Top 10 British Conspiracy Theories

As part of one of the world’s biggest boybands, Louis Tomlinson is used to intense public scrutiny. However, when he became a dad in 2016, the hysteria hit another level. #BabyGate erupted on social media, as followers tried to prove that Louis’ son wasn’t real, with the validity of various photos examined and offered as evidence. The reason for the fake? Theories range from it giving Tomlinson an easy out from the group, to it being an elaborate cover-up of his relationship with Harry Styles.

As lyricist and guitarist for Manic Street Preachers, and a frank and open speaker on depression and self-harm, Richey Edwards was already a cult icon when he disappeared in 1995. Investigators surmised that he’d committed suicide by jumping from the Severn Bridge, but his official status wasn’t changed from ‘missing person’ to ‘presumed dead’ until 2008. And there have been plenty of supposed sightings. From India to the Canary Islands, some fans still believe that Richey faked his death to escape his fame.

Anyone who’s wrestled with “The Canterbury Tales” at school might feel a smidge aggrieved with Chaucer. But some suggest the pioneering poet was actually the victim of a murder plot. And by the Archbishop of Canterbury, no less. The idea mostly comes from a book by Terry Jones, who’s better known for Monty Python. True, Jones puts a comical spin on the concept, but there is very little known about Chaucer’s death. His name just stops appearing in records. Ominous, mysterious or fabricated? You decide.

To Tudor Times, and the Virgin Queen. Or should that be King? It all starts with Bram Stoker, who included the Bisely Boy legend in his book, “Famous Imposters”. So the story goes, Princess Elizabeth visited Bisely in the 1540s, to escape the plague in London. But, she died anyway. Her governess replaced Liz with a lad, in a bid to escape the famous wrath of her father, Henry VIII. It worked, and the arrangement stuck. Remember, she was famous for her wig collection. And there was no post-mortem when she died.

Alien theories are typically an American expertise, but why shouldn’t a UFO rock up in the UK? Suffolk’s Rendlesham Forest was front page news in December 1980, when it played host to a series of unexplained lights and noises. Multiple sightings were reported, with most coming from nearby RAF Woodbridge, which housed the US Air Force at the time. From flashing signals to scorched trees, supposed landing spots and continuous light beams, it ticked every extra-terrestrial box. But still no little green men, unfortunately.

To a global conspiracy born in England, and perhaps one of the world’s wildest theories. David Icke was a BBC sports pundit before his career took a dramatic change of direction in the early ‘90s. Having appeared on “Wogan”, and suggesting he was a descendant of God, Icke set about uncovering the truth of our existence, concluding that we are controlled by a race of shape-shifting, Illuminati reptilians. From the Royal Family to world leaders, bankers, broadcasters and celebrities, there’s a select few pulling all the strings. Twilight music, please.

More than 1,500 people perished on Titanic in 1912, but some say it never sunk at all. Or at least that particular ship didn’t. Publishing in ’98, shortly after James Cameron’s blockbuster, Robin Gardiner proposes that the doomed vessel was really its sister ship, Olympic, which was subject to a massive insurance claim. As the ships were almost identical, the swap would’ve been easy. While another theory says that JP Morgan arranged the disaster to eliminate his rivals who were travelling on-board, controversy continues to surround the story.

He’s one of history’s best-known Britons, but could Shakespeare be a sham? Some say he couldn’t possibly have penned his plays, with the likes of Mark Twain and Sigmund Freud suggesting that other writers were probably responsible. Citing Shakespeare’s modest background, discrepancies between his signatures and similarities with other poets, the naysayers believe that the Bard was but a front. Christopher Marlowe or Francis Bacon are the most popular alternatives. To believe or not to believe, that is the question.

A hot bed for conspiracy theorists, some say the Fab Four never existed at all; that they were just a conveyor belt of trendy actors. But the best Beatles theory centres on Paul, who supposedly died in a car crash, in 1966. Paul was then replaced with the winner of a lookalike contest, to avoid the agony of fans. Subscribers to the legend say clues are hidden in lyrics and on album covers, or they’re heard when certain Beatles tracks are played backwards. Perhaps it’s time to let it be?

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

Diana’s death shocked the world in August 1997. The cries of conspiracy were almost immediate. Accusations of murder were aimed at MI6 and parts of the Royal Family, with questions raised over a lack of CCTV, an unusually slow journey to the hospital, and a white hatchback, seemingly involved in the crash but never seen again – the owner of the car committed suicide three years later. The motive? Diana’s supposed engagement to the Egyptian producer, Dodi Fayed – according to Dodi’s father, at least.