Clickbait, p.1
Clickbait, page 1
About the Author
L. C. North studied psychology at university before pursuing a career in Public Relations. Her book-club thrillers – The Ugly Truth and Clickbait – combine her love of psychology and her fascination with celebrities in the public eye. When she’s not writing, she co-hosts the crime thriller podcast In Suspense. She lives on the Suffolk borders with her family.
L. C. North is the pen name of Lauren North. Readers can follow her on Twitter @Lauren_C_North and Facebook @LaurenNorthAuthor.
Also by L. C. North
The Ugly Truth
L. C. North
* * *
CLICKBAIT
EMERGENCY SERVICES CALL CENTRE, WATERLOO ROAD, LONDON
Date: Monday, 11 September 2023
Time: 5.15 a.m.
AUDIO RECORDING
Operator: Emergency. Which service please?
Caller: I don’t know. I don’t know. Who do I need for a dead body?
Operator: Transferring you to the ambulance service now.
Caller: I don’t need an ambulance. I need the police.
THE FIRST EPISODE OF WHAT BECAME BRITAIN’S MOST POPULAR REALITY TV SHOW, LIVING WITH THE LANCASTERS, AIRED ON YOUTUBE IN 2007.
THE FOLLOWING IS AN EXTRACT FROM THIS EPISODE.
Living with the Lancasters
Series 1, episode 1 (2007)
PUBLISHED TO YOUTUBE: SUNDAY, 8 APRIL 2007
224.9M VIEWS
Taylor Lancaster, confessional
I’m Taylor Lancaster, but you probably already know that. I’m twenty years old, but I’m turning twenty-one next week. I’m having a huge party and you’re all invited.
This is episode one of our brand-new reality show – Living with the Lancasters. It’s a show all about us – our family – and what we get up to in our home and when we’re out and about.
What do I think viewers should know about me? Well, for starters, I’m the star here. I’m the one that people will tune in to watch. I’m the one with the number-one single that put us on the map. I’m the one with the sponsorship deals and my face in the magazines. Everything that will come for my family and this show will be on my coat-tails, and I’m totally fine with that. I’m happy for them. I shine bright enough for all of us and I always will. I know the haters are going to say I’m full of myself, but that’s bull. I’m a realist. I say it how it is.
Some people are born to be famous, and I’m one of them.
Locke Lancaster
Taylor said that? Why am I not surprised! Yeah, she kicked off the fame stuff with that one song, which by the way I hate. Every time it comes on the radio, another part of my soul dies. Seriously!
But look, one of us would have hit it big eventually. Taylor isn’t special, she’s just the oldest. She’s three years older than me, and seven years older than India, so it’s no surprise Mum’s focus started with Taylor. Me and India will be next. And even if I’m riding Taylor’s coat-tails like she said then let me tell you – it’s a bumpy ride. It’s not easy being the only boy in this family. Welcome to the circus that is Living with the Lancasters. I’m Locke and I’m seventeen years old.
India Lancaster
I’m India. I’m the baby of the family at fourteen. I’m still in school so I don’t think you’ll see much of me. Taylor is right. She’s the star. What you need to know about Taylor is that she’s always saying things without thinking. It’s what people are going to love, and it’s what drives Mum crazy. But Taylor works harder than all of us. Don’t be fooled by any of the glamour. She’s all business. It’s work, work, work, 24/7 for her and Mum. You don’t live in the same house with someone like that and not develop a lot of respect.
Besides, Taylor probably only said that thing about us all riding her coat-tails or whatever because she knew it would wind Locke up.
Lynn Lancaster
I’m Lynn Lancaster. You might know me as the wife of former Manchester United footballer Ed Lancaster. We were happily married for a long time. I’m now a widow, a mum and a manager. I’m forty-three, and before anyone asks, I love all my kids the same. They couldn’t be more different though, and it’s my job to make sure I’m getting the best out of all three of them. There is no one-size-fits-all. Taylor can be pushed and pushed. She lives on adrenaline and a desire to be at the top of her game. But try and push Locke and he’ll push right back. Locke needs to be presented with opportunities in a way that makes him think they are his idea. As for India, she’s still young and figuring out who she is.
That’s the beauty and the fun of what we’re creating with this show. Living with the Lancasters has something for everyone. You’re going to love us, and if you don’t, then you’re going to love hating us. We’ve got new episodes every Sunday at 7 p.m. here on YouTube.
In today’s episodes, we’re getting organized for Taylor’s twenty-first birthday party. There’s a lot to do and a lot of people to invite. Tensions are running pretty high as we try to find the perfect outfit for Taylor. She’s gained some extra weight over the last few months which has pushed her up a dress size, but when the sales assistant and I try to point this out, Taylor hits the roof …
February 2023
TRANSCRIPT FROM SKY NEWS LIVE WITH PATRICK MONAGHAN AND AMBER CARNEY, 14 FEBRUARY 2023
Patrick: Good morning, it’s 6.50 a.m. on Tuesday the fourteenth of February. You’re watching Sky News Breakfast. I’m joined on the sofa by our celebrity reporter, Amber Carney, who’s here to tell us what’s been happening in the world of celebrities this week.
Amber: Hi Patrick, it’s certainly been an exciting week. Hitting the headlines is a story about an episode of Living with the Lancasters, the popular reality TV series.
In Sunday night’s show we saw the gorgeous thirty-three-year-old Locke Lancaster paying tribute to his late father – former Manchester United footballer Ed Lancaster – who died nineteen years ago this month. It was a moving tribute from the usually laid-back Locke, who finished by sharing a never-before-seen video of his father.
The home movie captures Ed Lancaster dancing at his fortieth birthday party back in 2003, before the reality TV show that catapulted the family to fame. But it’s what’s in the background of this home movie that has thrown the Lancasters into the heart of a media storm this week.
Patrick: I believe we’re able to show a clip of the video on the screen behind you, Amber.
[On-screen video clip from Living with the Lancasters, series 17, episode 7]
Amber: So, you can see here that on first glance we’ve got Ed dancing with a group of people in the Lancaster family home in West London. It looks like the kind of lavish party we’ve come to expect from the Lancasters over the years. We can see a lot of champagne bottles and a lot of glitzy party props.
But if we look to these people here in the corner of the screen, we see Ed’s wife, Lynn. Who appears to be in a rather heated discussion with … Bradley Wilcox.
Patrick: That’s Bradley Wilcox, the teenager who disappeared in the summer of 2003 and remains missing?
Amber: He not only disappeared in the summer of 2003, but on this night that we are watching here. Bradley was just eighteen when he attended Ed Lancaster’s birthday party, but later the very same evening, Bradley went missing on his walk home. Twenty years on, no one has any idea what happened to the teenager that night.
His disappearance made headlines at the time, but with no new leads in the police investigation, interest quickly dried up. You have to remember that this was before Taylor Lancaster’s hit song, ‘Girls Girls Girls’, in 2006, and before the family’s reality show started the following year. So, the Bradley Wilcox investigation didn’t grab public attention in the same way we can expect it to now with this potential new evidence.
Patrick: Are the Lancasters really that famous? I think I recognize Ed Lancaster’s name more than his family.
Amber: [Laughing] Have you been living under a rock for the last decade, Patrick? This family – Lynn, the mum, and three children, Taylor, Locke and India – are Britain’s most recognized family, second only to the Royals. Living with the Lancasters is now on its seventeenth series. And while the show has seen a downturn in viewers in recent years, it’s still one of the most popular British YouTube channels, with over 5.7 million subscribers in the UK alone. And Sunday’s episode showing missing teen Bradley has already been viewed over ten million times. These numbers really show how popular the Lancasters still are.
This 2003 party video could have huge significance for Cassie Wilcox – Bradley’s sister and last surviving relative, who is still searching for answers about what happened to her brother twenty years ago.
Extract from National Newspaper, 15 February 2023
TIMELINE QUESTIONS FOR MISSING TEEN
A twenty-year-old video of missing teen Bradley Wilcox is now being investigated by the Metropolitan Police. The video, which was filmed on the night of Bradley’s disappearance, has called into question the timeline of Bradley’s last known movements around retired Manchester United player Ed Lancaster’s fortieth birthday party in 2003.
Witnesses at the party told the original police investigation that they had seen Bradley leave the Lancaster home in a taxi which took him to Richmond, West London, shortly before midnight. Police believed that Bradley disappeared on foot during his walk home from Richmond to East Twickenham in the early hours of the following morning. However, in a previously never-before-seen video from the party, shared during this week’s episode of Living with the Lancasters, Bradley is seen still at the party after midnig ht, throwing the previous police assumptions into question.
Bradley’s sister, Cassie Wilcox, has always questioned the witness statements in the original investigation. ‘People have been lying since day one. This video proves without a shadow of a doubt that Bradley never left the Lancaster house in that taxi. It’s time for the police to investigate my brother’s disappearance properly. It’s time for the Lancaster family to stop lying.’
A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police said: ‘The disappearance of Bradley Wilcox has remained an open investigation. Any and all new evidence will be investigated, including the recent video shared online.’
While no one from the Lancaster family was available to comment, Taylor Lancaster posted the following message on Twitter on Monday night:
I can’t believe we’ve had a video of Bradley in our loft all this time and didn’t know!!! Bradley was a close friend of mine and I’m still deeply affected by his disappearance. My heart goes out to his family. #BradleyWilcox #Missingperson #LivingWithTheLancasters
One Week Later
TRANSCRIPT FROM SKY NEWS LIVE WITH PATRICK MONAGHAN AND AMBER CARNEY, 21 FEBRUARY 2023
Patrick: Good morning, we’re joined now by our celebrity reporter, Amber Carney. Amber, what’s been hitting the papers this week in terms of celebrity news?
Amber: I’ve got a selection of the papers here, and as you can see, it’s still all about the Lancasters this week. We’ve got ‘LANCASTER LIARS’ from the Sun. The Mirror has gone with ‘LIAR LIAR LANCASTERS’, and the Daily Mail is asking ‘WHERE IS BRADLEY?’ We’ve also got Bradley Wilcox’s sister Cassie dominating these articles, which all focus on the disputed timeline surrounding Bradley’s disappearance, and whether Lynn Lancaster lied to the police in the original investigation.
Of course, the question everyone wants answered is not just whether Lynn lied, but whether the Lancaster family know more about Bradley’s disappearance than they’re letting on.
Patrick: Has there been a statement from anyone in the Lancaster family?
Amber: Not yet, Patrick, which is very surprising for them. We usually see Lynn Lancaster as the official spokesperson for all things Living with the Lancasters, but it’s been radio silence from them, and no mention of Bradley Wilcox or the media storm at all in last Sunday’s episode, despite a whopping fifteen million people tuning in to watch. My guess is that they’re keeping quiet and hoping this story dies down very soon.
Patrick: Thank you, Amber. We’re joined now by Cassie Wilcox, the younger sister of Bradley Wilcox. Cassie runs a missing persons charity, Never Give Up, and is working on a social media campaign called #JusticeForBradley.
Cassie, thank you for joining us. What can you tell our viewers about your brother, Bradley?
Cassie: Bradley wasn’t your typical eighteen-year-old. He wasn’t bothered about parties or clubbing. He never drank. He was really dedicated to his studies. He had a place waiting for him at Cambridge to study law when he went missing. He really wanted to use his degree to help people in trouble.
Patrick: What do you say to claims that Bradley simply ran away that night in 2003? Perhaps the pressure of his future got too much?
Cassie: Anyone who says that is quite frankly an idiot and a liar. They didn’t know my brother. Those lies were started by Taylor and Lynn Lancaster to stop the police from investigating what really happened to my brother the night of their party.
Patrick: That’s quite a bold—
Cassie: It’s the truth. A word the Lancaster family wouldn’t have a clue about. They’ve been lying about my brother’s disappearance for twenty years, and now finally there is proof that Bradley didn’t leave that party when they said he did, and what are the police doing about it? Nothing.
Patrick: I believe they’re investigating—
Cassie: What does that even mean? No one has spoken to me about it. I want to know what the police are doing. What have they found? I want the truth about my brother. The Lancasters have been lying for twenty years and they’ve got away with it because they’re rich and famous. We know they lied and yet they’re carrying on with their lives like nothing has happened. Where is the justice for Bradley?
Patrick: Thank you, Cassie. I understand it’s difficult—
Cassie: No, you don’t. I’m sorry, but you don’t have a clue what I’ve been going through for the last two decades. I won’t stop until I get the truth. So either the police do something or I will. These—
Patrick: Thank you, Cassie. That was Cassie Wilcox—
Cassie: Don’t do that. Don’t cut me off. It’s exactly what everyone has done for years. I’ve been completely ignored and pushed aside. My brother is not a headline about that family, he’s a human being. He deserves justice. You’re all the same. You—
Patrick: We’ll be back with today’s top news stories after this short break.
July 2023
To: Tom@TomIsaacInvestigates.com
From: Cassie_Wilcox@BlueInternet.com
Subject: My brother – Bradley Wilcox
Date: 18.07.23
Dear Tom,
My name is Cassie Wilcox. I’m the sister of Bradley Wilcox who went missing after attending a party at the Lancasters’ home in 2003. I’m guessing you saw the news in February about the video and Bradley? Since then, nothing has changed. And that’s why a friend recommended I contact you.
I run a missing persons charity called Never Give Up, and we have a social media campaign called #JusticeForBradley, but it feels like we’re shouting into the void. I don’t think the police are doing anything. The papers have moved on. I keep phoning all the media outlets but no one will return my calls. I got a bit angry on Sky News and now everyone thinks I’m crazy. I’m not! I’m just frustrated.
I’ve watched all of your investigations on your YouTube channel and I think you’re a brilliant investigator. How you got that puppy farmer crying in the final interview was amazing! And I’m not just saying that because I really need your help.
My brother’s disappearance killed my parents and ruined my life. All I want is the truth.
Can you please help me?
Best regards,
Cassie Wilcox
To: Cassie_Wilcox@BlueInternet.com
From: Tom@TomIsaacInvestigates.com
Subject: RE: My brother – Bradley Wilcox
Date: 20.07.23
Hi Cassie,
OMG you won’t believe this but I was just thinking about your brother last week and wondering if I could do a docuseries on what happened to him. It was meant to be!
I would love to help you. I’m just finishing a series on MP expenses in Westminster and then I was planning to have a break, but Bradley’s disappearance feels too important. I can totally understand why you’re feeling frustrated.
Let’s talk next week!
Tom x
PS I’m not sure if your friend mentioned this or if you remember me, but I went to St Dunstable’s School too. I was in Locke’s year and we used to be friends. I haven’t seen him for years though and it wouldn’t affect my investigation. I’d be completely impartial. My whole ethos at Tom Isaac Investigates is about uncovering the truth, but I felt like I should mention it.
PPS I remember Bradley from school a bit. He helped me get on the rugby team when I was in year seven and he was in his final year.
To: Tom@TomIsaacInvestigates.com
From: Cassie_Wilcox@BlueInternet.com
Subject: RE: My brother – Bradley Wilcox
Date: 20.07.23
Hi Tom,
Thank you so much! I’m so grateful for any help you can give me.
Thanks for letting me know about your connection to Locke. I don’t remember you from school I’m afraid but I was in Taylor’s year so I would’ve been three years above you. I actually think it’s a good thing that you know/knew Locke. Maybe the Lancasters will be more willing to talk to you than they are to a stranger (or to me!!!).
