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PODCAST

pplpod

pplpod is a podcast about people, places and lots of other stuff. Each episode takes a deep dive into the lives, choices, and legacies of fascinating figures from history, culture, music, and beyond. From icons who shaped entire generations to hidden stories that deserve the spotlight, pplpod brings you closer to the people behind the headlines and the legends.Thoughtful, engaging, and story-driven, pplpod explores what makes these lives extraordinary—and what we can learn from them today.

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All Episodes

27:51

The Green River Killer: The Double Life and Dark...

pplpod ·

2026/02/04

In this episode of pplpod, we examine the chilling case of Gary Ridgway, known as the Green River Killer, who is responsible for more confirmed murders than any other American serial killer. We discuss his early life and how a man described by friends as "friendly but strange" lived a double life as a truck painter and a predator targeting vulnerable women and runaways in the Pacific Northwest,,.Tune in as we detail Ridgway’s terrifying modus operandi of strangulation and his disturbingly casual

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27:58

The Giggling Granny: Nannie Doss and the Deadly...

pplpod ·

2026/02/03

In this episode of pplpod, we examine the chilling case of Nannie Doss, an American serial killer known to the press as the "Black Widow," the "Lonely Hearts Killer," and most infamously, the "Giggling Granny". Between 1927 and 1954, Doss was responsible for the deaths of 11 people, a list of victims that included four of her husbands, her mother, her sister, and two of her grandsons.Join us as we trace Nannie’s path from a controlled childhood in Blue Mountain, Alabama—where a severe head injury at

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23:04

Hell’s Belle: The Lonely Hearts Butcher of La Porte

pplpod ·

2026/02/03

In this episode of pplpod, we unearth the gruesome story of Belle Gunness, a Norwegian-American immigrant who became one of history's most prolific female serial killers. Known as "Hell's Belle," Gunness is suspected of killing as many as forty people between 1884 and 1908, driven primarily by monetary gain.We trace her path from Selbu, Norway, to the United States, where she initiated a pattern of insurance fraud involving the suspicious deaths of her husbands, Mads Sørensen and Peter Gunness, as

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23:39

"Jolly Jane" Toppan: The Nightmare Nurse Who Killed...

pplpod ·

2026/02/03

In this episode of pplpod, we examine the chilling case of Jane Toppan, a Massachusetts nurse whose friendly demeanor earned her the nickname "Jolly Jane," masking her reality as one of America's most prolific serial killers,. Born Honora Kelley to an abusive father known as "Kelley the Crack," she was abandoned to an asylum as a child before becoming an indentured servant and eventually entering the medical field,.We dive deep into Toppan's terrifying methodology, exploring how she treated patients

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32:15

The Death House Landlady: The Crimes of Dorothea Puente

pplpod ·

2026/02/03

To the community in Sacramento, she was a respectable matron in vintage clothing who ran a charitable boarding house for the elderly and mentally disabled. But when police began digging in her garden in 1988, they uncovered the dark truth about the "Death House Landlady".In this episode of pplpod, we explore the life and crimes of Dorothea Puente, a serial killer and fraudster who poisoned her tenants to cash their Social Security checks. We cover:• The Facade: How Puente built a reputation as a

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28:13

The Lady of Silence: The Case of Serial Killer Juana...

pplpod ·

2026/02/03

In this episode of pplpod, we enter the ring with Juana Barraza, a professional wrestler known as "La Dama del Silencio" (The Lady of Silence) who lived a dark double life as one of Mexico’s most notorious serial killers. Known to the public as "La Mataviejitas" ("The Old Lady Killer"), Barraza was convicted of murdering 16 elderly women, though authorities suspect she may be responsible for between 42 and 48 deaths. We discuss how she utilized her strength as a "ruda" (heel) wrestler to bludgeon or

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31:05

The Moors Murders: Ian Brady, Myra Hindley, and the...

pplpod ·

2026/02/03

In this episode of pplpod, we delve into the dark history of the Moors murders, a series of child killings that terrorized Manchester, England, between July 1963 and October 1965. We profile the perpetrators, Ian Brady and Myra Hindley, a couple described by their trial judge as "two sadistic killers of the utmost depravity".Join us as we cover:• The Partnership: How Brady, a man fascinated by Nazi atrocities and the Marquis de Sade, and Hindley, a woman infatuated with him, came together to plan

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35:33

One Man Rule: Warren Jeffs, the YFZ Raid, and the...

pplpod ·

2026/02/03

In this episode of pplpod, we investigate the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS), a sect that split from the mainstream LDS Church to continue practicing polygamy after the 1890 Manifesto. We examine the group's isolation in the Short Creek Community and their adherence to the "One Man Rule" doctrine, which dictates that God works through a single prophet with absolute authority.We trace the rise of the church's most notorious leader, Warren Jeffs, who took power in

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32:12

Shoko Asahara: The Blind Guru, The Doomsday Cult, and...

pplpod ·

2026/02/03

In this episode of pplpod, we investigate the terrifying trajectory of Shoko Asahara, the visually impaired yoga instructor who transformed a meditation circle into the deadly doomsday cult known as Aum Shinrikyo. Born Chizuo Matsumoto, Asahara rose from a poverty-stricken childhood where he bullied classmates to becoming a self-proclaimed "enlightened" guru who recruited graduates from Japan’s elite universities.We explore how Asahara’s ideology—a dangerous mix of Buddhism, Christianity, and Isaac

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38:32

Yoga, Sarin, and the Apocalypse: The Rise and Fall of...

pplpod ·

2026/02/03

In this episode of pplpod, we dive into the terrifying history of Aum Shinrikyo, the Japanese doomsday cult responsible for the deadly 1995 Tokyo subway sarin attack. We explore how a movement that began as a yoga school in the 1980s evolved into a designated terrorist organization capable of manufacturing chemical weapons and murdering its own members.Join us as we discuss:• The Guru: How founder Shoko Asahara, a man who claimed to be both Christ and a fully enlightened master, convinced elite

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52:58

The Fox of Oxford: Isaiah Berlin on Liberty,...

pplpod ·

2026/02/03

In this episode of pplpod, we explore the life and mind of Sir Isaiah Berlin, the Russian-British social theorist hailed as "the world’s greatest talker" and one of the finest minds of the 20th century. We trace his journey from a childhood in Riga and Petrograd—where witnessing the violence of the Russian Revolution instilled in him a "permanent horror of violence"—to his rise as a central figure at Oxford University.We unpack Berlin's most enduring contributions to political philosophy,

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29:15

The "Canadian Psycho": The Murder of Jun Lin and the...

pplpod ·

2026/02/02

In this episode of pplpod, we examine the horrific 2012 murder of Jun Lin, a 33-year-old engineering student at Concordia University in Montreal. We discuss the crimes of Luka Rocco Magnotta, a failed model and porn actor who sought internet notoriety by filming the killing and dismemberment of Lin and posting the video online under the title 1 Lunatic, 1 Ice Pick.We detail the grisly discovery of Lin’s body parts, which Magnotta mailed to Canadian political party offices and elementary schools,

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32:46

The Peterborough Ditch Murders: The "Moreish" Crimes...

pplpod ·

2026/02/02

In this episode of pplpod, we uncover the chilling details of the Peterborough ditch murders that shocked Cambridgeshire in March 2013. We explore the violent spree of Joanna Dennehy, a woman who stabbed three men—Kevin Lee, Lukasz Slaboszewski, and John Chapman—and dumped their bodies in ditches, driven by a twisted desire for "entertainment" and "fun".Tune in as we discuss:• The Spree: How Dennehy targeted men she knew before traveling to Hereford with accomplice Gary Stretch to stab two strangers

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28:20

The Yorkshire Ripper: Peter Sutcliffe, Misogyny, and...

pplpod ·

2026/02/02

In this episode of pplpod, we examine the dark history of Peter Sutcliffe, the English serial killer known to the world as the "Yorkshire Ripper". Between 1975 and 1980, Sutcliffe murdered thirteen women and attempted to kill seven others across Northern England, often targeting sex workers in a mission he claimed was ordained by God,.We dig into the details of one of the largest and most expensive manhunts in British history, exploring how Sutcliffe evaded capture for five years despite being

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39:12

The First Genetic Fingerprint: The Crimes and Capture...

pplpod ·

2026/02/02

In this episode of pplpod, we examine the landmark case of Colin Pitchfork, a baker and sexual predator who became the first person in history convicted of murder using DNA profiling,. We recount the tragic brutalization and strangulation of teenagers Lynda Mann and Dawn Ashworth in Leicestershire during the 1980s, crimes that initially left police with few leads,.Discover how a revolutionary mass DNA screening of thousands of local men ultimately cornered the killer, despite Pitchfork’s elaborate

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26:25

The Victory Road Fire: The Shameless Life and Crimes...

pplpod ·

2026/02/02

In this episode of pplpod, we investigate the disturbing case of Mick Philpott, a man who transitioned from a tabloid caricature of the "benefits lifestyle" to a convicted mass killer. Known publicly for fathering 18 children and maintaining a polygamous household with his wife Mairead and mistress Lisa Willis, Philpott’s desire for control culminated in a tragedy that shocked the nation.We break down the events of May 11, 2012, when a petrol-fueled fire at the family’s Derby home took the lives of

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22:32

Calamity Jane: Sharpshooter, Storyteller, and Legend...

pplpod ·

2026/02/02

In this episode of pplpod, we ride into the American frontier to explore the raucous and tragic life of Martha Jane Canary, known to the world as Calamity Jane. Born in 1852, Jane became one of the most celebrated figures of the Wild West, famous for wearing men’s attire, her skills as a sharpshooter, and her captivating storytelling.We separate the woman from the myth, examining the conflicting stories of how she acquired her famous nickname—was it bestowed upon her after saving a captain during an

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27:51

V. S. Naipaul: Rage, Precision, and the Enigma of a...

pplpod ·

2026/02/02

In this episode of pplpod, we dive into the complex life and controversial legacy of Sir V. S. Naipaul, the Trinidadian-British writer who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2001. Born in Chaguanas to the son of an indentured labourer, Naipaul traveled to Oxford on a scholarship determined "at last to write," only to face depression and a "nervous breakdown".Join us as we explore:• The Masterpieces: How Naipaul transformed his childhood memories into his breakthrough novel, A House for Mr Biswas,

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25:09

Joseph Conrad: The Polish Orphan Who Mastered the...

pplpod ·

2026/02/02

How did a Polish orphan from the Russian Empire, who didn't speak English fluently until his twenties, become one of the greatest prose stylists in English literature? In this episode of pplpod, we navigate the turbulent life of Joseph Conrad (born Józef Teodor Konrad Korzeniowski).We chart his journey from a tragic childhood marked by his parents' political exile and early deaths to his adventurous years in the French and British merchant marines. We discuss the pivotal moments that shaped his

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30:29

"I Write in Maryse Condé": Remembering the Grande...

pplpod ·

2026/02/02

In this episode of pplpod, we honor the life and legacy of Maryse Condé, the renowned French Guadeloupean novelist, critic, and playwright who passed away in April 2024 at the age of 90. Born in Pointe-à-Pitre as the youngest of eight children, Condé’s journey took her from the Caribbean to Paris, and eventually to West Africa, where she experienced a politically turbulent but formative period rubbing shoulders with figures like Malcolm X and Che Guevara.We explore her prolific literary career,

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7,536 results

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