Dianarama cover art

Dianarama

The shocking true story of deception, cover-ups and the Panorama scandal that betrayed Princess Diana

 Preview
LIMITED TIME OFFER

3 Months Free

£5.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly.
Get this deal
Offer ends on 15 July 2026 at 11:59 BST.
More purchase options

Dianarama

By: Andy Webb
Narrated by: Andy Webb
Get this deal

£5.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly.

Buy Now for £12.06

Buy Now for £12.06

Brought to you by Penguin.

REVEALED FOR THE FIRST TIME: THE TRUE STORY OF THE DECEPTION OF PRINCESS DIANA

The death of Princess Diana in August 1997 was one of the most shocking events in recent history.

Many events surrounding the tragedy have been shrouded in mystery, in particular the BBC Panorama interview Diana gave to journalist Martin Bashir less than two years before she died.

However, the true extent of the deception the princess experienced as well as the cover-up which ensued has never before been revealed – until now.

  • Dianarama is the story of one of the biggest scandals in public life and broadcasting history and of the cover-up that followed to hide what happened, leaving the damaged princess to her fate.
  • Andy Webb is the writer and award-winning filmmaker who obtained the secret files that first broke the story of Princess Diana's betrayal.
  • Here he offers unrivalled insider access to the key players in the drama in a thrilling first-hand narrative, putting the reader inside the room where each key decision was taken.
  • The story takes us from the moment BBC reporter Martin Bashir first contrived his dossier of forged bank statements in 1995 to the 2024 courtroom where Webb faced the BBC's elite legal squad to demand the release of 10,000 pages of highly contested documents relating to the scandal.


A story for the ages, the fate of Princess Diana will be debated by scholars and gossips centuries from now.

This book, filled with revelations which have not yet entered the public record, will become a key part in the first draft of history.

'A STORY WE WERE NEVER SUPPOSED TO READ' PATRICK JEPHSON, PRIVATE SECRETARY TO PRINCESS DIANA

'AN IMPORTANT AND FORENSIC EXAMINATION' CHARLES SPENCER

© Andy Webb 2025 (P) Penguin Audio 2025

 Europe Great Britain Politics & Activism Royalty Women
adbl_web_anon_alc_button_suppression_t1

Critic reviews

Dianarama often has the feel of a thriller… a well written, pacy book
Anyone who cares for honest reporting and the health of the BBC should read Dianarama. On one level it’s the definitive account of the BBC’s disastrous Martin Bashir saga and its consequences, by the man who exposed it all. It’s also a gripping tale of deceit, cover ups and that very British habit of punishing the whistleblower while promoting time-serving hacks!
Sensational. A vigorous and heavily researched read. As entertaining and energetic as a thriller. Webb juggles multiple revelations and unearthed seminal documents. In his meticulous and readable style and with his newly uncovered items, it is a shocking tale
Extraordinary, a shocking list of wrongdoing. Meticulously researched and carefully crafted. Webb’s sources are impeccable. *****
After 20 years investigating Princess Diana’s 1995 Panorama interview with Martin Bashir… the extent of his duplicity, as well as the BBC’s failings afterwards, is laid bare in this fine book
You close the book knowing that Diana Spencer would almost certainly still be alive were it not for the BBC's behaviour. If a member of the public like me feels, on reading this book, a fizzing rage and grief for poor Diana - what can her sons, brother and surviving sisters be feeling?
All stars
Most relevant
The amount of research required to write this book would have overwhelmed many. Thank goodness Andy Webb’s tenacious investigative mind sought the truth. RIP Diana

The Truth

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Good research but this could have been half the length .. I must have heard “he lied three times “ about 20+ times and it started to get really annoying

Repeated itself time and again chapter after chapter

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Andy Webb clarifies the truth, and helps us to see the misleading ways in which Princess Diana was characterised. Her early death seems even more sad, knowing it was avoidable. This book is a must-listen for anyone interested to understand the way a highly trusted media organisation lied and frittered public money in the interests of preserving secrecy around its own foul play.

Blinding truth demanding action

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
First of all, narration by author is brilliant. I am (surprisingly, still) shocked at how matters were handled.
I fully believe that criminal prosecution (not just Bashir) should have taken place a long time ago. And I feel desperately sorry for the innocent parties that have had reputations sullied. From the whistleblowing graphic designer to Diana’s private secretary Patrick Jephson, whom lost her trust. A great listen, well written.

Riveting detailed analysis

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I bought the Audible version, very ably narrated by the author. I’ve listened to it in a single sitting, totally mesmerised, angered and astonished by this tale of corporate deception. I’m not a big fan of the BBC which I believe is a manipulative and monstrous organisation designed for control. A government organ that influences how people think and act. Recent events around manipulation of a Trump recording prove the point and the time for them to be brought to account is long overdue.
Neither am I a royalist or Diana follower, but I found the circumstances of her death truly shocking. Long before that it was clear that there was a hidden subtext to the marriage to Charles, subsequent break up and everything that followed. It would be easy to dismiss her as somewhat unhinged, but her claims prior to her death that she would be murdered by car crash deserve serious consideration and review. The circumstances of her death have never been adequately explained and there are many unanswered questions.
Andy Webb has taken a totally fresh path through this jungle of smoke and mirrors. His research has taken years and he’s overcome hurdle after hurdle to obtain previously unreleased papers about events, including email exchanges. One has to wonder how a state of the art organisation managed to lose literally thousands of relevant correspondence and has never been properly challenged about the data loss. Could it be a cover up at the heart of that supposedly illustrious institution?
The events around the Bashir interview read like a Whitehall farce at times. Surrounded by secrecy, it makes for very uncomfortable reading given the possibility that he was such a negative influence and a proven liar. He clearly captivated her initially, with hours spent in her kitchen at Kensington Palace making pasta. What? Bizarre. But it seems clear that following his intervention, she lost trust in those who were genuinely looking out for her. Her friends and particularly Patrick Jephson, her PS for many years were suddenly persona non grata. I felt sorry for Jephson whose integrity seems beyond question in the way in which Diana peremptorily dumped him, causing him to resign. Webb explores links and similarities with other unexpected deaths; her former bodyguard in a motor accident and even the Grace Kelly crash. These may seem tenuous, but there’s a lot of food for thought.
This book isn’t about, in my view, making a fast buck. It’s a serious investigative piece that raises a number of unanswered questions. They’re questions that challenge the heart of ‘the Establishment’ and we deserve answers. The Dyson report into the scandalous interview condemned the BBC, but failed to address a number of pertinent issues. The nation remains beholden to the BBC and the royal family. They’re institutions that are trusted. I believe that trust is misplaced and it’s time to wake up and understand that the ‘dark forces’ of which Diana was truly afraid, really do exist. The book’s a revelation; well written, engaging and honest. I hope it receives the wide audience it deserves although I haven’t noticed a fanfare of a guest spot on the One Show!

Truly shocking

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews