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Top Comment

Investigating what's blowing up online, and decoding your feed.

BBC,83 episodes

Episodes

ListGrid

Sleuth wars, incels in STEM, and just want Harambe back
The deaths of three sisters have led to rampant speculation online
29 May 2026,25 mins,
Why you're wrong about Palantir, and TL;DR Tolkien
The mysterious tech giant sparking online backlash
22 May 2026,27 mins,
BONUS: Taylor Lorenz says "don't blame social media"
Many western countries are pursuing stricter internet regulation
19 May 2026,41 mins
Decline porn (part II), VPN patriotism, and Charli XCX's finsta drop
How coordinated foreign accounts are amplifying anti-immigrant rhetoric
15 May 2026,25 mins
Dare Market, hantavirus, and wtf is going on at JPMorgan?
Meet the founder of the website being compared to Black Mirror
08 May 2026,33 mins,
Shooting conspiracies, breakup texts, and Dana White's cortisol spike
Behind the false claims that recent assassination attempts were 'staged'
01 May 2026,26 mins,
BONUS: Live at Maida Vale Studios
Highlights from our appearance at BBC Castfest
28 Apr 2026,28 mins
Haley Beck explained, and the crypto operation hijacking the BBC
The sister of an influencer is facing serious allegations
24 Apr 2026,22 mins
Coachella, GRWM fakers, and Justin Bieber is chronically online
Why the California festival is known as the 'Influencer Olympics'
17 Apr 2026,24 mins
Iran, slopaganda, and the lego-inspired creator behind it all
Explosive Media are accused of working for the Iranian government
11 Apr 2026,25 mins
Misogyny, boomers, and China just got Krissed
How AI is supercharging online abuse towards women
03 Apr 2026,29 mins
Meta, YouTube, and a damning addiction verdict
The companies were found liable in a landmark California case
27 Mar 2026,29 mins
Whistleblowers, dolphin memes, and a million dollar toilet
The algorithmic arms race driving the spread of harmful content
20 Mar 2026,30 mins
Nancy Guthrie, TikTok sleuths, and Starmer's cringeposting era
Influencers have descended on the Arizona home of the missing 84-year-old
13 Mar 2026,30 mins
School wars, Dubai's crisis PR, and is Fabrizio cancelled?
How phantom trends cause real-world hysteria
06 Mar 2026,27 mins
Kalshi, Polymarket, and gamifying the future
Prediction markets have exploded online but they're inviting scrutiny.
27 Feb 2026,34 mins
Decline porn explained, and why Clavicular is misunderstood
Episode 1 of Top Comment is here.
20 Feb 2026,31 mins,
Introducing... Top Comment
We talk through the stories behind your social media feed.
19 Feb 2026,1 min
Marianna in Conspiracyland 2
1. The Dove and the Pigeon
What Happened to Paloma?
30 Jun 2025,32 mins,
Marianna in Conspiracyland 2
2. Conspiracyland at home
Could the answer lie in the past?
07 Jul 2025,29 mins,
Marianna in Conspiracyland 2
3. Down the cancer conspiracy rabbit hole
What are patients seeing on social media?
14 Jul 2025,30 mins,
Marianna in Conspiracyland 2
4. The Archaeologists
Are we equipped to deal with a rising tide of misinformation?
21 Jul 2025,22 mins
Marianna in Conspiracyland 2
5. A collective immune system
Can people fight back against medical misinformation?
28 Jul 2025,24 mins,
Marianna in Conspiracyland 2
6. The Inquest
Can coroners' courts cope with conspiracy?
02 Oct 2025,29 mins
Why Do You Hate Me? USA
Introducing... Why Do You Hate Me? USA
Marianna Spring investigates the online phenomena that could influence the election.
14 Sep 2024,3 mins
Why Do You Hate Me? USA
1. Wild Thoughts: 'I hate Trump, she likes him – we both think he staged assassination attempts'
How do two people with different politics end up believing similar conspiracy theories?
23 Sep 2024,28 mins,
Why Do You Hate Me? USA
2. Counting The Threats: 'I just work in IT – why am I getting threats from election deniers?'
Inside the election centre where workers face threats and abuse ahead of the 2024 vote.
30 Sep 2024,28 mins,
Why Do You Hate Me? USA
3. The Fable of the Pikesville Clip: ‘I’ve been burnt by the fire once, so I’ll think twice before posting’
A clip that divided and convinced a community – and what it could mean for the election.
07 Oct 2024,28 mins,
Why Do You Hate Me? USA
4. Doxxed and Blocked: ‘We’re distressed about war in the Middle East and now trolls are after us.'
The social media tactic harming and further polarising people.
14 Oct 2024,28 mins,
Why Do You Hate Me? USA
5. Fandom Frenzies: Who’s afraid of little old us?
How are the Swifties impacting the vote?
21 Oct 2024,28 mins