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On 2026-08-06 Aaron Bastani wrote he was barely aware of Jason Arday until that…

2026-08-06 · 11:41 UTC ·@AaronBastani ·0 min read

Brief

Aaron Bastani wrote he was barely aware of Jason Arday until the week of 6 Aug 2026 and learned more while covering the story on Tuesday. He reports senior British academics accepted a string of improbable claims about Arday—world-class marathoner, major charity fundraiser, Crystal Palace apprentice, plausible snooker pro, and recent brain surgery causing memory loss—and argues those claims should have appeared implausible to the liberal intelligentsia.

Why it matters

On 2026-08-06 Aaron Bastani wrote he was barely aware of Jason Arday until that week and learned a lot while covering the story on Tuesday.

Key details

  • Bastani claims senior figures in British academia believed Arday was a world-class marathon runner, one of Britain’s most impressive charity fundraisers, an apprentice at Crystal Palace FC, a plausible snooker pro, and that he had brain surgery weeks before his viva causing memory loss; Bastani says such claims should have seemed implausible to the liberal intelligentsia.
Source evidence

I’ll be honest, I was barely aware of who Jason Arday was until this week. Learned a lot covering the story on Tuesday.

One thing that interests me is that some of the most senior people in British academia believed he was: a world class marathon runner, one of Britain’s most impressive charity fundraisers, an apprentice at Crystal Palace football club, a plausible snooker pro, and that he had brain surgery weeks before his viva (which meant memory loss).

The liberal intelligentsia like to think they are smarter than everyone else, but most people would hear that and think “hang on, this doesn’t really sound very possible does it”.