A while back, one of our producers Brian Reed was in England giving a speech about the podcast he'd hosted, S-Town. A journalism student approached him, asking for advice about a story he wanted to look into – something that’d been big news in Britain, something he’d thought about for years. Brian and the student, Hamza Syed, decided to team up to try and solve the mystery at the heart of that story. The original idea was to put this on our show, but it got too big. Too many twists and turns! This week, it rolls out as a spectacularly great podcast called The Trojan Horse Affair. We’re excited to bring you their first episode today.
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Act One
Hamza and Brian visit Tahir Alam, the alleged mastermind of a plot to ‘Islamize’ Birmingham’s schools. Tahir lays out what led him to Park View School — and why he was so invested in transforming the culture and achievements of the school. (29 minutes)
Act Two
As Tahir’s revamp of Park View School continues to grow and deliver stunning results, his reputation grows — as does resentment at his blunt, unvarnished style. And then came the letter, and hoax or no, the consequences of its contents began to unravel Tahir’s life’s work almost immediately. (25 minutes)
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Act One: Pole Vault
Act Four: How Do You Solve A Problem Like Sharia?
Act Two: Dunk and Go Nuts
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