Comedian and broadcaster Mark Steel is fronting a new BBC Sounds podcast which tells the extraordinary true story of the ‘McLibel’ trial, the longest-running case in English legal history.
Shadow World: The People vs McDonald’s revisits 1986, when members of environmental group London Greenpeace produced a leaflet entitled What’s Wrong with McDonald’s?.
It accused the fast-food giant of exploiting workers, damaging rainforests, mistreating animals, and promoting food that could harm health, even causing cancer.
McDonald’s strongly denied the claims, saying they were untrue and damaging to its reputation. The company demanded an apology, but two activists – gardener Helen Steel and former postman Dave Morris – refused.
Their refusal led to a landmark libel case: McDonald’s Corporation v Steel & Morris. Across the series, Mark Steel explores how this legal battle not only drew global attention to environmental issues, animal welfare, and corporate ethics, but also raised questions about advertising to children and the power of multinational companies.
The case brought key social and political topics into the public arena and even played a surprising role in the early career of the current Prime Minister.
The series also investigates how the trial ultimately revealed a disturbing secret about the British state: one that directly affected Steel himself.
Mixing investigative storytelling with Steel’s trademark wit, Shadow World: The People vs McDonald’s offers fresh insight into a case that shaped public discourse on corporate accountability in the UK.
Episodes will be available on BBC Sounds from 13 August.
