's motivation.

All 6 episodes are available to listen now.


To get exclusive access to the bonus episode, subscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts.


To find out more about Tortoise:




Download the Tortoise app - for a listening experience curated by our ...

Mark as Played
November 24, 2021 33 mins

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...

All 6 episodes are available to listen now.


To get exclusive access to the bonus episode, subscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts.


To find out more about Tortoise:




Download the Tortoise app - for a listening experience curated by our journalists



Mark as Played
December 1, 2021 43 mins

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.


To get exclusive access to the bonus episode, subscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts.


To find out more about Tortoise:




Download the Tortoise app - for a listening experience curated by our journalists




Sub...

Mark as Played
September 4, 2023 1 min

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. 


From the team who brought you Sweet Bobby, Hoaxed is an investigation into one of Britain's most serious-ever conspiracy theories. A story abou...

Mark as Played
September 4, 2023 36 mins

Two young children make horrific allegations in a London police station, lighting the fuse on the most serious British conspiracy theories in decades.


Listen to the full series today. For the premium Tortoise listening experience, curated by our journalists, download the free Tortoise audio app. For early and ad-free access to all our investigative series and daily and weekly shows, subscribe to Tortoise...

Mark as Played
September 4, 2023 41 mins

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.


Listen to the full series today. For the premium Tortoise listening experience, curated by our journalists, download the free Tortoise audio app. For early and ad-free access to all our investigative series and daily and weekly...

Mark as Played
September 4, 2023 43 mins

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.


Listen to the full series today. For the premium Tortoise listening experience, curated by our journalists, download the free Tortoise audio app. For early and ad-free access to all our investigative series and daily and weekly shows, subscribe&...

Mark as Played
September 4, 2023 26 mins

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. 


Listen to the full series today. For the premium Tortoise listening experience, curated by our journalists, download the free Tortoise audio app. For early and ad-free access to all our investigative s...

Mark as Played
September 4, 2023 27 mins

Alexi and his producer fly to Morocco to confront Abraham Christie - and learn dark secrets about his past.


Listen to the full series today. For the premium Tortoise listening experience, curated by our journalists, download the free Tortoise audio app. For early and ad-free access to all our investigative series and daily and weekly shows, subscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts.


If you’d like ...

Mark as Played
September 4, 2023 45 mins

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.


Listen to the full series today. For the premium Tortoise listening experience, curated by our journalists, download the free Tortoise audio app. For early and ad-free access to all our investigative series and daily and weekly shows, subscribe to ...

Mark as Played
September 11, 2023 2 mins

Christopher Allen was trying to make it as a war reporter when, aged just 26, he was shot and killed on the frontline in South Sudan. But as news of his death began to spread, suspicion grew. Some claimed he was really there as a mercenary, a fighter. Others said he was a reckless freelancer, in over his head. And there was another question: was he killed on purpose, or was this another accident of war? From Tortoise and the team b...

Mark as Played
September 11, 2023 34 mins

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.


Listen to the full series today. For the premium Tortoise listening experience, curated ...

Mark as Played
September 11, 2023 38 mins

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.


Listen to the full series today. For the pr...

Mark as Played
September 11, 2023 46 mins

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?


Listen to the full series today. For the premium Tortoise listening experience, curated by our journalists, download the free Tortoise audio app. For e...

Mark as Played
September 11, 2023 36 mins

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.


Listen to the full series today. For the premium Tortoise listening experience, curated by our journalists, download the free Tortoise audio app. For early and ad-free access to ...

Mark as Played

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