London Falling: Patrick Radden Keefe on How Money, Power and Corruption Shape Our City, with Emily Maitlis (Part One)

In this first part of a live event at the Royal Geographical Society, investigative journalist Patrick Radden Keefe discusses his new book, London Falling, with host Emily Maitlis. The narrative centers on the mysterious death of 19-year-old Zach Brettler, whose family’s search for answers reveals a deeper story about identity, class, and the corrosive influence of wealth and power in modern London. Keefe explores how Zach, a teenager fascinated by the lifestyles of oligarchs and gangster capitalists like Roman Abramovich and Vladimir Putin, began crafting an elaborate persona—claiming to be the son of a Russian oligarch and a key player in high-stakes investments. This fiction was initially dismissed by peers but tragically believed by a grown-up, Mark Foley, who introduced Zach to Akbar Shamji and the underworld figure known as Indian Dave. The episode delves into the psychological and societal forces shaping adolescence, the fragility of truth in the digital age, and the blurred line between parent and child when a young adult becomes legally independent. Keefe reflects on the emotional weight of parenthood, the difficulty of intervention, and the societal structures that enable such fictions to take root. The discussion also examines how London’s transformation—from a city of subtle class distinctions to a global hub for money laundering and oligarchic wealth—has reshaped identity formation, particularly for young people exposed to extreme wealth through schools, social media, and elite institutions. Keefe draws parallels between Zach’s story and broader cultural shifts, including the rise of algorithmic influence, the erosion of truth, and the normalization of hyper-masculine, wealth-obsessed archetypes. The episode underscores the tragedy not just of Zach’s death, but of a system that allows such deception to flourish and a generation to navigate a world where authenticity is increasingly commodified.