A mysterious energy, so far undetectable, somehow on the attack... US CIA agents and diplomats in Cuba report being assailed in their homes by a strange sound and pressure. When they develop disturbing physical symptoms, fears grow that they are being targeted by a secret directed energy weapon. With no physical evidence, and the highest of stakes as historic US-Cuba tensions begin to thaw, the Americans have to fight to be believed.
Acclaimed presenters of the hit podcast West Cork, Sam Bungey and Jennifer Forde investigate the strange phenomenon known as “Havana Syndrome” - in a series that delves into the clandestine world of global espionage and considers questions about the reputation of science, the corrosive potential of government secrets and the psychology of whistleblowers.
New episodes will be released weekly, wherever you get your podcasts, but if you are in the UK, you can listen to the latest episodes a week early, first on BBC Sounds.
Credits Havana Helmet Club is written and presented by Jennifer Forde and Sam Bungey
Editor: Guy Crossman Story editing: Mike Ollove Producer: Larry Ryan Sound designer: Merijn Royaards Additional mixing: Peregrine Andrews Theme music: Tom Pintens, with additional music composed by Merijn Royaards Fact checking: Stanley Masters. Additional reporting: Isobel Sutton, Pascale Hardey Stewart and Stanley Masters Archive producers: Miriam Walsh and Helen Carr Production executive: Kirstin Drybrugh Editorial advisor: Jesse Baker
A mysterious energy, so far undetectable, somehow on the attack... US CIA agents and diplomats in Cuba report being assailed in their homes by a strange sound and pressure. When they develop disturbing physical symptoms, fears grow that they are being targeted by a secret directed energy weapon. With no physical evidence, and the highest of stakes as historic US-Cuba tensions begin to thaw, the Americans have to fight to be believed.
Acclaimed presenters of the hit podcast West Cork, Sam Bungey and Jennifer Forde investigate the strange phenomenon known as “Havana Syndrome” - in a series that delves into the clandestine world of global espionage and considers questions about the reputation of science, the corrosive potential of government secrets and the psychology of whistleblowers.
New episodes will be released weekly, wherever you get your podcasts, but if you are in the UK, you can listen to the latest episodes a week early, first on BBC Sounds.
Credits Havana Helmet Club is written and presented by Jennifer Forde and Sam Bungey
Editor: Guy Crossman Story editing: Mike Ollove Producer: Larry Ryan Sound designer: Merijn Royaards Additional mixing: Peregrine Andrews Theme music: Tom Pintens, with additional music composed by Merijn Royaards Fact checking: Stanley Masters. Additional reporting: Isobel Sutton, Pascale Hardey Stewart and Stanley Masters Archive producers: Miriam Walsh and Helen Carr Production executive: Kirstin Drybrugh Editorial advisor: Jesse Baker
“A tense environment and a good villain” are the perfect ingredients for mass hysteria, according to psychologist and epidemiologist Professor Simon Wessley. It’s a phrase so toxic, it was removed from the diagnostic manual in the late 1960s. But as neurologist and mystery illness expert Suzanne O’Sullivan explains, “We are all vulnerable. We just need to meet the right circumstance.”
In the penultimate episode of Havana Helmet Club, Jennifer Forde and Sam Bungey investigate high-profile cases of mass hysteria – now known as mass psychogenic illness or conversion disorder - for clues about Havana Syndrome. Could it be the solution to the puzzle, or a way for the CIA to dig themselves out of a hole?
Credits Havana Helmet Club is written and presented by Jennifer Forde and Sam Bungey Editor: Guy Crossman Story editing: Mike Ollove Producer: Larry Ryan Sound designer: Merijn Royaards Additional mixing: Ger McDonnell Theme music: Tom Pintens, with additional music composed by Merijn Royaards Fact checking: Stanley Masters. Additional reporting: Isobel Sutton, Pascale Hardey Stewart and Stanley Masters Archive producers: Miriam Walsh and Helen Carr Production executive: Kirstin Drybrugh Editorial advisor: Jesse Baker Commissioner: Dylan Haskins Assistant commissioners: Sarah Green and Natasha Johansson
Havana Helmet Club is a Yarn production for Radio 4 and BBC Sounds.