Ctrl Alt Deceit: Democracy in Danger is a podcast designed to dive deep into the threats facing our democracies and to ask “just how much danger are they in?”
Throughout the 8-part series, former CNN anchor Nina Dos Santos and regular BBC radio voice Owen Bennett-Jones will be joined by former spies, disinformation researchers and government officials to examine who exactly is trying to “control’ the narrative, which “alternative facts” are they using and where will such “deception” end?
Ctrl Alt Deceit: Democracy in Danger is brought to you by Democratys, a charity committed to exposing interference in our democratic institutions. Their goal is to inspire debate and engagement in our democratic process in the UK and beyond.
Hosts Nina dos Santos and Owen Bennett-Jones examine media ownership and foreign influence, specifically a UAE-backed bid for The Daily Telegraph, revealing how the press reflects global power shifts in this interview.
23 May 2025TRANSCRIPT
Empire of Gain: Inside Trump’s Billion-Dollar Crypto Hustle
Hosts Nina dos Santos and Owen Bennett-Jones interview Matt Binder, Edward Luce, and Sergei Sergienko about the Trump family's crypto empire and the risks and rewards of cryptocurrency.
16 May 2025TRANSCRIPT
The Price of Free Speech: Politics and Power on Campus
Hosts NINA DOS SANTOS and OWEN BENNETT JONES investigate political and financial pressures impacting higher education, examining academic freedom in the U.S. and foreign funding in the U.K., in an interview with TYLER COWARD and ROSE STEPHENSON.
9 May 2025TRANSCRIPT
Make Britain Great Again? The MAGA-Style Rise of Reform UK
Hosts Nina Dos Santos and Owen Bennett Jones interview Gawain Towler and Ben Habib about the Reform Party's rise in the UK and its potential to disrupt traditional politics.
2 May 2025TRANSCRIPT
Democracy for Sale: Death by Dark Money
Panelists Tom Keatinge, Darren Hughes, and Gina Neff examine how dark money endangers democratic institutions during a live panel discussion hosted by Nina Dos Santos and Owen Bennett Jones in this interview episode.
25 Apr 2025TRANSCRIPT
The Vote Gap: What’s Pulling Young Men and Women Apart?
Hosts Nina dos Santos and Owen Bennett-Jones interview Scott Galloway, Sophie Stowers, and Oliver Dean about the growing political divide between young men and women and its societal implications.
18 Apr 2025TRANSCRIPT
China’s Trade War Strategy: How Xi Jinping Uses Autocracy, Fear, and Innovation to Compete with the West
Hosts Nina dos Santos and Owen Bennett-Jones analyze the global fallout after Donald Trump plunged America and the world into a trade war with China. David Rennie, The Economist’s geopolitics editor and former Beijing and Washington D.C. bureau chief, joins the podcast to unpack how Xi Jinping is playing the long game and playing to win.
In this episode, we explore Xi’s high-stakes strategy in the global trade war.
From embracing economic pain to fostering innovation under autocracy, China is challenging Western dominance on every front. However, as the controversy over British Steel demonstrates, Beijing’s drive to exert control often at the expense of freedoms abroad—risks alienating future partners.
In the second half, activist Chloe Chung shares her personal story of falling afoul of the Chinese authorities. A pro-democracy campaigner, Chloe awoke in December to news that police in Hong Kong had issued a HK$1 million ($128,000; £102,000) bounty for information leading to her capture abroad.
With democracy under pressure, this is more than just a trade war—it’s a battle for the future of the global order.
Producer: Pearse Lynch
Executive Producer: Lucinda Knight
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11 Apr 2025TRANSCRIPT
Is Liberal Democracy Dying?
Live from the Frontline Club in London, Ctrl Alt Deceit is back for its second season.
Hosts Nina dos Santos and Owen Bennett-Jones host a fascinating discussion on the myriad threats to democracy, particularly in light of Trump's re-election.
Joined by Gabriel Gatehouse is an award-winning BBC journalist and broadcaster, formerly International Editor of Newsnight and host of the award winning podcast The Coming Storm.
And
Connor Tomlinson is a commentator and writer, contributing to Ayaan Hirsi Ali's Courage Media and presenting the Deprogrammed podcast at the New Culture Forum. He previously hosted Tomlinson Talks on LotusEaters.com
In this provocative and timely discussion, big ideas collide as our panel tackles the fault lines shaking the foundations of the democratic world.
As power shifts, authoritarianism rises, and ideological battles intensify, is liberal democracy collapsing under its own contradictions—or is it still the best system we’ve got?
From Silicon Valley’s techno-libertarian ambitions to the push for a return to a more rigidly defined Western identity, our panel will explore the competing visions for the future. Has democracy been hijacked by global institutions that sideline voters? Was the dream of a liberal world order always doomed to fail? And if democracy is in decline—what comes next?
Producer: Pearse Lynch
Exec Producer: Lucinda Knight
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19 Dec 2024TRANSCRIPT
8 Prince Andrew allegations and the death of investigative journalism
The claims that an alleged Chinese spy had an "unusual degree of trust" with Prince Andrew is a national security story that has reverberated across the UK and beyond this week - but what if stories like these never came to light? And has the cost and bureaucracy associated with this type of investigative journalism already put its future in a fatal crisis? In the final episode of this series of Ctrl Alt Deceit, journalists Nina Dos Santos and Owen Bennett-Jones reflect on their own careers in journalism and offer some sobering thoughts on where it’s heading next. They’re also joined by newly independent investigative journalist John Sweeney, the CEO of the Bureau for Investigative Journalism Rozina Breen and ever-active investigations reporter at The Times of London, George Greenwood.
Ctrl Alt Deceit is brought to you by Democratys, a charity committed to exposing interference in our democratic institutions and inspiring debate and engagement in our democratic process in the UK and beyond.
Producer: Paige Reynolds
Exec Producer: Lucinda Knight
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12 Dec 2024TRANSCRIPT
7 China versus democracy and the fate of Jimmy Lai
China’s relationship with Western democracies and the democratic systems of its near neighbours is becoming increasingly hostile. From covert attempts to infiltrate and influence UK politics to its widely reported elimination of Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement, China and its formidable leader Xi Jinping are conducting a relentless war of attrition on democracies all over the globe. To get to grips with the issues that underpin China’s political aims and how we might better understand them, journalists Nina Dos Santos and Owen Bennett-Jones are joined by four guests, some of whom have direct experience of China’s political repression. China expert and journalist Isabel Hilton gives us an overview on the country's relationship with democracy, Sebastien Lai, son of Hong Kong’s jailed media tycoon Jimmy Lai, talks about his hopes for his father’s release, Peter Humphrey, a former journalist and consultant who spent 23 months in a Chinese jail, tells us what he believes China’s future ambitions to be and human rights campaigner Luke De Pulford, talks about the direct threat China poses to political life in the UK.
Ctrl Alt Deceit is brought to you by Democratys, a charity committed to exposing interference in our democratic institutions and inspiring debate and engagement in our democratic process in the UK and beyond.
Producer: Paige Reynolds
Exec Producer: Lucinda Knight
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
5 Dec 2024
6 Dirty money, shady donations and the Elon Musk effect
London has long been regarded the capital of dirty money and a new report out this week by Transparency International confirms a similar lack of checks and balances preside over political donations in the UK too. Earlier this month, the UK government announced fresh sanctions to try to tackle dirty money head on and the even more recent whispers that tech billionaire Elon Musk might donate $100 million to Nigel Farage's right-wing Reform party has got members of the Labour party considering capping political donations altogether. To unpack all of this, journalists Nina Dos Santos and Owen Bennett-Jones are joined by three guests who all have direct experience monitoring, policy making and campaigning around the issue. Duncan Hames, the policy director at Transparency International gives us the highlights from their new damning report, Joe Powell MP for Kensington and Bayswater and co-founder of Kensington Against Dirty Money gives us his take on an issue that plagues his constituency and Lord Edward Faulks recounts his time as a minister spent lobbying for better regulation and more transparency.
Ctrl Alt Deceit is brought to you by Democratys, a charity committed to exposing interference in our democratic institutions and inspiring debate and engagement in our democratic process in the UK and beyond.
Producer: Paige Reynolds
Exec Producer: Lucinda Knight
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
28 Nov 2024TRANSCRIPT
5 Hybrid warfare and the future of the Russian opposition
In recent months, Europe has seen a spate of suspected Russian hybrid attacks on its critical infrastructure, but what can this tell us about the state of the Russian nation and its political future? On this week's episode, journalists Nina Dos Santos and Owen Bennett-Jones assess the health of Russian opposition politics and ask what it might take to release the country from its totalitarian leader Vladimir Putin. To help guide them through, the pair are joined by British-American financier and human rights activist Bill Browder, the widow of a poisoned former KGB agent Marina Litvinenko, and the top model turned top activist Ksenia Maximova the founder of the UK's Russian Democratic Society.
Ctrl Alt Deceit is brought to you by Democratys, a charity committed to exposing interference in our democratic institutions and inspiring debate and engagement in our democratic process in the UK and beyond.
Producer: Paige Reynolds
Exec Producer: Lucinda Knight
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
21 Nov 2024TRANSCRIPT
4 The chilling effect of lawfare on freedom of speech
When certain powerful and wealthy individuals take issue with information that's been shared about them by journalists, researchers and politicians, never-ending and hugely costly lawsuits often follow. This is known as lawfare - and on this week's episode, we draw back the curtain on its pernicious impact on freedom of speech in the UK, the huge financial and personal costs those experiencing lawfare often shoulder and lookahead to ask whether reform and regulation is possible. On the show, journalists Owen Bennett-Jones and Nina Dos Santos are joined by former intelligence officer and author of the infamous Trump dossier Christopher Steele and former MP Charlotte Leslie who speak to their personal experiences with these kinds of cases. Plus, we're joined by Gavin Millar KC who brings his four decades of legal know-how to the conversation.
Ctrl Alt Deceit is brought to you by Democratys, a charity committed to exposing interference in our democratic institutions and inspiring debate and engagement in our democratic process in the UK and beyond.
Producer: Paige Reynolds
Exec Producer: Lucinda Knight
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
14 Nov 2024TRANSCRIPT
3 Elon Musk and the emergence of the American oligarchy
Can democracy withstand the pressures of a new era of social media strongmen? In this episode, journalists Nina Dos Santos and Owen Bennett-Jones discuss the growing power of Elon Musk, his control over the narrative on X (formerly Twitter), and the consequences for the future of politics in the US. They are joined by Imran Ahmed, CEO of the Center for Countering Digital Hate, an organisation that Musk has publicly criticised and taken to court, and investigative journalist Carol Cadwalladr—famous for exposing the Cambridge Analytica scandal. Cadwalladr warns of the unprecedented impact on journalism, truth, and public discourse, stressing why this moment is critical not just for the US, but for democracies worldwide.
Ctrl Alt Deceit is brought to you by Democratys, a charity committed to exposing interference in our democratic institutions and inspiring debate and engagement in our democratic process in the UK and beyond.
Producer: Paige Reynolds
Exec Producer: Lucinda Knight
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
7 Nov 2024TRANSCRIPT
2 Trump's political comeback, Project 2025 and the future of Ukraine
US citizens have exercised their democratic right - but is growing anti-democratic sentiment in powerful conservative think tanks, Trump’s inner circle and the tech titans of Silicon Valley still a cause of concern? As Donald J Trump becomes the President-elect of the United States, journalists Nina Dos Santos and Owen Bennett-Jones examine the key tenets of Project 2025 and the philosophies of political strategist Steven Bannon and tech billionaire Peter Thiel. Plus, we hear from journalist and author Edward Lucas on the impact of Trump’s win on the future of Ukraine.
Ctrl Alt Deceit is brought to you by Democratys, a charity committed to exposing interference in our democratic institutions and inspiring debate and engagement in our democratic process in the UK and beyond.
Producer: Paige Reynolds
Exec Producer: Lucinda Knight
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
31 Oct 2024TRANSCRIPT
1 US election interference, voting machine vulnerabilities and the who’s who of disinformation
Will the 2024 US election be hacked? On the first episode of Ctrl Alt Deceit, journalists Nina Dos Santos and Owen Bennett-Jones get to grips with how the upcoming election in the US might be undermined - from outside and within. Joined by Senior Advisor on Election Security for Free Speech for People Susan Greenhalgh and disinformation researcher Darren Linvill, the team examine the vulnerabilities of US voting machines and who might be exploiting such vulnerabilities for their own gain. Plus, we analyse the latest disinformation playbook, and look at what the likes of Russia, China and Iran might have in store.
Ctrl Alt Deceit is brought to you by Democratys, a charity committed to exposing interference in our democratic institutions and inspiring debate and engagement in our democratic process in the UK and beyond.
Producer: Paige Reynolds
Exec Producer: Lucinda Knight
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
28 Oct 2024TRANSCRIPT
0 Introducing... Ctrl Alt Deceit
Will the US election be hacked? Are the voting machines secure?
What role are the tech bros playing – how powerful are they?
And how much foreign inference has there already been in this campaign?...
These are the kinds of questions being asked in Ctrl Alt Deceit: Democracy in Danger – a brand new podcast designed to dive deep into the threats facing our democracies.
Ahead of our first episode this Thursday October 31st, hosts Nina Dos Santos and Owen Bennett-Jones thought they’d give you an insight into what the podcast is all about.
Ctrl Alt Deceit: Democracy in Danger is brought to you by Democratys, a charity committed to exposing interference in our democratic institutions and inspiring debate and engagement in our democratic process in the UK and beyond.
Producer: Paige Reynolds
Exec Producer: Lucinda Knight
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Inside a recent episode
The Telegraph Takeover: Power, Profit & the Press
Published 30 May 2025 · Transcript excerpt
[…] They're paying for it. And the only explanation for why people are overpaying is because they think it will give them influence. And as you just as you say, they'll be able to advance their narrative. But I don't know. I mean, do you think that, I mean, in a way, it doesn't really matter, does it? […]
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