Do you Know the Enemy: Who Exactly Is Steven Bartlett?

 

“Don’t be blinded by the lies” – Billie Joe Armstrong

Let's take a brief stroll down memory lane, shall we? Some of this will be painful, but given the recent announcement on September 15 that Steven Bartlett will conduct an upcoming interview with Louis Tomlinson, here's a reminder of who Louis will be dealing with and how Bartlett's platform has been used before to establish narratives for a member of One Direction.

Let's start from the beginning. Narnia was curious when Louis was sat next to Steven Bartlett in the Old Trafford locker room during Soccer Aid this past summer. That curiosity turned to concern when, on June 19, 2025, four whole days after the event, a delayed comment from Bartlett appeared from out of nowhere,  "Great catching up with you mate Louis Tomlinson."  Followed by a friendly 'bro' fist bump emoji (we guess to show mutual respect/approval) and a red-heart emoji. Really???

Red Heart – Love, passion, deep affection.

Mate? Are we joking. Then, to keep the bestie vibe messaging going, this belated post appeared on July 6, from a "One Direction" account:

Louis catching up with his teammate Steve Bartlett

Okaaaay? 

Now, just two months later, Bartlett announces an upcoming interview with One Direction "Legend", Louis Tomlinson. Remember, Louis wants us to ask questions, and that's exactly what Narnia is doing.

Don't forget that Bartlett showed up from out of nowhere with the same Diary of a CEO format on June 6, 2021 to "interview" Liam Payne about his "demons". This was the interview that established the narrative which was to transform Liam's media image with the public as well as parts of the 1D fandom forever. The pivotal exchange where we "learned" about Liam's longstanding bouts with depression. His addiction to alcohol. How he experienced suicidal ideation. In other words, we were told what we needed to know to set the stage for what we were going to see for the next three and one-half years. 

Since spoon feeding was the point to lay a solid foundation for what was to come, TPTB heaped their plot points at the One Direction fandom as if they were shoveling coal into a blast furnace. To address questioning fans who might wonder where all this angst was coming from, Liam made sure to add that he was great at hiding his struggles. [Hint: that's why the world never caught on before 2021.] Gotcha! A full transcript of the “interview” followed practically in real time, something Narnia had never seen before. Obviously done to make sure Liam's "words" would shoot through the fandom with lightening speed. 

This was the interview where Liam intentionally wore two strings of the infamous three strand diamond necklace directly associated with Zayn. The item that was so well-known among Ziams that even the Daily Mail had to write about the "touching" gesture in November 2024 after Z proudly wore a strand to that very public "funeral". An obviously desperate attempt by the tabloid to minimize the meaning behind Zayn's message. Just a bro diamond necklace shared between mates. Nothing to see here. /snark

And don't forget how Liam also communicated what was really happening to him in that Bartlett interview with the word "Frame" displayed on his t-shirt.

November 20, 2024

Slang for frame (informal):  to incriminate (an innocent person) through the use of false evidence, information, etc.

Zayn wearing matching diamond necklace strand, 2023 magazine shoot

After that damaging podcast interview, Bartlett made sure to hang out with Liam as if he was his best buddy. Which is how he was portrayed from that moment on. Seeee? I didn't ambush Liam. We are besties. Nothing sinister is going on here.

Out on the town, 6.12.21

Bartlett and Liam 6.13.21, UEFA European Championship

Just bros hanging out two times within a week after the podcast heard round the world. Oh, and let's not forget either, that Bartlett was essential to establishing another narrative at the time. Liam the entrepreneur and NFT promoter. Music? What's that? 

Just three days after the Bartlett podcast:

We also know there is a Simon Cowell connection because, once again, from out of nowhere, Bartlett suddenly "interviews" Cowell on 6.10.24. Anyone with even a passing familiarity with Simon Cowell knows that when he goes on the record, he usually wants to sell a certain narrative or position himself for some other self-dealing benefit. This was the infamous interview where Cowell, besides trying to humanize himself, (good luck with that!) states that the only regret he has regarding One Direction is that he didn't own the band name. 

It's also the moment in which he suddenly reverses course after years of saying otherwise, that he doesn't think the group will ever get together again. Adding for the record that the members of the group owned the rights to One Direction, which means any of the four could prevent future use or collaborations with the group. Uh-huh. Considering this man's reputation for iron clad contracts and the long-term exploitation of others, Narnia finds it hard to believe that a 51-year-old music mogul let a group of teenagers hoodwink him. He knew the value of that name if the band were to hit it big, and would have made sure he would be the one to exploit that stream of revenue. That he would be the one to retain control.

Like someone on twitter commented at the time, Cowell's "regretful" disclosure in such a public format seemed peculiar:

Let's just say, one wonders if the reason One Direction has never reunited is because they weren't allowed to.  Moreover, the fact that Bartlett's former manager was hired just a few months after his interview with Cowell is probably just a coinkydink as well. That's right. Lauren Clark is now a director in YMU's Global Entertainment Division. The music industry's own version of a spoils system at work.

Narnia will conclude here even though there is plenty of additional evidence about the sabotage that followed Liam in the wake of that June 2021 Bartlett interview. That target on Louis' back that we spoke about in our previous post, is real and Steve Bartlett is no innocent bystander. 

Sources: Instagram, Facebook, Deadline, CapitalFM, Twitter, Tumblr, The Perfect Magazine, Diary of a CEO, World Tomlinson, Diary of a CEO, Soccer Aid.

Our Playlist:  Do You Know the Enemy - Green Day

                       Instant Karma - John Lennon

                       I Won't Back Down - Tom Petty