Jamie Bartlett, behind the BBC series the Missing Cryptoqueen, looks at how fakery is at the heart of our culture. It’s not only used by politicians, but in recent years has surged, with lies and bogus claims seemingly not affecting their popularity.
Even podcasting cannot escape, with the series initially looking at A Diary of A CEO with Stephen Bartlett (no relation to Jamie) and On Purpose with Jay Shetty. With claims related to Shetty’s backstory having been disproven, his popularity remains undimmed.
“Fakery today isn't always about lying or making stuff up. It's something more subtle. It's where the line between reality and make-believe is deliberately blurred,” says the host. “And where truth is replaced by something else, emotion, narrative and performance. In so many areas of modern life, fakery is often incentivised and even rewarded.”
You can listen to it wherever you get your podcasts, but you can listen to the whole series on BBC Sounds now.
