Read this: 14/04/2023 Radio 4 Feedback

BBC sounds music Radio podcasts hello, I'm Andrea catherwood and welcome to feed A Very British cult is a chilling in the good of BBC podcast That stormed the charts this week becoming the most downloaded podcast in the UK I'm joined by its presenter catrin-mai to explore its success and I will hear from you.

I'm quite sceptical about how an intelligent person can get sucked in by these people Catherine's investigation very clearly broke down.

How scary that is and how it can happen in the box box this week bhangra fishionados hardeep singer Bobby from Glasgow pay homage to archive on for the British bunga explosion from

And I'm nearly Holland stage text I might of a hectic week to give us the inside track on covering Joe biden's visit on the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement but first the Dragon box this week has been full of Praise for the podcast that is number one in the UK charts.

This is a story about a group of people who signed up for Life coaching to reach their dreams.

I've always wanted to build business or do something lighthouse.

It's life coaching.

It's a pioneering mentoring organisation is not a ringer.

It's an who's behind the mentorship and Coaching A Very British cult tells the chilling story of an 18-month long investigation.

Where the team expose lighthouse International a company that promise online life coaching to help people achieve their goals in fact became increasingly so control that many experts have described it as a cult.

Did you start power to persuade members into sending it's charismatic finder thousands and thousands of people like Jeffrey Lee Jones who in less than 2-years after seeking counselling and life coaching had sold his house his family relationships were in peril.

Handed over his life savings at this point his girlfriend done contacted BBC investigative reporter Katherine I had an instant straight away, but this was a good story, but it was complicated does a lot of accusations combined this is an exploitative life coaching organisation and this is also a car.

People have given money but they've also given over part of their lives and so to dig into all those different allegations took a little while, but I must say from the very beginning of this sounded really interesting and also something that felt like it was of the moment life coaching is a big thing right now and there's a lot of people out there looking for guidance and looking for helping life and someone to hear vantage of that was fascinating fascinating a scary podcast to listen to sadly with the kind of lifestyle listening online.

Fantastic, I think there are something like 3 podcast in the top-10 currently that are actually self-help podcasts, so there is last night there.

I wonder if you think that the public service remit of the BBC is fulfilled by the idea that you are actually giving a warning to people about how easily something like life coaching which in some respects can be very positive depending on whose doing it can also be used to manipulate people yeah.

Yeah, I really hope so the reaction to this podcast and document has been incredible and overwhelming amount of that has been from people who have been connected to this exact group, but also have been involved with my friends and family involved with similar groups.

I got a message today actually from someone saying that their friend was involved in something quite similar and they felt after.

The podcast a sense of validation that ok what I'm going, but I'm not imagining this the other people have been through it too and they appreciated the death you able to go into really explain how this can happen and also yet.

I warn people just looking at the idea of a podcast the form of the podcast for it.

You've got eight episodes to tell a story and Powerful and something like this because you can really dig into it and I wonder if that's something that you just wouldn't be able to do and for example and use you know you have the main character in our story Jeff the process through which he gave away more than £100,000 of his own money was over a number of years and it's really important that when you're listening you understand that by the time.

He hands over £25,000 of his money to be involved in this group.

He's been speaking to his mentor for a year.

Hopefully with that amount of time you.

Really able to understand that and of course we had the situation where we had recordings of those mentor-mentee phone calls, so not only can you hear someone describing that happening.

I knew that you repeat the number of times in the podcast That lighthouse group too nice that it is a cold.

I wonder how you approached in posture and balance in this investigation when in fact you actually had a lot of information as you say verbatim.

I think the most important thing.

I'm probably the most difficult thing for contributors to be honest was the fact that are investigation had to be and always has to be completely independent of them so for example Jeff and Dawn who are central characters in the story that you hit we obviously were in communication with them for a year and a half but no point before Broad

Could I hear what we were going to broadcast or could they know the other people we've spoken to even and that's that's really vital first completely vital that our investigation is independent of them and not done together, but that was very hard for them.

I couldn't even say oh by the way, this is the other person that's going to appear in the documentary and took a huge amount of trust and I'm forever grateful for that at what point did you decide to go to Paul war who is the man who controls light and tell him that you were investigating him and indeed tell him that many experts you spoke to and many of the people who had spoken to have said that they felt this was a well.

We went with an interview approach to pull wall and to jaysung because I deal was Jason was one of the other people who worked at like.

The number of our contributors and that was obviously what we wanted more than anything which is a sit-down interview in which were able to put all allegations to someone in person as calmly and is reasonably as possible give them the chance to reply to be honest.

We initially thought that would result in an interview it didn't and then we sent to allegations in writing in the form of what's called a right of reply which is basically when we offer someone that were investigating the opportunity to reply to everything we found and we sent more 120 allegations to Lighthouse in the shorter version is that we didn't get a response to all those allegations.

Are we extended the deadline three times in order to allow them to reply but we didn't and that's why what you here at the end of documentary is an interview in the street, which is kind of I guess you describe it as your last Resort like you want someone to have.

To reply I'm Vanessa lobato from Wokingham in Berkshire I found it gripping and chilling it was an amazing piece of investigative journalism from Kettering and the team.

I'm quite sceptical about how a cult my operate in modern Britain how an intelligent person like Jeff can get sucked in by these people and Catherine's investigation very clearly broke down in the episodes.

How easy how scary that is and how it can happen great piece of work that Linda Baker from Bromley I just had congratulate you on A Very British cult I listened to it all back to back and was gripped by the incredibly high standard of investigative journalism by Katrina and the bravery of

Involved for bringing this issue to light on sure they've all helped countless people but now and in the future.

I believe this is just what the BBC was made for and it does it brilliantly well done the response that we've had from listeners has been incredibly positive and actually very sympathetic towards the main characters the contributors to the EU spend so much time with I wonder what you are hoping more broadly you would have achieved you want to raise awareness, so people know that stuff like this is out there and can happen to anyone but also yeah make people understand if you go through something like this if you find yourself in a group that takes advantage of you in the worst possible ways that doesn't mean that you were different or stupid or naive everyone that got involved with that house was simply at the moment and their lives where they.

Open to new ideas and the wrong idea London catch a nice.

Thank you very much indeed.

Thank you.

Lighthouse argues.

It has helped lots of people overcome potential through mentoring life coaching counselling and community support is also says people who have given money or investing in themselves and are not entitled to refunds when you can listen to A Very British cults on Radio 4 on Wednesday's at 11:30 a.m.

And you can also listen to the whole series on BBC sounds.

Please do share your thoughts on anything to do with BBC audio.

You can send us an email to feedback at bbc.co.uk a voice message on 0303 444 5004 at BBC R4 feedback.

This week's box box comes from Glasgow listening to the archive on 4 presented by Anita Rani on the British bunga explode in the 80s and 90s brought back happy teenage memories for tablet run player hardeep Singh and DJ Bobby b.

British musicians reinvented the traditional folk music with electric guitars and synthesizers making Britain the epicentre of bhangra music.

My name is Harvey saying I'm born and bred in Glasgow the producer for the Glasgow meal as well.

I'm Bobby I'm part of cheating ecgs and I've been reading glasses for last 25 years music is My Life music and dancing is in my DNA was all around me in the only took the first and last and Sharon Gill festival and visited rural Ireland to convert the locals so when are Letterkenny there's no brown people at all and we're thinking who's gonna come and watch us.

We should look I will do 8 songs and we'll just get out of here because nobody.

I love the way you said that you know it's going to cry at least try and get you the very first note every what he was on the Dancefloor mean.

It was like The Walking Dead the damage back definitely he's been singing since data.

I mean my first birthday party for the 1982 and who sings that he was in hospital.

Really had some heart operation and you still singing on Facebook unique Asian phenomenon evolved when kids have Sikh Hindu and Muslim heritage could meet and experience Bangor in clubs that turns night into day.

It was the birth of the daytime.

You're sitting area pals what you was going on there was coming you know let's see my uniform.

Yeah, they go straight to the bathroom and you're just everything alright cool and the next you see them.

They're all dolled up and their party and my support 5 hours and spend the next hour to get changed back into the uniform sober up and get back home because everyone is coming together as a community and back from Dundee from Edinburgh to Glasgow for your daytimers all sorts of people and getting a whole new note selection of people that you've never meet and the music was your night now that together are you doing what's happening? But I just don't tell Dad that I'm here and I will see I just seen here Mum tell her that either and that was 90% of the people that attended this thing just for the record.

Buy cream is a lotteries and pubs as well.

So you could not get into an over 18s nightclub because of the Colour disc in Glasgow for multiple years because of that this is only chance that we were getting out.

They will listen to music of the wrong kind and without any hassle any trouble Apache Indian I'm very proud to be a shame.

I wanted to talk about things like that because it was you love reggae music and even though he is south Asian

I was also his identity and for him to come up with a combination of that and be so successful and his topics where relatable there are simple topics.

You know arranged marriage.

You know when you when you hear the lyrics you see in your head is he doing the courier do what's that all about? You know they don't get it Apache open doors.

He showed how far you can go drinking party in which I'm not too proud of me my brother.

We both go home at 6 in the morning and Mum and Dad you still want a grocery shop newsagents, so we will sneak time in the house and Mum goes on.

You both awake right, let's go so we will up all night dancing and then had to do a shift in the shop, so we will like colleague half dead 07 folk and come but thanks to hardeep Singh and Bobby be this week marks 25 years since the Good Friday Agreement was signed in Belfast which large he brought three decades of violence in Northern Ireland to an end and pave the way for an in perfect peace the historical was marked by a brief but high profile visit to Belfast by president Biden BBC correspondent was just finishing school in Northern Ireland when that are assigned and he's been at the heart of the coverage Chris as a news correspondent.

You hardly ever have a lot of advance warning about a major news story anniversaries of course.

Few exceptions to The Newsroom must have spent a lot of time planning hi to cover this momentous anniversary.

What was that like? Yeah, the anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement as he has been a major moment for Northern Ireland and indeed the Republic of Ireland so suppose really began thinking about it 6 months ago when we began to get were going to get briefings on the various events that were going to be held obviously a visit by president Biden had long been talked about the wife suppose nobody was she was actually going to come together until just a few weeks ago, so as well as the logistical planning to have always having it in the back of your head and thinking I was all going to work whenever the time came around you were always also thinking at the totally different treatments for hire going to cover the story all the different.

Cos you're going to try a feature and on this is important.

I suppose how you covered the anniversary in partially the Good Friday Agreement is generally seen as the end point for the conflict known as The Troubles boss.

It's not a complete peace.

It's not a perfect peace.

There's still some paramilitary violence as we've seen Justin recent months politically of course Northern Ireland remains unstable placed in the 25 years since the Good Friday Agreement the power-sharing government that agreement basically established hasn't been operating for more than 10 of those 5 years and the remain people particularly on the Union side of politics who are opposed to the Good Friday Agreement they think it was not the right deal to end the conflict all that had to be reflected in the better coverage at this time.

This is Karen MacLeod thank you once again positive even-handed coverage over the last few days.

We always appreciate to being.

Covering Northern Ireland is difficult It's Complicated and is very easy to get things wrong and the media in London and internationally are often accused of not understanding the nuances and perhaps not asking the right questions.

Do you ever get frustrated by the cover? I think as far as we on the BBC goes there's a fair to covering Northern Ireland which means that is a place that gets a certain amount of coverage that may be don't see on many other networks in the UK as regards international media.

Well.

I suppose you're going to look at it and this way.

It's my job to think about Northern Ireland all the time other people who come here don't have that luxury that may be coming in for a few days and the moving onto whatever part of the world are going to cover next so it is certainly very easy to lose the nuances in Northern Ireland

Play easy I think for people to fall into stereotypes overly simplify particularly the history of the conflict.

What caused it and what country do the current political situation, so I think it is important for journalists who come here very little expensive covering Northern Ireland to have contacts.

Maybe freelance journalist fixtures in the world around you can keep rights on those very sensitive editorial issues that we have here the possibly don't have certainly in other parts of the UK to the same extent as I believe or indeed in many other parts.

I think one of the most memorable pieces of coverage was your return to school because of course you were still there when the Good Friday Agreement was being negotiated and indeed voted on in the Northern Ireland and say you debated it in your current affairs Society and you went back.

Can you met up with your old teacher and some of your classmates what I remember most about that year and what was going on.

Optimism of everyone hear that yes this can happen and we're not going to give up on it over your thoughts sitting at the front of this customer and daughters and it's off in terms of teacher that I should have felt.

It's not just history.

It was actually whether you were going to buy end for hope or would just going to see more of the same.

It is counterintuitive as journalists to put ourselves into the story and I wonder why that felt for you.

Was it uncomfortable yes really interesting that it did really put me out of my comfort.

It's not the type of journalism.

I would do very often I think if you do that sort of journalism going to be very very careful because I can come across as being kind of track making the journalist the main part of the story which I think should never happened on this occasion the reason why we try to do it.

I suppose was that I felt primarily that.

My class there had particular experiences that were relevant and valuable to me covering this anniversary so for example Gill McConnell my friend from school.

He is very successful public support she lost her dad's in the conflict and that's what some of came up a lot.

She spoke a lot about that at the time.

Whenever we were discussing all this in school very much made an impact on people so I was really interested to go back and speak to her also Victoria who was the chair of the Cardiff Vs Edinburgh school spend sometime 15-years and working in America for a politicians there, so she brought her perspective to it and I remembered we also had somebody turned 18 on the day of the referendum on the Good Friday Agreement Amazon David by the BBC Four that read and we have the village of that add up to something that we felt could be worth well could work out into the next our teacher.

He is still there is retiring this year and we felt we have something here, so well it was.

And I don't like inside too much of my own personal experience into stories particularly politically sensitive stories in Northern Ireland this one occasion where I felt it was going to work.

It wasn't necessary because of me but because of the experiences of my former classmates what they brought is it hard to know just how to pitch the coverage for a UK audience because they're all listeners to remember very well, Northern Ireland being the top news story day off today and they're very well versed in its history and politics and there are others particularly a younger listeners who sang clearly didn't have to see that kind of blanket coverage, but of course therefore need quite a lot more explanation about what's going on yesterday's that generational contrast.

I think it's only I wasn't very much people I work with the in London and Salford who were working during the 80s and the 90s and Northern Ireland was a big story and Bay we remember all the big names.

What time politically bell remember some of the most difficult and traumatic events of the conflict as well, but younger people who become work as an external since standard lead maybe do not have that same knowledge and understanding.

It's exactly the same of course for listeners and viewers you will have people who have a reasonable knowledge of no not yet about those that don't know what's at all.

I will generally the further we get away from the end of the conflict air more towards the sides of thinking audiences.

Maybe don't know as much as it might have done 2030 years ago, so I will always stuff on the basis.

You've got to explain Northern Ireland a very clear and understandable way, so people do get what's happening here and that's a line and a chat everyday.

I suppose in my job.

You want to explain Northern Ireland so that people have a greater knowledge after they've listen to you, then he did before at the same time.

You don't want to lose any of them.

You certainly don't want to strain to an Accuracy by oversimplifying things so that's certainly is a major challenge outside E Major challenge in my job.

Thanks to BBC Ireland correspondent crispy BBC Radio 4 comedy needs new voices new plots new storylines and maybe a faster pace of the stand up sketch shows what about some more sitcoms last one was what do you think of the comedy BBC Radio 2 work as funny as it used to be a warrant.

Maybe you think it's spot on whatever you think you have the chance to put your questions and comments to radio comedy commissioner Mackenzie on feedback next week if you say about the comedy you've heard.

Please do let us know well.

That's all from me for today.

Thank you for listening and for giving us your feet.

I'm Andrea catherwood the producer is Jill Davies and feedback is a whistledown Scotland production for BBC Radio 2 from BBC Radio 4 and the team behind the hit series sliced bread comes toast a look at the wonder products which left their back is burnt.

I'm Sean Farrington BBC business journal will hear about the height for a while.

He did look as if this would be the future and then we'll unpick what went wrong.

They didn't spend enough time researching what the consumer was there big idea always destined to be toast going to be talking about things like wearable technology Google Glass and how about the Sinclair C5 the electric vehicle from the 19th ideal for shopping for going to the office against school in Toronto

enable now on BBC sounds.