Rob Moore had a successful career in television until one day he ran out of ideas. After a stint as a gardener, a more enticing door was opened for him. He was offered a job in the shadowy world of corporate intelligence - he became a spy.
Tasked with working undercover to extract information from an environmental campaign group, Rob Moore says he eventually became sympathetic to the campaigners’ aims. He decided to turn on his employers and support the group he was meant to be infiltrating. Only it wasn’t that straightforward. He never told the campaigners who he really was and he never told his spymasters what he was really doing. Neither side knew the whole truth.
That was until 2016, when after years of being in control of these two disparate worlds he was unexpectedly outed. Now, the campaigners see him as a traitor who betrayed their trust. He sees himself as a misunderstood whistleblower.
From the team that brought you Sweet Bobby, and over three years in the making, Into The Dirt is a story about truth, spies and the stories we tell ourselves
The six-part series launches Tuesday 27th June. To get early access to the first 3 episodes and for the premium Tortoise listening experience, curated by our journalists, download the free Tortoise audio app. For early and ad-free access, subscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts.
If you’d like to further support slow journalism and help us build a different kind of newsroom, do consider donating to Tortoise at tortoisemedia.com/support-us. Your contributions allow us to investigate, campaign and explore, and to build a newsroom that is responsible and sustainable.
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In the final episode, Ceri travels to meet Rob in a peaceful garden in rural Wiltshire. What unfolds is a heated exchange about what Rob's story really is and what adds up to the whole truth. Our next investigation: Three doors down launches on Tuesday 18th July. For the premium Tortoise listening experience, curated by our journalists, download the free Tortoise audio app . For early and ad-free access to Three doors down and our other investigative series, subscribe t...
Jul 13, 2023•47 min•Ep 6•Transcript available on Metacast
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Jul 11, 2023•35 min•Ep 5•Transcript available on Metacast
Rob is adamant that in all the years he was undercover, he never sent information back to his spymasters that harmed the campaigners. But when you're the only one in control of the decisions, can you always get it right? This is a six-part series from Tortoise with new episodes being released every Tuesday and Thursday. To listen to all episodes today, and for the premium Tortoise listening experience, curated by our journalists, download the free Tortoise audio app . For early ...
Jul 06, 2023•40 min•Ep 4•Transcript available on Metacast
Rob Moore says he can justify going undercover among anti-asbestos campaigners because he was following a Buddhist principle, turning poison into medicine. To this day he believes that if the people he infiltrated would really listen to his story they'd understand him differently. But does his story really stand up to scrutiny? This is a six-part series from Tortoise with new episodes being released every Tuesday and Thursday. To get early access to the first 5 episodes and for the premium ...
Jul 04, 2023•30 min•Ep 3•Transcript available on Metacast
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Jun 27, 2023•34 min•Ep 2•Transcript available on Metacast
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From the team that brought you Sweet Bobby, and over three years in the making, Tortoise introduces Into The Dirt – a story about truth, spies and the stories we tell ourselves. Rob Moore had a successful career in television until one day he ran out of ideas. After a stint as a gardener, a more enticing door was opened for him. He was offered a job in the shadowy world of corporate intelligence - he became a spy. Tasked with working undercover to extract information from an environmental campai...
Jun 06, 2023•4 min•Transcript available on Metacast