The story of his transformation from mute, illiterate schoolboy to eminent Cambridge University professor brought him acclaim, minor celebrity and a book deal – until his incredible stories began to collapse under scrutiny.
But one claim in that much-pored over memoir by Jason Arday which has not yet been subject to a similar degree of scrutiny turns out on closer examination to be one of the most incredible of all, the Daily Mail can reveal.
Arday claims in his book that he received ‘hundreds of thousands’ of supportive messages after his appointment to Cambridge University.
The sociologist, 41, cites this in his forthcoming memoir, Great And Unfortunate Things, as he addresses his appointment to Cambridge in February 2023.
He writes: ‘What keeps me going are the other messages, the positive letters, texts and emails from people all over the world that come in daily; I’ve received hundreds of thousands of them now, so many that I’ve lost count.’
This may sound plausible at first glance – after all, it was widely heralded, as the University in particular was proud to promote its new hire with his inspiring backstory.
But compare his claim to known instances of high-profile figures and their messages from the public and it becomes rather less so.
It would, for example, far outstrip the officially recorded 30,000 letters and emails sent to the King and Princess of Wales following their respective cancer diagnoses.
Jason Arday claimed he received ‘hundreds of thousands’ of supportive messages after his appointment to Cambridge University – which seems less plausible with further examination
Almost 30,000 letters and emails were sent to the King and Princess of Wales (pictured, at Trooping the Colour in June) following their respective cancer diagnoses
King Charles and Princess Kate were sent almost 30,000 messages following their respective announcements about their health in 2024, official records show.
Buckingham Palace announced that King Charles was diagnosed with cancer and began treatment that February, before Princess Kate disclosed she was undergoing chemotherapy the following month.
Arday’s apparent deluge of support for his career promotion would also potentially eclipse that of the late Captain Sir Tom Moore, who, at the height of his lockdown national treasure fame, is said to have received 220,000 messages to mark his 100th birthday in 2020.
The late veteran of the Second World War, who became a famous figure worldwide after raising almost £40million for NHS charities, had attracted more than 1.5 million donations.
He received so many birthday cards that Royal Mail had to set up a dedicated sorting house to handle the unprecedented volume.
It took more than 140 volunteers some 1,750 hours to open and display them – with a fraction of them filling an entire school hall in Bedford.
Yet Arday claims he has received at least 200,000 messages since February 23, 2023 – which would be equivalent to roughly 190 letters, texts and emails every day by the time the American advance proof was prepared in early 2026.
Sending a letter or card involves more work than sending an email but the stark difference in numbers creates fresh questions for Arday and the information presented in his memoir.
Arday’s apparent deluge of support would also potentially eclipse that of the late Captain Sir Tom Moore, who is said to have received 220,000 messages for his 100th birthday in 2020
Arday, however, claims he has received at least 200,000 messages since February 23, 2023
If his claim does turn out to be an exaggeration or a misremembering, it won’t be the first.
Earlier this week, for example, the Daily Mail revealed Arday appeared to pass off an inspirational quote as his own in an early draft of his book – before editors had to step in to clarify that it was actually said by tennis legend Rafael Nadal.
A poster boy for diversity as the university’s youngest ever black professor, he was initially staunchly backed by Cambridge – which had condemned a ‘vile campaign to undermine his credibility’.
But after this newspaper and others revealed a string of universities disputed Arday’s claims that he held academic posts with them, the university announced it was taking action.
Arday resigned from Cambridge this week insisting that he had been subject to a degree of scrutiny that others have not faced.
He wrote: ‘This decision should not… be mistaken for an acceptance of the narratives that have surrounded me. It is simply the decision of someone who has reached the limits of what any person should reasonably be expected to endure.’
