Arts & Culture
A true-crime obsession has swept the country over lockdown and thanks to this sudden fascination, the genre has never been more popular. Whether you’re in the mood for a one-off crime story or one in which you get to know what happened over several episodes, here’s my top picks to sink
your teeth into!
By Polly Coleman
Casefile
Hosted by an anonymous Australian man (who chooses to remain anonymous to ensure the focus remains on the victims and survivors), Casefile investigates a large variety of both solved and un-solved cases from around the world on topics including abduction, arson, cults, murder, the dark web and so much more.
This multi-award-winning podcast is largely regarded as one of the best true crime podcasts out there, with over 275 million individual downloads to date. It’s been going since 2016, meaning there’s plenty of episodes to catch up on and enjoy.
Frequency: Weekly
Listen on the Casefile website here
Dark History
In this brand-new podcast, host Bailey Sarian takes her story-telling expertise from her enormously popular YouTube series Murder, Mystery & Makeup to examine the darker side of historical events and explore true stories that we probably weren’t taught at school.
Bailey looks into the hidden secrets of a variety of historic stories. The DuPont chemical scandal and the Zoot Suit Riots are the topics of conversation in the first two episodes with more stories to come.
Frequency: Weekly
Listen on Audioboom here
The Dating Game Killer
In 1978, Rodney Alcala appeared on United States TV show, The Dating Game. What people didn’t know at the time was that he was not only a diagnosed sociopath, but also a serial killer in the midst of a cross-country murder spree.
This six-part podcast (hosted by Tracy Pattin and Stephen Lang) discusses Alcala’s secret life, how he tricked and manipulated his employers, parole boards and prison psychiatrists all whilst committing atrocious crimes over an 11-year period and how an appearance on television ultimately led to his arrest.
Frequency: 6-part series
Listen on Apple Podcasts here
Wrongful Conviction: False Confessions
Laura Nirider and Steve Drizin may have been the lawyers of Brendan Dassey (the subject of Netflix’s hit series Making A Murderer) but this podcast from the pair focuses on real-life cases of false convictions, where ordinary people have found themselves in a criminal justice nightmare.
Frequency: Weekly
Listen on the Wrongful Conviction website here
Redhanded
Bringing a light to lesser-known true crime cases are co-hosts Hannah and Suruthi. The pair cover well-researched grisly cases in great detail, delving into everything from serial killers to hauntings, mysteries and possessions.
Redhanded is an easy listen that teams together sharp, witty commentary alongside the facts, boding for an entertaining, yet informative listen. It also won a Silver British Podcast Award in 2020!
Frequency: Weekly
Listen on the Redhanded website here
In The Dark
Hosted by investigative journalist Madeleine Baran, In The Dark is a firm favourite among true-crime fans. Launched in 2016, it explores cases in a journalistic reporting style.
There’s arguably no other podcast that has had such a real-world impact as much as In the Dark has had… Because of the podcast’s investigation into the case of Curtis Flowers, his most recent conviction was overturned, and he has since had the charges against him dropped.
Frequency: Weekly
Listen on Apple Podcasts here