Murderers. Fraudsters. Internet trolls. This is a podcast about people who do terrible things, and the science of humanity’s 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 BBC Audio Science Production for BBC Sounds.
Latest episodes
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4 min ↗
Introducing... Gangster Presents... Sex, Drugs & Cell Block Parties
The story of the biggest prison smuggling plot ever busted in the UK - and the love story at the heart of it.Journalist Amber Haque untangles what happens when mental health nurse…
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40 min ↗
125. The Secret History of the Clubcard
How one of the first Tesco Clubcards was used to pay off a blackmailer threatening to poison frozen food. And how that Clubcard was used to catch him.Presented by journalist and tr…
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44 min ↗
124. Flashers: The case of Wayne Couzens
Former Metropolitan Police officer, Wayne Couzens, kidnapped, raped and murdered Sarah Everard, in March, 2021.Hosts Amber Haque and Dr Julia Shaw discuss the findings of The Angio…
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35 min ↗
123. My ex tried to have me killed
Rob Parkes’ ex-wife lied about him being a drug dealer and a gang member. Then she tried to hire a hitman to have him killed.Rob tells his remarkable story of abuse, narrow escapes…
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39 min ↗
122. Trust Me I'm a Doctor
Ian Patterson was a sought after breast surgeon and patron of a charity supporting people with cancer, now he’s in prison.He was sentenced to 20 years in 2017 for carrying out unne…
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35 min ↗
121. Understanding Violence: Bad People x The Reith Lectures
Dr Gwen Adshead has spent almost thirty years working with the some of the most violent offenders in prisons and high security psychiatric facilities. Amber Haque and Dr Julia Shaw…
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43 min ↗
120. We need to talk about Ethan
Should the parents of a high school shooter be held criminally responsible for the actions of their son?The landmark case of James and Jennifer Crumbley, the parents of US high sch…
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38 min ↗
119. The Ultimate Foul
Faye Dunn was a professional footballer who played for the England women's team. In 2020, police discovered she had another career in organised crime.Amber Haque tells the story of…
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43 min ↗
118. Killed by Text
The story of how teenager Michelle Carter's text messages to suicidal boyfriend Conrad Roy resulted in death for him and a charge of manslaughter for her.Hosts Amber Haque and Dr J…
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43 min ↗
117. The Bookkeeper and the Boss
Sherri Lynn Lamarche was the unassuming bookkeeper in a family real estate business in Nova Scotia. She was trusted so much that she managed to steal millions before anyone noticed…
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46 min ↗
116. Bad Momfluencer
In February 2024, mother-of-six, beloved parenting guru and social media star Ruby Franke, was convicted and jailed for child abuse.The case struck at the heart of what it means to…
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45 min ↗
115. Lost at Sea
Rebecca Coriam, a 24-year-old from Chester, was working on a cruise ship off the Pacific coast of Mexico when she disappeared in 2011. The story of how the police and the cruise li…
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35 min ↗
114. Showtrial and the politics of protest
Showtrial series 2 is a gripping BBC screen drama about climate activism, civil disobedience and police corruption. Screenwriter Ben Richards joins Julia and Amber to talk about th…
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44 min ↗
113. It's in our DNA
Magdalena Cruz did not know who her father was. But she knew he was a rapist. An ancestry DNA test led her to her likely family. When she looked at their profiles on social media s…
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46 min ↗
112. Four Boys
Three boys from the same Sunderland school were found dead within a few months of each other in the early 1990s. Their deaths were initially blamed on sniffing glue to get high. Bu…
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41 min ↗
111. Pretendians
"Pretendians" are people who falsely claim a native American or indigenous Canadian identity.In 2024, a 59 year old woman who falsely claimed her daughters were adopted Inuit girls…
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45 min ↗
110. Delimar Vera
Baby girl Delimar Vera is declared dead in a house fire. Years later, the bereaved mother thinks she recognises her at a party. The girl she thinks is her daughter is called Aaliya…
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43 min ↗
109. Out of Character Criminal
A law abiding businessman turns criminal after medical treatment. Are hormones to blame?Richard Davis was a 42 year old asexual with a highly successful business and no criminal re…
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58 min ↗
108. I was Tinder Swindled
Presenters Dr Julia Shaw and Amber Haque meet the world's most famous victim of romance fraud: Cecilie Fjellhoy. After exposing the so-called Tindler Swindler in a Netflix hit, Cec…
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54 min ↗
107. Gatwick Blackmailer
In TV dramas, criminal profilers solve crimes that the police cannot. Presenters Dr Julia Shaw and Amber Haque look at a real life case. An anonymous blackmailer threatens acid att…