Pig Iron

Pig Iron

By Tortoise Media

Christopher Allen was trying to make it as a war reporter when, aged just 26, he was shot and killed on the frontline in South Sudan. But as news of his death began to spread, suspicion grew. Some claimed he was really there as a mercenary, a fighter. Others said he was a reckless freelancer, in over his head. And there was another question: was he killed on purpose, or was this another accident of war? From Tortoise and the team behind Sweet Bobby, Pig Iron is a dark adventure in war and journalism – and into what really happened to Christopher Allen. 


All episodes are available to listen ad-free, but Tortoise members and Tortoise+ subscribers on Apple Podcasts can exclusively listen to the entire series, ad-free. Just subscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts or join Tortoise as a member, where you will also get to more of our investigations, as well as invites to exclusive events. Go to tortoisemedia.com/pigiron and enter the code Basia50 for half price membership.


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.


Episodes

Episode seven: Out there

In the last episode of the series, the team finally hears from a man they’ve been chasing for months. And they return to Maine, to tell Christopher’s parents what they have discovered about their son's life and death.All episodes of Pig Iron are now available for free. Tortoise members and Tortoise+ subscribers on Apple Podcasts can listen to the entire series, ad-free and get access to bonus content, coming soon. Just subscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts or join Tortoise as a member, where you will also get access to more of our investigations, and invites to exclusive events. Go to tortoisemedia.com/pigiron and enter the code Basia50 for half price membership. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
29/11/22·45m 18s

Episode six: The rope

The team tries to understand the connection between Chris's trip to South Sudan, and one taken by a group of American fighters just weeks before. Could this explain why Chris was called a white rebel? And after months investigating, Basia finally speaks to the fighter who fascinated Chris, and she asks – how close really were you? All episodes of Pig Iron are now available for free. Tortoise members and Tortoise+ subscribers on Apple Podcasts can listen to the entire series, ad-free and get access to bonus content, coming soon. Just subscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts or join Tortoise as a member, where you will also get access to more of our investigations, and invites to exclusive events. Go to tortoisemedia.com/pigiron and enter the code Basia50 for half price membership. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
14/11/22·45m 28s

Episode five: Kaya

Months after Jeremy first approached Basia, the team fly to Nairobi to sit down with the mysterious essay writer. And it turns out that he is not the only person ready to share what he knows about who killed Christopher Allen.All episodes of Pig Iron are now available for free. Tortoise members and Tortoise+ subscribers on Apple Podcasts can listen to the entire series, ad-free and get access to bonus content, coming soon. Just subscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts or join Tortoise as a member, where you will also get access to more of our investigations, and invites to exclusive events. Go to tortoisemedia.com/pigiron and enter the code Basia50 for half price membership. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
13/11/22·41m 4s

Episode four: The kaleidoscope

There is a new layer of horror to Chris's story – and in trying to understand it, Basia investigates the evidence that Chris was killed on purpose. The team figures out how to get to South Sudan – and how to finally meet the essay-writer.All episodes of Pig Iron are now available for free. Tortoise members and Tortoise+ subscribers on Apple Podcasts can listen to the entire series, ad-free and get access to bonus content, coming soon. Just subscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts or join Tortoise as a member, where you will also get access to more of our investigations, and invites to exclusive events. Go to tortoisemedia.com/pigiron and enter the code Basia50 for half price membership. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
31/10/22·37m 6s

Episode three: The lonely impulse

Basia traces Chris's career as a young freelancer. By now, it's clear his death is tied to his life as a reporter. But who was he trying to be? Just how close was he to a group of fighters? And after years in Ukraine, how did he end up in a remote corner of South Sudan?All episodes of Pig Iron are now available for free. Tortoise members and Tortoise+ subscribers on Apple Podcasts can listen to the entire series, ad-free and get access to bonus content, coming soon. Just subscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts or join Tortoise as a member, where you will also get access to more of our investigations, and invites to exclusive events. Go to tortoisemedia.com/pigiron and enter the code Basia50 for half price membership. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
27/10/22·46m 55s

Episode two: Spring break

At just 22 years old, Chris travels to Ukraine for his spring break, keen to see war up close. For the first time, he experiences the thrill and horror of the frontline. He's hooked. Five years later, Basia, along with Chris's cousin, Jeremy, visit Chris's parents in America to piece together who he really was. There they learn a troubling new detail about Chris's time in Ukraine.All episodes of Pig Iron are now available for free. Tortoise members and Tortoise+ subscribers on Apple Podcasts can listen to the entire series, ad-free and get access to bonus content, coming soon. Just subscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts or join Tortoise as a member, where you will also get access to more of our investigations, and invites to exclusive events. Go to tortoisemedia.com/pigiron and enter the code Basia50 for half price membership. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
25/10/22·39m 10s

Episode one: White rebel

Five years after his death on a distant frontline in South Sudan, the truth about what happened to Christopher Allen is still a mystery. Was he a reckless freelancer? A mercenary? Or a young and ambitious reporter, caught in the crossfire? Approached by a family member looking for answers, journalist Basia Cummings begins investigating.All episodes of Pig Iron are now available for free. Tortoise members and Tortoise+ subscribers on Apple Podcasts can listen to the entire series, ad-free and get access to bonus content, coming soon. Just subscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts or join Tortoise as a member, where you will also get access to more of our investigations, and invites to exclusive events. Go to tortoisemedia.com/pigiron and enter the code Basia50 for half price membership. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
18/10/22·34m 32s

Introducing: Pig Iron

Christopher Allen, an aspiring war reporter, was just 26 when he was shot and killed in South Sudan. At first, it looked like another tragedy of war… a young journalist caught in the crossfire. Until, just hours after his death, his story splintered. The government claimed he wasn’t a journalist at all, but a foreign fighter – a legitimate target. Other evidence suggested he was killed on purpose for being a reporter. In this new series from Tortoise and the team behind Sweet Bobby, Pig Iron is a story about the dark seduction of war, and what really happened to Christopher Allen.  All episodes of Pig Iron are now available for free. Tortoise members and Tortoise+ subscribers on Apple Podcasts can listen to the entire series, ad-free and get access to bonus content, coming soon. Just subscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts or join Tortoise as a member, where you will also get access to more of our investigations, and invites to exclusive events. Go to tortoisemedia.com/pigiron and enter the code Basia50 for half price membership. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
04/10/22·2m 57s
-
-
Heart UK
Mute/Un-mute