Global has launched a new narrative podcast exposing a scam with devastating consequences.
Explosive Lies, a six-part investigative series hosted by award-winning broadcaster Alice Levine, is launching as part of Unmissables, Global’s new podcast strand highlighting standout, must-listen narrative storytelling.
The new series tells a darkly comic but deeply disturbing story about a con so audacious it fooled governments and security services around the world, turned fraudsters into multi-millionaires and likely contributed to the loss of countless lives in real conflict zones.
At the centre of the series is Jim, a smooth-talking wheeler-dealer who persuaded powerful decision-makers that a cheap plastic golf ball finder was actually revolutionary bomb detection technology, capable of saving lives in war zones and high-risk areas.
The device was widely deployed, despite repeated warnings and mounting evidence that it did not work, as deaths increased and corruption, bribery and institutional failures helped Jim amass a vast personal fortune.
Hosted by Alice Levine, Explosive Lies carefully unpicks how the deception was allowed to continue for so long. It examines the human cost of misplaced trust, the systems that failed to intervene, and the moment when the truth finally began to surface.
The series draws on in-depth reporting, archive material and never-heard-before testimony, exposing how a novelty item was rebranded as lifesaving security equipment, how red flags were ignored by governments and militaries, and how the consequences were felt by ordinary people on the ground.
Alice Levine said: “The scale of the deception at the heart of this story is shocking, but what really matters are the consequences. People trusted this technology to keep them safe, and the failure of that trust had real-world implications.
“Explosive Lies is about examining how this happened, who was responsible, and the human cost of lies presented as lifesaving solutions.”
The launch of Explosive Lies also marks the debut of Unmissables, a new Global podcast strand designed to help listeners discover series by curating stories with urgency, relevance and impact.
The Unmissables feed will also feature the chart-topping Global series Coining It, hosted by Lewis Goodall, alongside Filthy Ritual, a gripping narrative podcast narrated by Hannah Maguire and Suruthi Bala.
Vicky Etchells, Director of Podcasts at Global, said Unmissables is designed to spotlight stories that demand attention, calling Explosive Lies a powerful example of the strand’s ambition and editorial focus.
All six episodes of Explosive Lies will be available on Global Player and all major podcast platforms from Tuesday 13 January.
