First episode in a series about James Le Mesurier, who was found dead in a street in Istanbul in November 2019. Le Mesurier co-founded a Syrian civil defence force called the White Helmets who filmed themselves pulling survivors and bodies from the rubble of bombed out buildings. They, along with Le Mesurier, found themselves at the very centre of a global race to control the narrative of the Syrian war. Was Le Mesurier a British spy? Who were the White Helmets really working for? Was the devastating, electrifying footage they were uploading to YouTube simply faked? How could any of the rest of us ever tell?

Produced, written and presented by Chloe Hadjimatheou
Editor: Emma Rippon
Researcher: Tom Wright
Production Coordinator: Gemma Ashman
Mixed by Neil Churchill
Arabic translation and additional research: Vanessa Bowles, Abdul Kader Habak
Turkish Researcher: Nevin Sungur
Narrative Consultant: John Yorke
Original music: Nick Mundy and Bu Kolthoum Show less