StoryCast '21: EP 19/21 Michael Jackson - The Trial of the century

A veteran of movie cameos and music videos, Eddie Moss was one of the most successful Michael Jackson impersonators in the world in 2005, but then he took a job like no other.At the time, Michael Jackson was one of the world’s most iconic celebrities. But news headlines about his personal life and not his music had come to tarnish his reputation.Now, Jackson was due to go on trial in California on multiple charges of child abuse against a minor.The eyes of the world were watching. However, when the judge presiding over the case prevented cameras in the courthouse, it posed a major problem. How were news outlets going to communicate court proceedings to an international audience?Sky News, along with E! entertainment, decided to attempt something no one had tried before — deliver daily reconstructions of key evidence, using a cast of Hollywood actors, hired to play the main roles.None was more important, or consequential, than that of Jackson himself. But as the trial began to unfold, Eddie Moss quickly realised that his future and wellbeing were on the line too.In 2021, Sky News is marking some of the century’s biggest news events through the personal stories of lives defined by unforgettable moments from the last 21-years.Michael Jackson: The trial of the century is episode 19 of the 21-part series StoryCast ’21 CREDITS -Michael Jackson: Trial Of The Century was written and produced by Rob Mulhern and Jayne Secker.Original idea, Jonathan SamuelsSpecial thanks to our contributors, Eddie Moss, Jayne Secker and Richard JohnsonArchive, Robert FellowesTV treatment, Victoria Hudson-GrantDigital, Tom GillespieHead of Radio, Sky News, Dave TerrisDesign and graphics, Brian GillinghamSocial media, Samuel GouldPress and Marketing, Alexandra HortonEmail: [email protected] more on this story log on to www.skynews/storycast21#StoryCast21

Om Podcasten

At the height of lockdown, 19-year-old Ellie Williams claims on social media she’s been trafficked by an Asian grooming gang across the North of England. Photos of her horrific injuries add to the outrage and the post goes viral – shared more than 100 thousand times.Social media rumours lead to attacks on Asian men and businesses in her hometown of Barrow-in-Furness. But when she’s arrested for perverting the course of justice, things really explode and there are protest rallies and claims of a cover-up. At the trial the prosecution claims she’d lied, faked text messages and even caused the catalogue of injuries to herself.   In season 6 of StoryCast, Sky News’ Jason Farrell and Liz Lane, who reported on the case at the time, return to Barrow to investigate what could have led her to make these claims and if, underneath it all, there is some other secret buried amongst the lies.With access to her family, police investigators and those most impacted by her allegations, we ask: Why did Ellie Williams create such an elaborate lie? And what happened AFTER the trial – once all the media attention died down and other allegations began to emerge? For more investigative stories from the award-winning Sky News StoryCast strand, listen to our past seasons.   SEASON 5: Patient 11 (2024) Following the death of her brother, young mother Alexis Quinn seeks temporary respite in NHS psychiatric care, never imagining that three days, would turn into more than three year ordeal that would ultimately expose a national scandal.  SEASON 4: StoryCast 21 (2021) Through extraordinary personal stories, Sky News revisits 21 of the world’s biggest news events this century.   SEASON 3: Polonium and The Piano Player (2020) Two Russian agents release a miniature nuclear weapon in a 5-star London hotel. But former KGB spy Alexander Litvinenko is not the only victim.   SEASON 2: What happened to Annie? (2019)  In 2005, the body of 30-year-old Swedish woman, Annie Börjesson, was found on Prestwick beach in Scotland. Could one of the world’s most secretive security agencies be behind her death?  SEASON 1: The Hunt for the Brinks-Mat Gold (2018) In 1983, an armed gang stole £26m in gold bars from a high-security depot near Heathrow Airport. Dubbed the crime of the century, the heist changed the face of Britain’s criminal landscape and the life of one undercover Scotland Yard detective.