It’s a late Autumn afternoon in Surrey. The drinks prices are extortionate, the sound system is punishing, and Pride is in full swing - a rainbow-washed festival of slogans, sponsors and sanctimony. On the surface, it looks like joy. Scratch that surface and something else is going on.

This is Episode One of Pride and Predator - the start of an investigation into how Stephen Ireland, the founder of Surrey Pride, was celebrated, protected and platformed for years while hiding in plain sight as a sexual predator.

This episode asks a simple, uncomfortable question:

How did this happen and who helped make it possible?

I take you inside the rise of Ireland: his media presence, his carefully cultivated image as Mr Inclusion, and the way Pride became a shield, not just for him, but for institutions that didn’t want to look too closely. Police, councils, funders and media outlets. All cheerleading, waving rainbows and missing what was right in front of them.

You’ll hear how Pride in Surrey emerged with astonishing speed, how Ireland positioned himself as the voice of “the community”, and how dissent - particularly from lesbians - was shut down, smeared or expelled. We revisit the early meetings, the cultish charisma, the warning signs, and the moment safeguarding quietly vanished from the agenda.

This episode explores:

* How modern Pride operates largely with no oversight, no rulebook, and no safeguarding standards

* The transformation of Pride from protest to brand - and why that matters

* How “inclusion” became conditional on silence and compliance

* Why women who raised concerns were labelled bigots and pushed out

* The role of police, councils and broadcasters in legitimising Ireland

* How children became central to Pride messaging

You’ll hear from women who clocked something was wrong from the very beginning. You’ll hear Ireland in his own words. And you’ll hear how, time and again, obvious red flags were ignored because asking questions had become more dangerous than staying quiet.

This is not about being wise in hindsight.

This is about warnings that were given and deliberately dismissed.

Content warning:

This episode contains discussion of child sexual abuse, safeguarding failures, and institutional negligence.

—

Pride and Predator is a series about power, ideology and the cost of looking away.

Episode 2 follows the whistleblowers — and the campaign to silence them.

REPORTER: Julie Bindel

PRODUCTION TEAM: Maria Esposito, Ashanna Prijs Reeves, Samantha Smith

ARTWORK: Nicole Jones

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit juliebindel.substack.com/subscribe