Episodes
| Episode | Title | First Broadcast | Repeated | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Their World | 20241125 | 20241201 (R4) | This powerful and highly personal series investigates how criminal networks systematically exploit vulnerable young people, transforming them from ordinary schoolchildren into drug dealers through manipulation, violence, and trauma. An estimated 50,000 children in Britain have been groomed into county lines drug trafficking, yet their stories remain largely hidden. In this first episode, Phoebe McIndoe hears from those caught in the web of county lines. Between the promise of quick money and the reality of extreme violence, we reveal how Britain's drug trade is being built on the backs of traumatized children, and why the system often fails to protect them. Produced by Redzi Bernard and Phoebe McIndoe With original music by Phoebe McIndoe When children become drug dealers. An investigation into Britain's county lines crisis, where criminal gangs systematically groom young people to traffic drugs across the country. |
| 02 | Cycles | 20241202 | 20241208 (R4) | This highly personal series investigates how criminal networks systematically exploit vulnerable young people, transforming them from ordinary schoolchildren into drug dealers through manipulation, violence, and trauma. An estimated 50,000 children in Britain have been groomed into county lines drug trafficking, yet their stories remain largely hidden. In this powerful second episode, we investigate what keeps young people returning to county lines, even after interventions. Through intimate stories told from prison cells and family homes, survivors challenge our assumptions about victims and perpetrators, revealing how trauma and shame create cycles that prove devastating to break. As both journalist and sister to someone caught in these cycles, Phoebe McIndoe weaves her own story of silence and stigma with those of young people trapped between prison and exploitation. Produced by Redzi Bernard and Phoebe McIndoe With original music by Phoebe McIndoe Exploring the powerful forces that keep young people trapped in county lines. From prison cells to family homes, we explore how breaking free from county lines requires more than escape - it means confronting our own prejudices about who deserves help. |
| 03 LAST | Hope | 20241209 | 20241215 (R4) | In this final episode, we widen the lens to understand how austerity and social breakdown created fertile ground for county lines to flourish. From youth club closures to a crumbling care system, we reveal how the loss of community safety nets left children vulnerable to exploitation. Through conversations with activists and those leading innovative solutions, we ask what must change to break this cycle of exploitation and rebuild the protective networks our children need. Produced by Phoebe McIndoe and Redzi Bernard Finding hope in the fight against county lines. Through community leaders, survivors, and local activists, we discover where hope lies in the fight against county lines, and ask what society must change to protect its children. |