The early days of Twitter were a surreal and unprecedented time when access to your favourite celebrity was just 140 characters away. In that context, 15-year-old Meg Bhari seized on an opportunity to gain the attention of her idol, Harry Styles. Claiming to be battling brain cancer and drumming up support for her children’s charity Believe In Magic, Meg and mother Jean sent upwards of 500 tweets a day to Styles asking for a retweet and support. Their persistence paid off, and soon One Direction were sporting Believe In Magic bracelets on tour and raising over £400m for the charity. 

Gripping from start to finish, author and journalist Jamie Bartlett delves into Meg’s rapid rise to charity fame, from being interviewd by then BBC Radio host Jameela Jamil to receiving a Points Of Light Award from Prime Minister David Cameron. Over eight episodes, Bartlett discusses how the vague details surrounding her care soon raised suspicions that led Meg’s narrative to unravel, along with shocking truths about how funds were being used.

Most striking is the penultimate episode which drags listeners through an emotional quagmire as results of a safeguarding review make us question whether Meg was a complicit offender or the original victim of this elaborate scam.

All episodes available now.