Channel 4 announces new factual drama, Billionaires

It tells the stories of the creators, the victims and the billionaire beneficiaries of disinformation.

At this year's Edinburgh Television Festival, Channel 4 announced a timely new three-part factual drama called Billionaires (working title) from the makers of Dirty Business and Partygate.

The new large-scale political thriller explores, through the eyes of key protagonists, how Big Tech and the disinformation amplified on its platforms are severing people from the truth and undermining democracies. But what happens to those who try to expose the platforms that carry the lies, from the inside out?

Based on real-world evidence, this drama tells the stories of the creators, the victims and the billionaire beneficiaries of disinformation.

The news comes just 24 hours after Meta reached a settlement worth up to $18 billion to resolve a US court case related to child safety on Facebook and Instagram, and at time when the world’s biggest social media companies could face thousands of lawsuits over claims they deliberately engineered their platforms to be addictive.

Speaking about Billionaires, writer and director Joe Bullman said "The algorithmic corporations are corroding the mental health of our young people and taking a wrecking ball to our democracies, and there is evidence that the Tech Bros who control them have designed them to do these things. Like tobacco company execs before them, they claim that their products are not addictive and do no harm. Will Billionaires W/T help deliver the Tech Bros their Big Tobacco moment?"

To which Channel 4's Head of Documentaries and Factual Entertainment, Alisa Pomeroy added "At Channel 4, we are committed to telling stories that help audiences better understand the forces shaping the world around them. Billionaires W/T is exactly that kind of project: bold, thought-provoking and deeply relevant. By examining the extraordinary influence of some of the world’s most powerful technology companies through compelling human stories, this drama promises to spark conversation and offer insight into a subject that affects us all."

And Channel 4's Commissioning Editor, Documentaries, Rita Daniels, said "Billionaires W/T is a gripping and incredibly timely factual drama that explores one of the defining issues of our age. Drawing on real-world evidence, it shines a light on the human consequences of disinformation and asks urgent questions about power, accountability and truth in the digital era. Halcyons Heart Films have a proven track record of bringing complex political stories to life with pace and ambition, and we’re thrilled to be working with them again."

Made by Halcyons Heart Films, Billionaires is written and directed by Joseph Bullman and executive produced by Aysha Rafaele.

Billionaire will air on Channel 4