Bad People Podcast
Murderers. Fraudsters. Internet trolls. This is a podcast about people who do terrible things, and the science of humanity’s dark side.
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.
Episodes to download
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105. Dark Arts 2: Can we prevent campaigns of vilification?
Thu 29 Jun 2023
It’s the Bad People finale. What makes crime coverage bad, or good?
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104. Dark Arts 1: How biasing is pre-trial publicity?
Thu 22 Jun 2023
Joanna Yeates is found dead and the media decide they know who did it.
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103. Bad People x People Who Knew Me
Thu 15 Jun 2023
Who fakes their own death? Daniella Isaacs talks about her new BBC Sounds audio drama.
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102. Paedophile Hunters: Do vigilantes help or harm justice?
Thu 25 May 2023
A man is confronted about his sexual texts to a child. But is the “sting” effective?
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101. Thalaikoothal: What is extreme elder abuse?
Thu 18 May 2023
A 64-year-old man dies while in his son’s care. Was it senicide?
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100. Tough Love: How should we help troubled teens?
Thu 11 May 2023
A teenager is scorched in the Arizona desert. Did wilderness therapy kill him?
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99. Central Park Jogger 2: How should we interview children?
Thu 4 May 2023
Five teenagers falsely confess to a brutal crime. The media villainises them.
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98. Central Park Jogger 1: Do you know your right to silence?
Thu 27 Apr 2023
Five teenagers confess to a brutal crime. But none of them did it.
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97. Belt Selfie: Why don’t people kill their friends?
Thu 20 Apr 2023
A key piece of evidence in a murder case is posted on social media.
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96. Personification of Evil: Who becomes a prison pen pal?
Thu 6 Apr 2023
Patricia Cairns tries to help a notorious prisoner escape. But, why?
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95. Battle for Winson Green: Are prison riots inevitable?
Thu 30 Mar 2023
When a prison is fit to burst. How prison riots happen.
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93. Spirit Photographer: Are deepfakes a new problem?
Thu 16 Mar 2023
A man photographs spirits of the dead. What should we do if we can't trust what we see?
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92. Drugged Intent: Can intoxication excuse crimes?
Thu 9 Mar 2023
Can we be convicted of crimes committed while unknowingly under the influence?
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91. Knox: Can translators make innocence look guilty?
Thu 2 Mar 2023
Can we defend ourselves in a language we don’t speak?
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90. Trash Puppies: Why are some people cruel to animals?
Thu 23 Feb 2023
What kind of person abandons puppies by a dumpster? And, why do we care so much?
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89. Baby Snatcher: Does anyone deserve the death penalty?
Thu 16 Feb 2023
Lisa Montgomery horrifically steals a baby. But should she be executed for it?
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88. Thoughtcrime: How dangerous is anti-intellectualism?
Thu 2 Feb 2023
A famous artist is imprisoned. Can the Chinese Cultural Revolution help explain why?
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86. Born Criminal: Is Violence Genetic?
Thu 19 Jan 2023
What does the case of murderous identical twins tell us about hereditary violence?
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85. Bad People x Bad Blood
Thu 12 Jan 2023
From editing DNA to breeding “better people”, is it ever ok to mess with our genes?
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84. Sleepkiller 2: Is sleepwalking a valid legal defence?
Thu 5 Jan 2023
One person is dead, another barely escaped. Will the killer’s sleepwalking defence work?
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83. Sleepkiller 1: Can you murder someone while dreaming?
Thu 29 Dec 2022
A man awakens with bloodied hands. Can he blame his parasomnia?
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82: Bad People’s 2022 True Crime Crackers: Part 2
Thu 22 Dec 2022
Bad People talk to the people behind the best BBC true crime podcasts of 2022.
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81: Bad People’s 2022 True Crime Crackers: Part 1
Thu 15 Dec 2022
Bad People talk to the people behind the best BBC true crime podcasts of 2022.
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80. Hot-dog Hubbub: Should it be a crime to do nothing?
Thu 8 Dec 2022
A police officer watches a man get beaten to death, but does nothing to help.
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79. Unmasked: Could someone steal your face?
Thu 10 Nov 2022
Could someone steal your identity with a hyperreal mask?
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78. Colston Four: Why are slaver statues still standing?
Thu 3 Nov 2022
Why do we still have statues of people who did horrible things?
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77. Ambushed: Can reality TV humiliation break us?
Thu 27 Oct 2022
Who is to blame when reality TV turns violent?
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76. Burn Wild: How far is too far to save the planet?
Thu 20 Oct 2022
Georgia Catt on Burn Wild and how far is too far to save the planet.