True Criminals

• Dr. Death: Harold Shipman the Serial Killer Doctor - Part 1

  What happens when the person you trust most with your life, your family doctor, turns out to be one of the most prolific serial killers in history? In this chilling two-part special of True Criminals, hosts Martin Brunt and Helen Fospero uncover the horrifying story of Dr. Harold Shipman, the GP who murdered more than 200 of his patients while maintaining the façade of a caring, beloved community doctor. Joining them in the studio is Jean Ritchie, co-author of the bestselling book Prescription for Murder, who helped unravel the truth behind Shipman’s deadly secret. Together, they revisit how a respected family doctor from Hyde became a monster in plain sight, a man addicted not only to morphine, but to killing. From the first suspicions and the bungled police investigation to the forged will that finally exposed him, this episode examines how Shipman exploited the deepest trust between doctor and patient, and how his crimes changed the face of British medicine forever. Featuring never-before-heard insights into Shipman’s psychology, his obsession with morphine, and the arrogance that led to his capture, True Criminals reveals how one man’s god complex spiralled into decades of murder, all behind the doors of his surgery. Read Jeans book: Harold Shipman - Prescription for Murder https://www.amazon.co.uk/Prescription-Murder-Story-Harold-Shipman/dp/0751529982 Support the Show Listen ad free and access our full catalogue, including a True Criminals coffee mug, on Patreon at ⁠www.patreon.com/truecriminals⁠.  As an independent podcast, we rely on listener support. You can also donate via PayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=YQVFJR5766BJE Follow True Criminals Follow us on Instagram at ⁠@true.criminals⁠ and subscribe to our YouTube channel at ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@True-Criminals⁠. Connect with Martin Brunt Follow Martin on Twitter at ⁠@skymartinbrunt⁠. Discover more about his career and the cases he’s covered by reading his book, No One Got Cracked Over the Head for No Reason: Dispatches from a Crime Reporter, available here: ⁠https://amzn.eu/d/g1WisSY⁠. Connect with Helen Fospero Follow Helen on Instagram at ⁠@helenfospero⁠ and check out her podcast, The Convex Conversation, here: ⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-convex-conversation/id1510209575⁠. Credits True Criminals is produced by Audio Bleach Global.  Visit ⁠www.audiobleachglobal.com/truecriminals⁠ for more information.  Executive Producer: Lee Mann.  Producer: Russell Barnes.  Audio Production: Andrew Chappell.  Music Composition: Chap Mannequin.  Artwork: Bleached. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

  --------  

  47:29

  --------

  47:29
• The Night Stalker: Part 2 with special guest Dr. Amanda Vicary

  Step back into the sweltering summers of 1984 and 1985 as journalists Helen Fospero and Martin Brunt return to the chilling case of Richard Ramirez, the man who became known as “The Night Stalker.” From the sensational trial to his cult-like following of fans, we unpack the psychological forces that turned one of California’s most feared serial killers into a figure of morbid fascination. This episode examines Ramirez’s brutal childhood, his obsession with Satanism, and the four-year legal battle that led to his death sentence. But beyond the crimes, we explore a darker cultural phenomenon: why do some people, particularly women, develop obsessions or romantic attachments to notorious killers. Joining us is special guest Dr. Amanda Vicary, a social psychologist and leading voice on the intersection of crime, psychology and media. Dr. Vicary’s research on why women are drawn to violent men has been featured in The New York Times, The Atlantic and NPR. Together, we delve into the unsettling allure of Ramirez, how media portrayals fuel serial killer celebrity, and what this reveals about society. Listen for: • The psychological profile of Richard Ramirez and how his crimes terrorized California• The long and dramatic trial that exposed his Satanic beliefs • How Ramirez gained a cult following including women who claimed to love him• Dr. Amanda Vicary’s expert analysis on the psychology of attraction to violent men • The ethical questions facing journalists, podcasters and the true crime industry today True Criminals investigates the stories behind the headlines, exploring the criminal mind, the cultural impact and the people whose lives were changed forever. Hosted by Sky News crime correspondent Martin Brunt and journalist Helen Fospero. For our Patreon members, you can now hear extended versions of our podcast with added content by becoming an Insider member. Click the link here to join: www.patreon.com/truecriminals You can also donate via PayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=YQVFJR5766BJE Follow True Criminals Follow us on Instagram at ⁠@true.criminals⁠ and subscribe to our YouTube channel at ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@True-Criminals⁠. Connect with Martin Brunt Follow Martin on Twitter at ⁠@skymartinbrunt⁠. Discover more about his career and the cases he’s covered by reading his book, No One Got Cracked Over the Head for No Reason: Dispatches from a Crime Reporter, available here: ⁠https://amzn.eu/d/g1WisSY⁠. Connect with Helen Fospero Follow Helen on Instagram at ⁠@helenfospero⁠ and check out her podcast, The Convex Conversation, here: ⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-convex-conversation/id1510209575⁠. Credits True Criminals is produced by Audio Bleach Global.  Visit ⁠www.audiobleachglobal.com/truecriminals⁠ for more information.  Executive Producer: Lee Mann.  Producer: Russell Barnes.  Senior Researcher: Rebecca Stinton Audio Production: Andrew Chappell.  Music Composition: Chap Mannequin.  Artwork: Bleached. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

  --------  

  41:32

  --------

  41:32
• Myra Hindley: Britain’s Most Hated Woman - Part 2 with Howard Sounes

  In the early 1960s, a young couple from Manchester fell in love and together became the most reviled killers in British history. Ian Brady and Myra Hindley’s sadistic crimes shocked the nation, leaving five young victims buried in shallow graves across the bleak Saddleworth Moor. Their names are now synonymous with horror, and the story still chills Britain to this day. In this second episode of True Criminals, Martin Brunt and Helen Fospero uncover what happened after the trial as Hindley began a new chapter behind bars. With exclusive insight from crime writer Howard Sounes, who spent years investigating her life, we explore how Britain’s most notorious female killer tried to rewrite her own story. From failed redemption to an audacious escape plot involving a former nun, this episode delves deep into the manipulative power of Myra Hindley, the battle over her parole, and why decades later she remains a figure of national revulsion and uneasy fascination. Who was Myra Hindley in the end: a woman transformed or a master manipulator until the very last breath? You can read Howards book "This Woman" here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/This-Woman-Hindleys-Prison-Attempt/dp/1841885118 Support the Show Listen ad free and access our full catalogue, including a True Criminals coffee mug, on Patreon at ⁠www.patreon.com/truecriminals⁠.  As an independent podcast, we rely on listener support. You can also donate via PayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=YQVFJR5766BJE Follow True Criminals Follow us on Instagram at ⁠@true.criminals⁠ and subscribe to our YouTube channel at ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@True-Criminals⁠. Connect with Martin Brunt Follow Martin on Twitter at ⁠@skymartinbrunt⁠. Discover more about his career and the cases he’s covered by reading his book, No One Got Cracked Over the Head for No Reason: Dispatches from a Crime Reporter, available here: ⁠https://amzn.eu/d/g1WisSY⁠. Connect with Helen Fospero Follow Helen on Instagram at ⁠@helenfospero⁠ and check out her podcast, The Convex Conversation, here: ⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-convex-conversation/id1510209575⁠. Credits True Criminals is produced by Audio Bleach Global.  Visit ⁠www.audiobleachglobal.com/truecriminals⁠ for more information.  Executive Producer: Lee Mann.  Producer: Russell Barnes.  Audio Production: Andrew Chappell.  Music Composition: Chap Mannequin.  Artwork: Bleached. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

  --------  

  1:00:08

  --------

  1:00:08
• Myra Hindley: Britain’s Most Hated Woman

  In the early 1960s, a young couple from Manchester fell in love, and together became the most reviled killers in British history. Ian Brady and Myra Hindley’s sadistic crimes shocked the nation, leaving five young victims buried in shallow graves across the bleak Saddleworth Moor. Their names are now synonymous with horror and the story still chills Britain to this day. In this powerful two part special of True Criminals, Martin Brunt and Helen Fospero uncover how an office romance turned into a killing spree that defined a generation’s fear. We explore how Brady’s obsession with Nazi ideology and violence met Hindley’s fatal devotion, and how their twisted partnership spiraled into unthinkable evil. Part One investigates their crimes, the abductions, the shocking evidence hidden in a railway locker, and the trial that made Myra Hindley the face of pure evil. Part Two features exclusive insight from crime writer Howard Soones, who reveals what happened inside prison — Myra’s decades of manipulation, her failed redemption, and her infamous escape plot with a former nun. Almost sixty years on, the Moors Murders still haunt Britain. Who was Myra Hindley — monster, victim, or both? Support the Show Listen ad free and access our full catalogue, including a True Criminals coffee mug, on Patreon at ⁠www.patreon.com/truecriminals⁠.  As an independent podcast, we rely on listener support. You can also donate via PayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=YQVFJR5766BJE Follow True Criminals Follow us on Instagram at ⁠@true.criminals⁠ and subscribe to our YouTube channel at ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@True-Criminals⁠. Connect with Martin Brunt Follow Martin on Twitter at ⁠@skymartinbrunt⁠. Discover more about his career and the cases he’s covered by reading his book, No One Got Cracked Over the Head for No Reason: Dispatches from a Crime Reporter, available here: ⁠https://amzn.eu/d/g1WisSY⁠. Connect with Helen Fospero Follow Helen on Instagram at ⁠@helenfospero⁠ and check out her podcast, The Convex Conversation, here: ⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-convex-conversation/id1510209575⁠. Credits True Criminals is produced by Audio Bleach Global.  Visit ⁠www.audiobleachglobal.com/truecriminals⁠ for more information.  Executive Producer: Lee Mann.  Producer: Russell Barnes.  Audio Production: Andrew Chappell.  Music Composition: Chap Mannequin.  Artwork: Bleached. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

  --------  

  42:10

  --------

  42:10
• True Criminals Briefing | Madeleine McCann: Christian B breaks silence after prison release

  When Christian B walked free from a German prison this month, the only official suspect in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann stepped back into the spotlight, and straight into controversy. In this True Criminals Briefing, Sky News crime correspondent Martin Brunt and journalist Helen Fospero unpack the extraordinary scenes around his release, the media circus that followed, and the prosecutor’s unwavering insistence that Christian B abducted and murdered Madeleine, despite no arrest or charges. Martin recounts the tense hours outside the prison, the motorbike chase that was stopped by police, and the moment Christian B surfaced at a McDonald’s for his first meal of freedom. We also hear about the backlash in his new community, the police intervention that forced him to move, and the continuing shadow cast by accusations he denies. Martin and his team at Sky secured an exclusive interview with the suspect. For the first time since his release, Christian B has spoken. Though he refused to answer the crucial question — “Did you kill Madeleine McCann?” — his claims of a witch hunt by prosecutors reveal the strange and uneasy position he now occupies: condemned in the world’s most famous missing child case, but still a free man. As Helen and Martin reflect on the challenges of reporting this story, they ask the difficult question: what can really be learned by confronting the suspect at the heart of one of the most haunting mysteries of our time? Support the Show Listen ad free and access our full catalogue, including a True Criminals coffee mug, on Patreon at ⁠www.patreon.com/truecriminals⁠.  As an independent podcast, we rely on listener support. You can also donate via PayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=YQVFJR5766BJE Follow True Criminals Follow us on Instagram at ⁠@true.criminals⁠ and subscribe to our YouTube channel at ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@True-Criminals⁠. Connect with Martin Brunt Follow Martin on Twitter at ⁠@skymartinbrunt⁠. Discover more about his career and the cases he’s covered by reading his book, No One Got Cracked Over the Head for No Reason: Dispatches from a Crime Reporter, available here: ⁠https://amzn.eu/d/g1WisSY⁠. Connect with Helen Fospero Follow Helen on Instagram at ⁠@helenfospero⁠ and check out her podcast, The Convex Conversation, here: ⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-convex-conversation/id1510209575⁠. Credits True Criminals is produced by Audio Bleach Global.  Visit ⁠www.audiobleachglobal.com/truecriminals⁠ for more information.  Executive Producer: Lee Mann.  Producer: Russell Barnes.  Audio Production: Andrew Chappell.  Music Composition: Chap Mannequin.  Artwork: Bleached. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

  --------  

  13:03

  --------

  13:03

More History podcasts

Trending History podcasts

About True Criminals