A Very British Cult
4.7/5
Critic Rating
The sinister life coaching company that takes over your life. Catrin Nye investigates. In early 2019 Jeffrey Leigh-Jones from Portsmouth got a life coach. Someone to mentor him in life and help him realise his business ambitions. Two years later, Jeff had sold his house, his relationship was in pieces, and he had handed over tens of thousands of pounds. And he wasn't the only one. In this eighteen-month investigation for the BBC, journalist Catrin Nye and her team expose control, intimidation and fear at a mysterious life coaching company taking over people's lives and ripping families apart. As the investigation...
Critic Reviews
Score: 5
Patricia Nicol • The Times UK • Apr 23, 2023
"Over eight pacey, rigorously researched episodes, Catrin Nye tells the jaw-dropping story of Lighthouse International Group...This compelling tale also has a heroine...and exploited victims who share galling, hard-luck accounts of being set against family, financially exploited and even urged to come off their meds by breathtakingly confident but unqualified charlatans. Unlike so many podcasts it culminates in a grippingly satisfying showdown. I relished this show — beautifully scored by Phil Channell — for exposing a more sinister side to “experts” peddling actualisation. …"
Score: 5
Rachel Cunliffe • New Statesman • Apr 19, 2023
"The BBC podcast series A Very British Cult is dark and gripping This deep dive into a supposed life-coaching organisation is an explosive listen. A Very British Cult starts darkly, and gets darker...is full of shocking allegations from beginning to end...what’s most terrifying about Nye’s exposé, co-written with Jamie Bartlett...is how quickly ordinary people with happy, normal lives can get drawn into a world that gradually starts to consume them."
Score: 4
James Marriot • The Times UK • Apr 14, 2023
"A Very British Cult is extra creepy because we can hear all the footage of what happened — every single mad call has been recorded because Waugh believes his teachings must be preserved. Waugh certainly isn’t very positive. On the recordings he comes across as a nasty, coarse character. Lighthouse feeds on our culture’s exultation of capitalism and business."
