Shadow World
- Épisodes
- 75
- Format
- Série – à écouter depuis le début
- Dernier épisode
- 11 Nov 2026
À propos du podcast
On 1 July 2000, eight-year-old Sarah Payne ran ahead of her brothers and sister in a field near her grandparents' home in West Sussex and was never seen alive again. Seventeen days later, her body was found. Her disappearance prompted one of the largest and most heavily publicised searches in British history — and at its heart was Sarah's mother, Sara Payne, a woman who set out to turn unimaginable loss into a force for change. Across six episodes, documentary-maker Edmund Coulthard draws on archive and new testimony from Sarah's family, detectives, journalists and politicians to tell the story of the murder investigation, the divisive News of the World campaign to name and shame sex offenders and the long battle for Sarah's Law. It is the story of a crime that changed the national conversation about child sex offenders living in ordinary communities, and of an extraordinary woman determined that her daughter's name would never be forgotten. Gripping stories from the Shadows - BBC investigations from across the UK.
Épisodes 75
Sarah Payne: Unforgotten: 1. Missing
On 1 July 2000, eight-year-old Sarah Payne is playing in a field near her grandparents' home in West Sussex when she sets off back to the house alone. Her brother goes after her, but by the time he reaches the …
Notes de l’épisode
On 1 July 2000, eight-year-old Sarah Payne is playing in a field near her grandparents' home in West Sussex when she sets off back to the house alone. Her brother goes after her, but by the time he reaches the end of the field, she is gone. That evening, her mother, Sara, has to dial 999 and tell the operator: I've lost my daughter.
Almost immediately the story of the missing child dominates the headlines, and Sussex Police make the unusual decision to work arm in arm with the media in searching for her. Making almost daily public appeals, Sara does everything she can to keep the story in the headlines. As the days go on with no sign of Sarah, she refuses to give up hope that her daughter will be found alive.
Shadow World: Gripping stories from the shadows — BBC investigations from across the UK.
Presenter and Series Producer: Edmund Coulthard Producer: Joanna Humphreys Sound Design: Iain Chambers Head of Production: Stephanie Edwards Production Coordinator: Neena Abdullah Executive Producer: Innes Bowen Commissioning Editor for BBC Radio 4: Daniel Clarke Commissioning Executive for BBC Radio 4: Tracy Williams Commissioning Editor for BBC Local: Alistair Miskin
A Forest production for BBC Radio 4
Sarah Payne: Unforgotten: Trailer
On 1 July 2000, eight year-old Sarah Payne ran ahead of her brothers and sister in a field near her grandparents' home in West Sussex and was never seen alive again. Seventeen days later, her body was found …
Notes de l’épisode
On 1 July 2000, eight year-old Sarah Payne ran ahead of her brothers and sister in a field near her grandparents' home in West Sussex and was never seen alive again. Seventeen days later, her body was found. Her disappearance prompted one of the largest and most heavily publicised searches in British history — and at its heart was Sarah's mother, Sara Payne, a woman who set out to turn unimaginable loss into a force for change.
Across six episodes, documentary-maker Edmund Coulthard draws on archive and new testimony from Sarah's family, detectives, journalists and politicians to tell the story of the murder investigation, the divisive News of the World campaign to name and shame sex offenders, and the long battle for Sarah's Law.
It's the story of a crime that changed the national conversation about child sex offenders living in ordinary communities, and of an extraordinary woman determined that her daughter's name would never be forgotten.
Shadow World: Gripping stories from the shadows — BBC investigations from across the UK.
Presenter and Series Producer: Edmund Coulthard Producer: Joanna Humphreys Sound Design: Iain Chambers Head of Production: Stephanie Edwards Production Coordinator: Neena Abdullah Executive Producer: Innes Bowen BBC Local Commissioning Editor: Alistair Miskin
A Forest production for BBC Radio 4.
Breakin' the Cycle: 6. The Final Act
Tragedy sends D into shock, confusion, and grief. In the maelstrom of emotion, he decides to fulfill a lucrative drug deal, but is immediately arrested. In prison, he struggles with guilt, despair, the …
Notes de l’épisode
Tragedy sends D into shock, confusion, and grief. In the maelstrom of emotion, he decides to fulfill a lucrative drug deal, but is immediately arrested.
In prison, he struggles with guilt, despair, the consequences of his criminal past, and the legacy of the unfinished film. But over time, the story becomes a rare source of purpose.
Eventually, D is released and tries to rebuild his life away from crime, but the weight of Colin's memory, and the unfinished film, continues to define him. Has D finally come to terms with his past and its consequences?
Gripping stories from the Shadows - BBC investigations from across the UK.
Presenter and Producer: Lewis Albrow Series Producer: Emma Barnaby Producer: Louis Hollis Assistant Editor: Georgina Savage Sound Designer, Composer, and Mix Engineer: Axel Kacoutie Script Editor: Jason Lewis Fact Checker: Jessica Hatcher-Moore Production Manager: Anna-Marie Batho Production Executive: Letisha Kidza Head of Production: Nicky Murphy Production Support: Emma Wood and Olivia Bouton Executive Producers for Raw: Deborah Dudgeon, David Waters, and Tim Wardle. Business Affairs: Amy Ofori-Attah, Clotilde Leroux, Damian Kent, and Emma Ong. Commissioning Executive: Tracy Williams Commissioning Editor: Dan Clarke
A Raw production for BBC Radio 4
In memory of Malik Ford, who first brought this remarkable story to light.
Breakin' the Cycle: 5. One Shot
As filming wraps, Lewis struggles to finish the first edit of Breakin’ the Cycle as he questions the morality of its violent protagonist. Colin and D head towards a make-or-break meeting that reveals the final …
Notes de l’épisode
As filming wraps, Lewis struggles to finish the first edit of Breakin’ the Cycle as he questions the morality of its violent protagonist.
Colin and D head towards a make-or-break meeting that reveals the final steps needed to complete their goal. But before they can finish them, they are unexpectedly drawn into a high-level drug opportunity. As pressure mounts, the tragic consequences of their past lives begin to catch up with them.
Gripping stories from the Shadows - BBC investigations from across the UK.
Presenter and Producer: Lewis Albrow Series Producer: Emma Barnaby Producer: Louis Hollis Assistant Editor: Georgina Savage Sound Designer, Composer, and Mix Engineer: Axel Kacoutie Script Editor: Jason Lewis Fact Checker: Jessica Hatcher-Moore Production Manager: Anna-Marie Batho Production Executive: Letisha Kidza Head of Production: Nicky Murphy Production Support: Emma Wood and Olivia Bouton Executive Producers for Raw: Deborah Dudgeon, David Waters, and Tim Wardle. Business Affairs: Amy Ofori-Attah, Clotilde Leroux, Damian Kent, and Emma Ong. Commissioning Executive: Tracy Williams Commissioning Editor: Dan Clarke
A Raw production for BBC Radio 4
Breakin' the Cycle: 4. A New Direction
With Colin now firmly in the director’s chair, Breakin’ the Cycle is transformed. Drawing directly from their lived experience, Colin unlocks startlingly authentic performances from the cast, turning what once …
Notes de l’épisode
With Colin now firmly in the director’s chair, Breakin’ the Cycle is transformed. Drawing directly from their lived experience, Colin unlocks startlingly authentic performances from the cast, turning what once looked like a cliched gangster film into something intimate, powerful, and deeply real.
As early edits reveal the film’s extraordinary potential, hope begins to take hold. This could be the project that finally changes Colin and D’s lives. But stepping into film-making doesn’t mean escaping the world they came from. When tensions flare on East London estates and old reputations are tested, the past begins to close in.
Gripping stories from the Shadows - BBC investigations from across the UK.
Presenter and Producer: Lewis Albrow Series Producer: Emma Barnaby Producer: Louis Hollis Assistant Editor: Georgina Savage Sound Designer, Composer, and Mix Engineer: Axel Kacoutie Script Editor: Jason Lewis Fact Checker: Jessica Hatcher-Moore Production Manager: Anna-Marie Batho Production Executive: Letisha Kidza Head of Production: Nicky Murphy Production Support: Emma Wood and Olivia Bouton Executive Producers for Raw: Deborah Dudgeon, David Waters, and Tim Wardle. Business Affairs: Amy Ofori-Attah, Clotilde Leroux, Damian Kent, and Emma Ong. Commissioning Executive: Tracy Williams Commissioning Editor: Dan Clarke
A Raw production for BBC Radio 4
Breakin' the Cycle: 3. The Right Kind of Violence
Production on Breakin’ the Cycle is falling apart - actors are injured, the crew is out of its depth, and Colin and D realise their director can’t capture the reality they lived. As D faces court and confronts …
Notes de l’épisode
Production on Breakin’ the Cycle is falling apart - actors are injured, the crew is out of its depth, and Colin and D realise their director can’t capture the reality they lived.
As D faces court and confronts the police corruption that shaped his life, he and Colin make a life-changing decision — to finally commit to breaking the cycle, shutting down their criminal operation, and betting everything on film.
Gripping stories from the Shadows - BBC investigations from across the UK.
Presenter and Producer: Lewis Albrow Series Producer: Emma Barnaby Producer: Louis Hollis Assistant Editor: Georgina Savage Sound Designer, Composer, and Mix Engineer: Axel Kacoutie Script Editor: Jason Lewis Fact Checker: Jessica Hatcher-Moore Production Manager: Anna-Marie Batho Production Executive: Letisha Kidza Head of Production: Nicky Murphy Production Support: Emma Wood and Olivia Bouton Executive Producers for Raw: Deborah Dudgeon, David Waters, and Tim Wardle. Business Affairs: Amy Ofori-Attah, Clotilde Leroux, Damian Kent, and Emma Ong. Commissioning Executive: Tracy Williams Commissioning Editor: Dan Clarke
A Raw production for BBC Radio 4
Breakin' the Cycle: 2. A Hood Story
As Colin and D begin turning their prison-written script into a real production, they recruit former pop stars and emerging actors, building a cast captivated by the promise of an authentic Black British crime …
Notes de l’épisode
As Colin and D begin turning their prison-written script into a real production, they recruit former pop stars and emerging actors, building a cast captivated by the promise of an authentic Black British crime story. Their film starts to feel like a genuine cultural moment. But most of the cast and crew are unaware of the true story behind the pair or their journey to becoming film-makers.
Beneath the excitement of the production, the money, power, and instincts that built “Love of Money” are still very much in play. When D’s commitment to turning away from crime is tested, he is drawn back to familiar instincts.
Gripping stories from the Shadows - BBC investigations from across the UK.
Presenter and Producer: Lewis Albrow Series Producer: Emma Barnaby Producer: Louis Hollis Assistant Editor: Georgina Savage Sound Designer, Composer, and Mix Engineer: Axel Kacoutie Script Editor: Jason Lewis Fact Checker: Jessica Hatcher-Moore Production Manager: Anna-Marie Batho Production Executive: Letisha Kidza Head of Production: Nicky Murphy Production Support: Emma Wood and Olivia Bouton Executive Producers for Raw: Deborah Dudgeon, David Waters, and Tim Wardle. Business Affairs: Amy Ofori-Attah, Clotilde Leroux, Damian Kent, and Emma Ong. Commissioning Executive: Tracy Williams Commissioning Editor: Dan Clarke
A Raw Production for BBC Radio 4
Breakin' the Cycle: 1. The Script
When aspiring movie editor Lewis Albrow lands an unusual interview with Colin Browne and his right-hand man D, he believes he’s finally found his break into the film industry - but instead he’s pulled into a …
Notes de l’épisode
When aspiring movie editor Lewis Albrow lands an unusual interview with Colin Browne and his right-hand man D, he believes he’s finally found his break into the film industry - but instead he’s pulled into a very different world.
In prison, Colin Browne has written a script based on his life and his long-running criminal partnership with D, leading the gang Love of Money. But in Colin’s story, unlike in his life, the main protagonist manages to break free from his cycle of criminality.
When the pair reconnect after Colin’s release, they realise the script could be a way out of crime. They meet a smooth-talking fixer who promises to help them turn it into a movie, and begin a new chapter in their lives. But how serious are they about the film’s central theme - breaking the cycle of a life of crime?
Gripping stories from the Shadows - BBC investigations from across the UK.
Presenter and Producer: Lewis Albrow Series Producer: Emma Barnaby Producer: Louis Hollis Assistant Editor: Georgina Savage Sound Designer, Composer, and Mix Engineer: Axel Kacoutie Script Editor: Jason Lewis Fact Checker: Jessica Hatcher-Moore Production Manager: Anna-Marie Batho Production Executive: Letisha Kidza Head of Production: Nicky Murphy Production Support: Emma Wood and Olivia Bouton Executive Producers for Raw: Deborah Dudgeon, David Waters, and Tim Wardle. Business Affairs: Amy Ofori-Attah, Clotilde Leroux, Damian Kent, and Emma Ong. Commissioning Executive: Tracy Williams Commissioning Editor: Dan Clarke
A Raw production for BBC Radio 4
Breakin' the Cycle: Trailer
Breakin’ the Cycle is the story of two feared London gangsters, Colin and D, who, in the early 2000’s decide to try and escape the cycle of crime by making a movie based on their own lives as gang leaders and …
Notes de l’épisode
Breakin’ the Cycle is the story of two feared London gangsters, Colin and D, who, in the early 2000’s decide to try and escape the cycle of crime by making a movie based on their own lives as gang leaders and drug dealers. But the lines between fact and fiction quickly begin to blur, when they take a star-studded cast and a largely white, middle-class film crew into their world, in an attempt to make the UK’s first authentic hood film. Accidental stabbings, drug dealing on set, and even a real-life shootout. Amongst the chaos, they're faced with the realities of leaving gang life behind, and the constant temptations of their old life threatening to drag them back in. Breakin’ the Cycle is a series about friendship, guns, drugs, money and the sacrifices required when leaving one life behind in pursuit of another.
Stolen Years: 4. Closing Arguments
Will justice finally prevail? For Shadow World: Stolen Years, the trial of Paul Quinn reaches its verdict. After more than two decades will the victim of the brutal rape finally see the right man convicted? And …
Notes de l’épisode
Will justice finally prevail? For Shadow World: Stolen Years, the trial of Paul Quinn reaches its verdict. After more than two decades will the victim of the brutal rape finally see the right man convicted?
And at the conclusion of the trial will Andy feel a sense of closure? With two separate investigations still examining the failures in his case, the verdict is not the end of the story.
Shadow World: Gripping stories from the shadows - BBC investigations from across the UK.
Presenter and Producer: Jemma Gander Series Producer and Editor: Fran Robertson Assistant Editor: Christopher Whyte Composer: Sholto Sound design and mix: Chris Maclean Executive Producer for Goldhawk: Kate Holland Commissioning executive: Tracy Williams Commissioning editor: Dan Clarke A Two Step Films production in association with Goldhawk for Radio 4
Stolen Years: 3. Lucky Man
Why did it take so long to free an innocent man? In Shadow World: Stolen Years, the case against the new suspect in the 2003 rape case gathers pace, while Andrew Malkinson finally receives good news of his own …
Notes de l’épisode
Why did it take so long to free an innocent man? In Shadow World: Stolen Years, the case against the new suspect in the 2003 rape case gathers pace, while Andrew Malkinson finally receives good news of his own.
But as the series turns to the role of the Criminal Cases Review Commission and the appeal system, a deeper question emerges - how was he left in prison for so long?
Shadow World: Gripping stories from the shadows - BBC investigations from across the UK.
Presenter and Producer: Jemma Gander Series Producer and Editor: Fran Robertson Assistant Editor: Christopher Whyte Composer: Sholto Sound design and mix: Chris Maclean Executive Producer for Goldhawk: Kate Holland Commissioning executive: Tracy Williams Commissioning editor: Dan Clarke
A Two Step Films production in association with Goldhawk for Radio 4
Stolen Years: 2. Without a Trace
Who is Mr B? In Shadow World: Stolen Years, a DNA match reopens a 20 year old rape case that should have been solved years earlier. As police investigate the new suspect, Andrew Malkinson begins to reckon with …
Notes de l’épisode
Who is Mr B? In Shadow World: Stolen Years, a DNA match reopens a 20 year old rape case that should have been solved years earlier.
As police investigate the new suspect, Andrew Malkinson begins to reckon with the damage of a wrongful conviction and whether recovery after so many years in prison, is possible. Shadow World: Gripping stories from the shadows - BBC investigations from across the UK.
Presenter and Producer: Jemma Gander Series Producer and Editor: Fran Robertson Assistant Editor: Christopher Whyte Composer: Sholto Sound design and mix: Chris Maclean Executive Producer for Goldhawk: Kate Holland Commissioning executive: Tracy Williams Commissioning editor: Dan Clarke
A Two Step Films production in association with Goldhawk for Radio 4
Stolen Years: 1. Contaminated Memories
How can a victim of a traumatic crime appear to be so sure, yet so wrong? In the first episode of Shadow World: Stolen Years we confront the eyewitness evidence that helped convict Andrew Malkinson in 2004. As …
Notes de l’épisode
How can a victim of a traumatic crime appear to be so sure, yet so wrong? In the first episode of Shadow World: Stolen Years we confront the eyewitness evidence that helped convict Andrew Malkinson in 2004.
As a new suspect faces trial over the 2003 rape, Andy meets another woman who made the same devastating mistake, offering him an answer to the question that has haunted him for years. Shadow World: Gripping stories from the shadows - BBC investigations from across the UK.
Presenter and Producer: Jemma Gander Series Producer and Editor: Fran Robertson Assistant Editor: Christopher Whyte Composer: Sholto Sound design and mix: Chris Maclean Executive Producer for Goldhawk: Kate Holland Commissioning executive: Tracy Williams Commissioning editor: Dan Clarke A Two Step Films production in association with Goldhawk for Radio 4
Stolen Years: Trailer
Andrew Malkinson’s wrongful conviction of a brutal rape in 2003 has been recognised as one of the worst miscarriages of justice in UK history. He’s angry and says the criminal justice and appeal systems let him …
Notes de l’épisode
Andrew Malkinson’s wrongful conviction of a brutal rape in 2003 has been recognised as one of the worst miscarriages of justice in UK history. He’s angry and says the criminal justice and appeal systems let him down. Now that the right man has been convicted, he wants answers, and reform. So why did he spend all those years in prison while the perpetrator remained free? And what does his case tell us about the justice system that failed him? In Shadow World: Stolen Years, filmmaker and journalist Jemma Gander (co-director of The Wrong Man: 17 Years Behind Bars) follows the next chapter of this extraordinary case. As Andrew tries to rebuild his life, fresh questions emerge about the role of the police, the courts, and the institutions that failed him. “You don’t know what you’re capable of withstanding until you are forced to. But it’s just horrific”. Twenty three years later, a man is found guilty of the crime Andrew Malkinson was falsely accused of.
Impulsive: 10. Reflections
Impulse control disorders are a common side effect of dopamine agonist drugs - it’s generally accepted that they will affect around 1 in 6 people taking these drugs for Parkinson’s.So why are these side effects …
Notes de l’épisode
Impulse control disorders are a common side effect of dopamine agonist drugs - it’s generally accepted that they will affect around 1 in 6 people taking these drugs for Parkinson’s.
So why are these side effects so hard to talk about? How can people get past their guilt and shame to access the support they need?
And if subtle changes in the activity of chemicals in our brain can cause us to behave so differently - what is personality?
Details of organisations offering help and support with some of the issues raised are available at bbc.co.uk/actionline.
If you have any concerns about medication you’re taking, speak to your doctor.
Presenter: Noel Titheradge Producer: Lucy Burns Editor: Matt Willis A BBC News Long Form Audio production
Impulsive: 9. Blame Game
Respected local solicitor Andrew is sent to prison - but the devastating impact of the side effects of his Parkinson’s medication continues.BBC Investigations Correspondent Noel Titheradge has been contacted by …
Notes de l’épisode
Respected local solicitor Andrew is sent to prison - but the devastating impact of the side effects of his Parkinson’s medication continues.
BBC Investigations Correspondent Noel Titheradge has been contacted by more than 200 people about their experience of behavioural side effects of dopamine agonist drugs.
So who’s taking responsibility? We hear from pharmaceutical companies, regulators and doctors. There have been significant developments in the way these drugs are used - but what effect have they had?
Details of organisations offering help and support with some of the issues raised are available at bbc.co.uk/actionline.
If you have any concerns about medication you’re taking, speak to your doctor.
Presenter: Noel Titheradge Producer: Lucy Burns Editor: Matt Willis A BBC News Long Form Audio production
Impulsive: 8. Collateral
Andrew’s a respected local solicitor when one day he’s arrested. He has defrauded his elderly clients of more than £600,000, which he’s spent on sex workers and antiques.His wife Frances and daughter Alice are …
Notes de l’épisode
Andrew’s a respected local solicitor when one day he’s arrested. He has defrauded his elderly clients of more than £600,000, which he’s spent on sex workers and antiques.
His wife Frances and daughter Alice are shocked - this seems completely out of character. Then they learn there could be a connection to Andrew’s Parkinson’s medication.
But will the judge accept this as mitigation for his crimes?
Details of organisations offering help and support with some of the issues raised are available at bbc.co.uk/actionline.
If you have any concerns about medication you’re taking, speak to your doctor.
Presenter: Noel Titheradge Producer: Lucy Burns Editor: Matt Willis A BBC News Long Form Audio production
Impulsive: 7. Missed connections
Lucy’s stumbled on a connection between her gambling problem and her medication. But her mental health team says they don’t know what she’s talking about.Freddie’s reached breaking point. And, one day, he …
Notes de l’épisode
Lucy’s stumbled on a connection between her gambling problem and her medication. But her mental health team says they don’t know what she’s talking about.
Freddie’s reached breaking point. And, one day, he notices his dad’s medication leaflet on the kitchen table, sparking a full-blown crisis.
It’s been known for more than two decades that drugs affecting dopamine levels in the brain have potential side effects including impulse control disorders like hypersexuality, or compulsive shopping or gambling.
Warnings have been added to patient information leaflets - but many of the people who’ve contacted BBC investigations correspondent Noel Titheradge about their experiences say the risks weren’t made clear.
Why weren’t they warned about the potential side effects of these medications before it was too late?
Details of organisations offering help and support with some of the issues raised are available at bbc.co.uk/actionline.
If you have any concerns about medication you’re taking, speak to your doctor.
Presenter: Noel Titheradge Producer: Lucy Burns Editor: Matt Willis A BBC News Long Form Audio production
Impulsive: 6. Chasing Losses
Lucy’s on her lunchbreak when she tries her first scratchcard - soon, she’s hooked. She’s never been interested in gambling before, but after a few months the glove compartment of her car is full of …
Notes de l’épisode
Lucy’s on her lunchbreak when she tries her first scratchcard - soon, she’s hooked. She’s never been interested in gambling before, but after a few months the glove compartment of her car is full of scratchcards. And then she starts gambling online…
Lucy’s taking a medication called Aripiprazole for her mental health condition. It’s a partial dopamine agonist - a different mechanism to the dopamine agonist drugs used for Parkinson’s and Restless Legs Syndrome that we’ve heard about in previous episodes.
But it’s got similar side effects. For Lucy, this means compulsive eating, hypersexuality - and a gambling problem that’s spiralling out of control.
Details of organisations offering help and support with some of the issues raised are available at bbc.co.uk/actionline.
If you have any concerns about medication you’re taking, speak to your doctor.
Presenter: Noel Titheradge Producer: Lucy Burns Editor: Matt Willis A BBC News Long Form Audio production
Impulsive: 5. Restless
Lisa has Restless Legs Syndrome - it feels like her legs are on fire and they keep moving around. It’s affecting her sleep, so she’s pleased to hear that there’s a treatment: a commonly used Parkinson’s …
Notes de l’épisode
Lisa has Restless Legs Syndrome - it feels like her legs are on fire and they keep moving around. It’s affecting her sleep, so she’s pleased to hear that there’s a treatment: a commonly used Parkinson’s medication called Pramipexole. The prescriber doesn’t mention any side effects.
But Lisa’s dosage of Pramipexole keeps increasing as her symptoms keep returning, and she starts behaving in ways that feel out of character. After an argument with her husband, she starts an affair with a man she meets online. Soon she’s meeting strangers for sex.
And even while her personality’s changing, her condition keeps getting worse…
Details of organisations offering help and support with some of the issues raised are available at bbc.co.uk/actionline.
If you have any concerns about medication you’re taking, speak to your doctor.
Presenter: Noel Titheradge Producer: Lucy Burns Editor: Matt Willis A BBC News Long Form Audio production
Impulsive: 4. Big Pharma, Big Secret
When BBC Investigations correspondent Noel Titheradge first started looking into this story, he set about finding insiders who knew what had gone on inside the pharmaceutical companies that made them. He …
Notes de l’épisode
When BBC Investigations correspondent Noel Titheradge first started looking into this story, he set about finding insiders who knew what had gone on inside the pharmaceutical companies that made them. He contacted former staff and officials, cold called potential whistleblowers - and then he got lucky.
Someone shared an internal report from the drug company GlaxoSmithKline which revealed that they’d been aware of fifteen cases of “increased libido” in patients taking their dopamine agonist Ropinirole, including cases of paedophilia and indecent behaviour.
The report had been published in 2003, three years before warnings appeared on patient leaflets - and thirteen years before Steve started taking the drug.
Details of organisations offering help and support with some of the issues raised are available at bbc.co.uk/actionline.
If you have any concerns about medication you’re taking, speak to your doctor.
Presenter: Noel Titheradge Producer: Lucy Burns Editor: Matt Willis A BBC News Long Form Audio production
Impulsive: 3. Dopamine Hits
Freddie finds out his dad’s been scammed - to his horror, he hears that his father Bill has been speaking to multiple women in Ghana who he’d met on Skype, and sent them £300,000.And Steve’s wife finds out …
Notes de l’épisode
Freddie finds out his dad’s been scammed - to his horror, he hears that his father Bill has been speaking to multiple women in Ghana who he’d met on Skype, and sent them £300,000.
And Steve’s wife finds out about his camgirl habit when he makes a payment to one of the sites on their joint credit card.
Neither Bill nor Steve has any idea why they’ve been behaving erratically.
Noel meets retired neurologist Paul Morrish, who remembers that doctors were starting to notice their patients experiencing unusual side effects from dopamine agonist drugs as far back as the early 2000s.
So why weren’t some patients being properly warned fifteen years later?
And neuropsychiatry professor Valerie Voon from the University of Cambridge explains how dopamine affects our perception of reward vs risk - which means people taking dopamine agonists can be prone to taking more risks.
Details of organisations offering help and support with some of the issues raised are available at bbc.co.uk/actionline.
If you have any concerns about medication you’re taking, speak to your doctor.
Presenter: Noel Titheradge Producer: Lucy Burns Editor: Matt Willis A BBC News Long Form Audio production
Impulsive: 2. Wonder drugs
Not long after his diagnosis with Parkinson’s disease, Steve starts chatting to camgirls online. But soon he’s going on the sites every night, even logging on while his wife’s asleep next to him in bed. How …
Notes de l’épisode
Not long after his diagnosis with Parkinson’s disease, Steve starts chatting to camgirls online. But soon he’s going on the sites every night, even logging on while his wife’s asleep next to him in bed. How long can he keep it a secret?
Steve’s one of more than 200 people who contacted BBC Investigations correspondent Noel Titheradge about their experiences of side effects caused by dopamine agonist drugs.
When medications turn out to have life-changing side effects, how do we balance the benefits with the risks?
Details of organisations offering help and support with some of the issues raised are available at bbc.co.uk/actionline.
If you have any concerns about medication you’re taking, speak to your doctor.
Presenter: Noel Titheradge Producer: Lucy Burns Editor: Matt Willis A BBC News Long Form Audio production
Impulsive: 1. Warning Signs
When Freddie’s dad Bill is diagnosed with Parkinson’s, his medication gives him a new lease of life. He starts ticking things off his retiree bucket list - travelling, skydiving, golf.But then Freddie notices …
Notes de l’épisode
When Freddie’s dad Bill is diagnosed with Parkinson’s, his medication gives him a new lease of life. He starts ticking things off his retiree bucket list - travelling, skydiving, golf.
But then Freddie notices that his previously sensible father has started behaving unusually.
BBC Investigations correspondent Noel Titheradge has spent more than a year speaking to people whose behaviour changed radically after taking a category of prescription drugs called dopamine agonists.
These drugs boost dopamine activity in the brain - they were prescribed more than 1.5 million times in the UK last year to treat Parkinson’s disease and other movement disorders.
But they have well established side effects - around 1 in 6 people who take them develop impulse control disorders, which can include hypersexuality, binge eating, compulsive gambling and shopping.
If these side effects have been known about for decades, why weren’t some patients and their families properly warned or monitored?
Details of organisations offering help and support with some of the issues raised are available at bbc.co.uk/actionline.
If you have any concerns about medication you’re taking, speak to your doctor.
Presenter: Noel Titheradge Producer: Lucy Burns Editor: Matt Willis A BBC News Long Form Audio production
Impulsive: Trailer
Early in 2025, BBC Investigations Correspondent Noel Titheradge published his first story about a category of prescription drug with unusual side effects. People who take dopamine agonist drugs for conditions …
Notes de l’épisode
Early in 2025, BBC Investigations Correspondent Noel Titheradge published his first story about a category of prescription drug with unusual side effects.
People who take dopamine agonist drugs for conditions like Parkinson’s disease or Restless Legs Syndrome often report impulse control disorders - problems with gambling, compulsive eating or shopping, or hypersexuality.
He wasn’t expecting the response. After that first article was published more than 200 people got in touch - that’s me, they said, that’s my partner, that’s my dad.
So Noel started digging.
Details of organisations offering help and support with some of the issues raised are available at bbc.co.uk/actionline.
If you have any concerns about medication you’re taking, speak to your doctor.
Anatomy of a Cancellation: 6. Post Mortem
Katie Razzall considers the fallout from the controversy surrounding Kate Clanchy’s award-winning memoir Some Kids I Taught and What They Taught Me. She explores the deep divisions the case exposed: in …
Notes de l’épisode
Katie Razzall considers the fallout from the controversy surrounding Kate Clanchy’s award-winning memoir Some Kids I Taught and What They Taught Me.
She explores the deep divisions the case exposed: in publishing, on social media, and among writers.
Has the industry changed? What is the cost of this controversy, and who gets to tell their story?
In Shadow World: Anatomy of a Cancellation, the BBC’s Culture Editor Katie Razzall revisits a story that rocked the UK’s publishing industry in 2021. It led to what some saw as the unjustified cancellation of a prize-winning writer and teacher - but to others, was a long overdue reckoning for the world of publishing. It grew into a culture war about race, class, and who has the right to say what.
Anatomy of a Cancellation explores a range of different perspectives to consider how people now view one of the most controversial literary rows in recent memory.
Presenter: Katie Razzall Producer: Charlotte McDonald Additional production: Octavia Woodward Production co-ordinators: Sophie Hill and Katie Morrison Sound design and mix: James Beard Story editing: Meara Sharma Series producer: Matt Willis Senior news editor: Clare Fordham Commissioning executive: Tracy Williams Commissioning editor: Dan Clarke
Anatomy of a Cancellation: 5. The Rewrite
A sensitivity reader Helen Gould speaks publicly for the first time, revealing the emotional and professional complexities of revising a book already in print.Katie Razzall interrogates the role of sensitivity …
Notes de l’épisode
A sensitivity reader Helen Gould speaks publicly for the first time, revealing the emotional and professional complexities of revising a book already in print.
Katie Razzall interrogates the role of sensitivity readers, and asks: who gets to decide what’s acceptable in literature—and what happens when those boundaries shift?
In Shadow World: Anatomy of a Cancellation, the BBC’s Culture Editor Katie Razzall revisits a story that rocked the UK’s publishing industry in 2021. It led to what some saw as the unjustified cancellation of a prize-winning writer and teacher - but to others, was a long overdue reckoning for the world of publishing. It grew into a culture war about race, class, and who has the right to say what.
Anatomy of a Cancellation explores a range of different perspectives to consider how people now view one of the most controversial literary rows in recent memory.
Presenter: Katie Razzall Producer: Charlotte McDonald Additional production: Octavia Woodward Production co-ordinators: Sophie Hill and Katie Morrison Sound design and mix: James Beard Story editing: Meara Sharma Series producer: Matt Willis Senior news editor: Clare Fordham Commissioning executive: Tracy Williams Commissioning editor: Dan Clarke
It was a BBC Long Form Audio production for Radio 4.
Anatomy of a Cancellation: 4. The Defence of Kate Clanchy
Although Kate Clanchy faces a torrent of criticism in the summer of 2021, many people supported her — fellow writers, journalists, and some of her own students. They say she has been misunderstood. Katie …
Notes de l’épisode
Although Kate Clanchy faces a torrent of criticism in the summer of 2021, many people supported her — fellow writers, journalists, and some of her own students. They say she has been misunderstood.
Katie Razzall speaks to those who stood by her—including a former student who credits Kate Clanchy with empowering him and others through poetry and mentorship.
In Shadow World: Anatomy of a Cancellation, the BBC’s Culture Editor Katie Razzall revisits a story that rocked the UK’s publishing industry in 2021. It led to what some saw as the unjustified cancellation of a prize-winning writer and teacher - but to others, was a long overdue reckoning for the world of publishing. It grew into a culture war about race, class, and who has the right to say what.
Anatomy of a Cancellation explores a range of different perspectives to consider how people now view one of the most controversial literary rows in recent memory.
Presenter: Katie Razzall Producer: Charlotte McDonald Additional production: Octavia Woodward Production co-ordinators: Sophie Hill and Katie Morrison Sound design and mix: James Beard Story editing: Meara Sharma Series producer: Matt Willis Senior news editor: Clare Fordham Commissioning executive: Tracy Williams Commissioning editor: Dan Clarke
It was a BBC Long Form Audio production for Radio 4.
Anatomy of a Cancellation: 3. The Paper Trail
Katie Razzall considers the internal reaction at publishing house Pan Macmillan during the storm surrounding Kate Clanchy’s memoir Some Kids I Taught and What They Taught Me. As online criticism of the book …
Notes de l’épisode
Katie Razzall considers the internal reaction at publishing house Pan Macmillan during the storm surrounding Kate Clanchy’s memoir Some Kids I Taught and What They Taught Me.
As online criticism of the book intensifies, Kate Clanchy’s publisher faces mounting pressure from readers, authors, and its own staff. Drawing on a trove of redacted internal emails, the episode offers a rare behind-the-scenes look at how a major publisher grapples with a moment of reputational crisis.
In Shadow World: Anatomy of a Cancellation, the BBC’s Culture Editor Katie Razzall revisits a story that rocked the UK’s publishing industry in 2021. It led to what some saw as the unjustified cancellation of a prize-winning writer and teacher - but to others, was a long overdue reckoning for the world of publishing. It grew into a culture war about race, class, and who has the right to say what.
Anatomy of a Cancellation explores a range of different perspectives to consider how people now view one of the most controversial literary rows in recent memory.
Presenter: Katie Razzall Producer: Charlotte McDonald Additional production: Octavia Woodward Production co-ordinators: Sophie Hill and Katie Morrison Sound design and mix: James Beard Story editing: Meara Sharma Series producer: Matt Willis Senior news editor: Clare Fordham Commissioning executive: Tracy Williams Commissioning editor: Dan Clarke
It was a BBC Long Form Audio production for Radio 4.
Anatomy of a Cancellation: 2. The Words
Katie Razzall hears from critics who called out Kate Clanchy’s memoir ‘Some Kids I Taught and What They Taught Me’. The book, initially celebrated for its warmth and insight into multicultural classrooms, then …
Notes de l’épisode
Katie Razzall hears from critics who called out Kate Clanchy’s memoir ‘Some Kids I Taught and What They Taught Me’. The book, initially celebrated for its warmth and insight into multicultural classrooms, then comes under fire for what some call racialised and dehumanising language.
In Shadow World: Anatomy of a Cancellation, the BBC’s Culture Editor Katie Razzall revisits a story that rocked the UK’s publishing industry in 2021. It led to what some saw as the unjustified cancellation of a prize-winning writer and teacher - but to others, was a long overdue reckoning for the world of publishing. It grew into a culture war about race, class, and who has the right to say what.
Anatomy of a Cancellation explores a range of different perspectives to consider how people now view one of the most controversial literary rows in recent memory.
Presenter: Katie Razzall Producer: Charlotte McDonald Additional production: Octavia Woodward Production co-ordinators: Sophie Hill and Katie Morrison Sound design and mix: James Beard Story editing: Meara Sharma Series producer: Matt Willis Senior news editor: Clare Fordham Commissioning executive: Tracy Williams Commissioning editor: Dan Clarke
It was a BBC Long Form Audio production for Radio 4.
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