Chase the Truth: How Real Is Matt Fiddes’ Michael Jackson Story?

Aug 20, 2019

Michael Jackson: Chase the Truth was released on 13 August across several online platforms, including Amazon Video, YouTube, and Google Play.

Directed by Jordan Hill and produced by Entertain Me, the documentary positions itself as a rebuttal to Leaving Neverland. Predictably, it casts Jackson as the victim, questioning the allegations made by Wade Robson and James Safechuck, and leaning heavily on the familiar narrative that the accusers are financially motivated — while ironically charging £3.49 to stream.

The film features a small circle of Jackson’s so‑called “friends”: Mark Lester, his daughter Lucy, and Matt Fiddes. All claim to know the truth, despite never being present with Robson or Safechuck during the 1980s and 1990s, when the abuse occurred. It also features commentary from Mike Smallcombe, a Jackson biographer who has vigorously promoted his claims about the Neverland train station to various sources, while ignoring the complex realities of child sexual abuse and the inconsistencies often found in genuine survivors’ accounts.

Fiddes describes himself as a martial arts “expert” and former bodyguard to Jackson. After Jackson’s death, he became a fixture in tabloids, frequently selling stories and even claiming he had donated sperm and might be the biological father of Jackson’s youngest son, Blanket.

This claim provoked anger among Jackson supporters, many of whom argue that Fiddes’s story is deeply flawed and unsupported by evidence. Websites scrutinising his alleged friendship with Jackson note that his only documented connection was acting as “umbrella boy” when Jackson attended Exeter City Football Club with Uri Geller.

In reality, Fiddes was never a licensed bodyguard, nor did he receive payment or hold a formal contract with Jackson or any agency. His connection to the singer arose solely through his friendship and business partnership with Geller, with whom he had previously collaborated on a fitness DVD. As such, Fiddes’ appearances alongside Jackson in London and later at Exeter City Football Club in June 2002 were entirely the result of his association with the celebrity spoon-bender, rather than any official role in Jackson’s entourage.

Moving away from fan websites, there is substantial evidence suggesting that Matt Fiddes is both eccentric and questionable in character. On 19 October 1999, in Barnstaple, he staged a Black Belt Academy extravaganza in which a “special guest” arrived in a white stretch limousine, flanked by ten bodyguards. The guest turned out to be a Jackson impersonator, who performed several routines to the astonishment of the crowd. Fiddes, then only about 20 years old, had orchestrated the entire spectacle.

Source: news.bbc.co.uk

Nearly a decade later, in 2008, Fiddes appeared in the Channel 4 programme The Jacksons Are Coming. The documentary followed Tito Jackson and his family as they searched for a home in Devon, with Fiddes acting as their tour guide.

Not long afterwards, Fiddes launched an unusual legal action against Channel 4, alleging that the programme had been entirely fabricated. However, in June 2010—on the very day the trial was due to begin—he abruptly withdrew his claims.

Julian Bellamy, the head of Channel 4, stated:

"Channel 4 is delighted that this unmeritorious claim has been discontinued. This case illustrates the chilling effect that exorbitant legal costs in CFA-funded libel claims can have on broadcasters' freedom of expression. The claim was flawed from the outset and it is a damning indictment of the current libel system in the UK that the claimant has been allowed to tie up the court's valuable time and the defendant's resources for so long."

He added: 

"To be crystal clear... we are not paying Mr Fiddess legal fees or any damages."

Stephen Lambert, chief executive of Studio Lambert, which made the programme, described Fiddes as a:

"Fame-seeking fantasist" who, when he didn't like seeing himself on television "in his true colours", launched a "vainglorious legal action".

Michael Jackson’s mother, Katherine, who was also involved in the Channel 4 show, issued a statement saying:

"Fiddes tried to pretend that he was a close friend of my son Michael, but when I spoke to Michael about him, he could not remember who he was. The whole family was deeply upset by interviews he gave shortly after Michael's death which no friend would have done.

"You have to stand up to people like this."

Source: theguardian.com

Furthermore, Stephen Lambert stated:

"If Channel 4, Studio Lambert and [director] Jane Preston had not been willing to call [Fiddes's] bluff and hold their ground it would have encouraged anyone who willingly takes part in a TV programme and doesn't like the way they have been accurately portrayed to launch a spurious CFA libel action like this."

Source: theguardian.com

In February 2013, Fiddes was fined for issuing false court summons in connection with a divorce case. He was ordered to pay a £750 fine, together with £1,200 in costs and a £15 victim surcharge.

Judge Francis Gilbert QC remarked:

"You would have saved yourself a lot of the trouble if you had admitted what you did at the start."

"It was rather a stupid thing to have done," the judge said, adding that Fiddes had "a significant business".

Source: theguardian.com

Not only is Matt Fiddes widely criticised by Jackson fans, he is also regarded with considerable scepticism within the martial arts community. A number of websites have been created to warn the public about his operation, which is frequently described as the largest “McDojo” in the UK. The term “McDojo” is used to describe martial arts schools that offer diluted, impractical training, prioritising profit over genuine skill and discipline.

"With over 500 schools worldwide (250 IN THE UK) and boasting at having 25,000 members, Matt Fiddes martial arts is the biggest McDojo in the UK. Run by 6th Dan Matt Fiddes who at 11 was 1st Dan and at age 17 achieved 4th Dan, at age 29 6th Dan. Matt Fiddes academies are well documented as a McDojo with stories of lock in contracts, exorbitant training fees and the promise of a black belt in 2 years. Matt Fiddes has issued legal threats against multitude of people who have spoken out about his martial arts business, stories of attempts at blackmail have been documented as well."

Source: yolasite.com

In summary, Jordan Hill interviewed a “fame‑seeking fantasist” who had been exposed for forging documents and was directly discredited by Jackson’s own mother, in what now appears to have been a hypocritical attempt to undermine Wade and James’s credibility.

On 14 August, I wrote to Jordan Hill raising several questions, drawing attention to the serious credibility concerns surrounding Matt Fiddes and asking whether any background checks had been conducted to verify his authenticity.

Below is his first and only response to my initial email, which set out the concerns outlined above.

Jordan Hill’s reply: 

Hi David,

Thanks for your thorough response. It’s clear you have a passion about this subject. We were aware from the start about prior research people have done into all our contributors that is why in the edit I felt it only responsible to include only verifiable remarks and nothing fantastical.

It was difficult at the project’s inception to find anyone who was willing to discuss Michael Jackson’s legal disputes as the topic is justifiably very complicated and massively out of public favour but I strived to see what kind of a picture there was when we look at the messy and complicated world with as much context as possible.

I have said before how I didn’t approach the film with the intent to prove anything definitive. I just wanted to create a film that provides viewers, and myself a humanising perspective that looks at a situation without trying to parade as a gospel truth.

I know there are many people online who have tried to sensationalise the content of this film but it doesn’t force a conclusion or doctrine– the title is a directive- don’t accept anything at face value. Analyse the facts, keep it neutral, keep it respectful, classy and chase the truth.

I hope this helps clarify your concern.

All the best,

Jordan

As evident, Jordan Hill never truly addressed any of my inquiries, maintaining that he only included verifiable statements and nothing sensational.

I subsequently sent him a second email, specifically inquiring whether he could authenticate Mr. Fiddes as someone who personally knew Jackson and possessed knowledge of his interactions with young boys.

My second email:

Hi, and thanks for the reply.

I’m not asking whether you chose to include verifiable remarks and nothing farcical, but whether you can verify the authenticity of Mr Fiddes as somebody who knew Jackson, with personal knowledge of his activities with young boys.

Before you started your documentary, were you aware that Jackson’s mother had essentially told the world that Mr Fiddes was no friend of the family, and that Jackson couldn’t remember who he was?

Did you ever, at any point, question Mr Fiddes’ timeline of alleged friendship/employment with Jackson, when all the evidence only points to him doing two or three security jobs in the early 2000s?

Your documentary is titled “Chase The Truth”, yet I’m seeing quite the opposite so far.

Mr Fiddes strongly implies in the documentary that Wade and James are liars, motivated by money. You must be aware that Mr Fiddes is no stranger to selling stories to tabloids, and that he attempted to profit from a no-win, no-fee legal case against a Channel 4 programme featuring the Jacksons, which, unsurprisingly, he lost.

As the head director of the documentary, what evidence did you personally see that Mr Fiddes was authentic? Did he show you payslips, flight records, unique photographs of him and Jackson, et cetera? Did you, at any point, see any evidence that Mr Fiddes had contact with Jackson when he had a young boy by his side or in his bed?

Looking forward to your reply.

Thanks again.

Read the original emails here.

Despite the rapid response to my first email, no further replies were received.

Conclusion

Fiddes’s account of first meeting Jackson around 1999 and maintaining regular contact until the singer’s death in 2009 does not stand up to scrutiny. There is no evidence of any prolonged friendship. The only documented interaction—supported by photographic and video evidence—took place during Jackson’s visit to the UK in June 2002, when he embarked on a brief tour of London and Exeter organised by Uri Geller.

Even if meetings occurred before or after that date away from the cameras, such encounters would have been rare. Jackson seldom visited the UK, with his last known appearances being in March 2001 (Uri Geller’s vow renewal), June 2002 (London and Exeter City FC), November 2006 (World Music Awards), March 2007 (a Harrods shopping trip), and March 2009 to announce his This Is It concerts. Fiddes does not appear in any photographic or video evidence from these visits, apart from June 2002.

It also makes little sense that Jackson would have required Fiddes’ “unofficial” services between 1999 and 2009. During his years at Neverland Ranch, Jackson employed a full-time security team. The 2003 Martin Bashir documentary Living with Michael Jackson shows glimpses of their presence not only at the ranch but also in locations outside, including Las Vegas and Europe.

After the 2005 trial, Jackson lived in various countries such as Bahrain and the Republic of Ireland before returning to the USA. Given his severe financial difficulties, the idea that he made regular trips to the UK—or anywhere else requiring Fiddes’ involvement—is highly improbable. From late 2006 onwards, Bill Whitfield and Javon Beard served as his senior bodyguards. In fact, in the 2007 “Harrods shopping trip” video, both Whitfield and Beard are clearly visible in London alongside other security staff, while Fiddes is conspicuously absent.

Fiddes was also absent from the 2004 defence witness list, despite it containing a vast number of names, including UK-based figures such as Mark Lester, Martin Bashir, and Uri Geller.

Regarding Jackson’s death, Fiddes claimed in a Mirror article: “Uri and I have been told we will be quizzed by detectives. We saw a lot of things and regularly met Michael’s circle of doctors. We don’t have anything to hide and will co-operate as best we can.”

However, there are no records indicating that he was ever questioned by law enforcement, nor was he called as a witness during the trial of Dr Conrad Murray—despite his claims of having knowledge about Jackson’s medical circle.

Moreover, by his own admission, Fiddes was never a licensed bodyguard, nor was he paid or contracted by Jackson. He was therefore never technically Jackson’s “bodyguard” at all, but at most a friend or acquaintance—assuming they continued to meet after their initial introduction. 

Perhaps the strongest evidence against Fiddes’s version of events comes from Jackson himself. At no point, in any interview, did Jackson ever mention the name Matt Fiddes, nor did any of his closest associates. Equally telling is that Fiddes himself made little public noise about Jackson prior to the singer’s death. If he truly enjoyed a decade-long friendship, why did he wait until after Jackson’s passing to proclaim it? The obvious conclusion is that he knew a living Jackson could expose him as a man peddling fiction.

After the release of Leaving Neverland, Fiddes warned Dan Reed to be “concerned about his career”. In truth, it is Fiddes who should be concerned, especially if he continues telling stories that appear highly dubious. Sooner or later, the truth will emerge, and it will likely show that Fiddes turned a one‑week unofficial bodyguard job into a fictitious ten‑year tale involving Michael Jackson.