Bad People Podcast
Murderers. Fraudsters. Internet trolls. This is a podcast about people who do terrible things, and the science of humanity鈥檚 dark side.
Murderers. Fraudsters. Internet trolls. This is a podcast about people who do terrible things, and the science of humanity鈥檚 dark side.
Series producer: Louisa Field
Artwork: Kingsley Nebechi
Music: Matt Chandler
Editors: Anna Lacey and Martin Smith
Academic Consultants for The Open University:
Dr Ailsa Strathie
Dr Sarah Laurence
Commissioning Assistant Producer: Adam Eland
Commissioning Executive: Dylan Haskins
Bad People is produced in partnership with The Open University and is a 大象传媒 Audio Science Production for 大象传媒 Sounds.
Episodes to download
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66. Respawn: What is child-to-parent violence?
Thu 21 Jul 2022
Can Daniel Petric鈥檚 love of video games help explain why he attacked his parents?
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65. Bloody footprint: What rights does a dead body have?
Thu 14 Jul 2022
New evidence leads the police to possibly the most notorious necrophile in UK history.
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Bi People 4: Are bisexuals invisible at work?—Bi People
Thu 30 Jun 2022
One of the first openly bisexual politicians in the US becomes part of a scandal.
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Bi People 3: Could you prove your sexuality?—Bi People
Thu 23 Jun 2022
A man seeks asylum on the basis of his bisexuality. How can he prove it in court?
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Bi People 2: Why did Pride begin?—Bi People
Thu 16 Jun 2022
How the 鈥渕other of pride鈥� turned riots into a revolution.
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Bi People 1: How queer are you?—Bi People
Thu 9 Jun 2022
A man is arrested for selling a book. What made it so scandalous?
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Bi People is coming soon—Bi People
Thu 2 Jun 2022
Dr Julia Shaw and Sofie Hagen discuss the history, science and culture of bisexuality.
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64. Underworld Aristocracy: Who chooses solitary confinement?
Thu 28 Apr 2022
An athlete with an unusual past. What are the consequences of solitary confinement?
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63. No socks: Why do people confess their crimes?
Thu 21 Apr 2022
The serial killer you鈥檝e probably never heard of. Why do people confess their crimes?
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62. Unabomber 2: A mastermind with a lack of insight?
Thu 14 Apr 2022
After six years of inactivity, the Unabomber is back. Will he finally be caught?
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61. Unabomber 1: How far are technophobes willing to go?
Thu 7 Apr 2022
The Unabomber terrorised American citizens for nearly two decades. Why?
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60. Little Helen: How fallible are forensics?
Thu 24 Mar 2022
Eight-year-old Helen is sent to buy bread for her mother. She never returns.
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59. Poster boy: When is homophobia a hate crime?
Thu 17 Mar 2022
The case of Matthew Shepard and the 鈥済ay panic鈥� defense.
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58. Africa Eye: Black Market Babies
Thu 10 Mar 2022
Poor and desperate, Klenice is on the verge of selling her baby to traffickers.
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57. The Iceman: Who becomes a contract killer?
Thu 3 Mar 2022
The Iceman admitted to killing over 100 people. Who becomes a contract killer?
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56. Death on camera: How can we tackle white fragility?
Thu 24 Feb 2022
A bar fight at a "student night", leads to Christopher Adler being horrendously detained
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55. Jon Ronson: The Satanic Panic
Thu 17 Feb 2022
Kelly is accused of horrific crimes. But all is not what it seems.
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54. The Jump: Is jealousy a useful emotion?
Thu 10 Feb 2022
A skydiver fell to her death after her parachute failed. Was it murder?
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53. Wiretapped: Can you hear colour?
Thu 3 Feb 2022
A police officer testifies that he can hear a person鈥檚 race.
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52. Uncivilised Cruelty: Should rough sex be illegal?
Thu 27 Jan 2022
Why did a group of men end up in prison after having sex?
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51. Fen-Phen Scandal: What would you risk to be thin?
Thu 20 Jan 2022
A 鈥渄iet miracle鈥� turned nightmare.
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50. Death Truck: What motivates people smugglers?
Thu 13 Jan 2022
A chicken truck is abandoned in Austria when smugglers realise the worst has happened.
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49. Black Pill: Are incels dangerous?
Thu 6 Jan 2022
A man in a van mounts a pavement in Toronto, killing ten people. What was his motive?
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48. Family Reunion: Research opportunity or ethical nightmare?
Thu 25 Nov 2021
Two brothers are overjoyed to find each other. But something isn鈥檛 quite right.
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47. Bad Influencer: Can you spot pseudo-scientific health claims?
Thu 18 Nov 2021
Something about Belle Gibson鈥檚 clean eating journey isn鈥檛 quite right.
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46. Tiny Shoes: Can we heal injustices against Indigenous peoples?
Thu 11 Nov 2021
What can be done to heal the wounds caused by poor treatment of Indigenous Canadians?
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45. Call Centre Crooks: How do you catch a scammer?
Thu 4 Nov 2021
鈥淩oger鈥� makes his money by scamming old ladies. But someone is watching.
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44. Operation Island: What do we know about male victims of rape?
Thu 28 Oct 2021
The UK鈥檚 most prolific rapist only targeted men. How did he get away with it for so long?
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43. Le Fake: Are con artists pathological liars?
Thu 21 Oct 2021
A man manipulates his way into the lives of the rich & famous to devastating consequences
