What would you do if one handwritten letter from a psychic promised to change your life forever?

This is the story of 1 million hopeful Americans, the global scam that took $200m from them, and the mastermind who managed it all by sending out thousands of letters a week.

Investigative journalist Rachel Browne exposes the shocking details of this massive scam on this season of Smoke Screen: The Greatest Scam Ever Written - available now wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribers to The Binge can listen to all episodes right now, completely ad-free.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Introducing Education in the Age of AI from Smart Talks with IBM.

Follow the show: Smart Talks with IBM

The role of AI in the classroom is evolving rapidly. When students and teachers embrace this technology, it has the ability to democratize access to education through programs like IBM SkillsBuild. In this episode of Smart Talks with IBM, Dr. Laurie Santos, host of Pushkin’s The Happiness Lab podcast, spoke with two innovators in the space. Justina Nixon-Saintil is Vice President and Chief Impact Officer, IBM Corporate Social Responsibility, and April Dawson is an Associate Dean of Technology and Innovation and a professor of law. They discuss the importance of lifelong learning, upskilling, and the ethical implications of AI in education. 

This is a paid advertisement from IBM. The conversations on this podcast don't necessarily represent IBM's positions, strategies or opinions.

Visit us at https://ibm.com/smarttalks

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

DISCLAIMER: Please note, this is an independent podcast episode not affiliated with, endorsed by, or produced in conjunction with the host podcast feed or any of its media entities. The views and opinions expressed in this episode are solely those of the creators and guests. For any concerns, please reach out to [email protected].

In this special bonus episode of Cover Up: Ministry of Secrets, join presenter Giles Milton and producer Sarah Peters as they discuss some of their favourite moments from the show, including behind-the-scenes highlights that didn’t make it into the final edit.

Ministry of Secrets is part of The Binge - subscribe to listen to all episodes, all at once, ad-free right now. From serial killer nurses to psychic scammers – The Binge is your home for true crime stories that pull you in and never let go. Follow The Binge Crimes and The Binge Cases to get new stories on the first of the month, every month. Hit ‘Subscribe’ at the top of the Ministry of Secrets show page on Apple Podcasts or visit GetTheBinge.com. The Binge – feed your true crime obsession.

A Sony Music Entertainment production.

Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts and follow us @sonypodcasts.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Giles and Sarah reveal who - today - is blocking the truth about Lionel Crabb. And why. Ministry of Secrets reaches its dramatic climax as a Royal Navy widow gives her testimony and reveals the sensational, sinister and uncomfortable truth of what really happened to Lionel Crabb.

Ministry of Secrets is part of The Binge - subscribe to listen to all episodes, all at once, ad-free right now. From serial killer nurses to psychic scammers – The Binge is your home for true crime stories that pull you in and never let go. Follow The Binge Crimes and The Binge Cases to get new stories on the first of the month, every month. Hit ‘Subscribe’ at the top of the Ministry of Secrets show page on Apple Podcasts or visit GetTheBinge.com. The Binge – feed your true crime obsession.

A Sony Music Entertainment production.

Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts and follow us @sonypodcasts

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Who ordered Lionel Crabb’s final dive? And why? Giles and Sarah investigate the possible role of MI6. Was the CIA also involved? Revelations from a former spy and a royal expert implicate some very important figures in Crabb’s disappearance. Who are they? And is this why the affair is still being kept secret?

Ministry of Secrets is part of The Binge - subscribe to listen to all episodes, all at once, ad-free right now. From serial killer nurses to psychic scammers – The Binge is your home for true crime stories that pull you in and never let go. Follow The Binge Crimes and The Binge Cases to get new stories on the first of the month, every month. Hit ‘Subscribe’ at the top of the Ministry of Secrets show page on Apple Podcasts or visit GetTheBinge.com. The Binge – feed your true crime obsession.

A Sony Music Entertainment production.

Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts and follow us @sonypodcasts.

Show notes:

The Frogmen, 1949 - BBC Motion Gallery/Getty Images

John Le Carre afterword - Ben Macintyre, A Spy Among Friends

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Fourteen months after Lionel Crabb’s disappearance, in 1957, a corpse is found in Chichester Harbour, eight miles from Portsmouth. Is it Crabb? When Giles and Sarah discover a long-lost autopsy file in West Sussex archives, they seek help from Britain’s leading forensic pathologist, Dr Richard Shepherd.

Ministry of Secrets is part of The Binge - subscribe to listen to all episodes, all at once, ad-free right now. From serial killer nurses to psychic scammers – The Binge is your home for true crime stories that pull you in and never let go. Follow The Binge Crimes and The Binge Cases to get new stories on the first of the month, every month. Hit ‘Subscribe’ at the top of the Ministry of Secrets show page on Apple Podcasts or visit GetTheBinge.com. The Binge – feed your true crime obsession.

A Sony Music Entertainment production.

Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts and follow us @sonypodcasts.

Show notes:

Mark Elliott interview, 2014 - BBC Motion Gallery/Getty Images

John Randall interview, 1957 -  BBC Motion Gallery/Getty Images

Sidney Knowles interview - David Jackson-Wills

Various materials - West Sussex County Archives

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Giles and Sarah’s Russian fixer, Masha, finds a remarkable video interview with a former KGB diver, Eduard Koltsov – the last person to see Lionel Crabb on the day of his secret dive. His deathbed confession is graphic, shocking and believable. But can he be trusted?

Ministry of Secrets is part of The Binge - subscribe to listen to all episodes, all at once, ad-free right now. From serial killer nurses to psychic scammers – The Binge is your home for true crime stories that pull you in and never let go. Follow The Binge Crimes and The Binge Cases to get new stories on the first of the month, every month. Hit ‘Subscribe’ at the top of the Ministry of Secrets show page on Apple Podcasts or visit GetTheBinge.com. The Binge – feed your true crime obsession.

A Sony Music Entertainment production.

Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts and follow us @sonypodcasts.

Show notes:

Eduard Koltsov interview, 2007 - Ren TV

Lord Mountbatten interview, 1969 - Fremantle

Death of Princess Diana announcement, 1997 - BBC Motion Gallery/Getty Images

Operation Paget Press Conference, 2006 - BBC News

John Randall interview, 1957 - BBC Motion Gallery/Getty Images

HC Deb, The Case of Commander Crabb, 14 May 1956, Vol 552.

Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0.

Newspaper headlines:

The Independent, 21 December 2003

The Guardian, 20 October 2003

The Herald Sun, May 27 2019

The Independent, 31 May 2017

The Daily Record, 31 August 2022

The Daily Express, 18 June 2007

The Daily Mirror, 15 May 1956

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Giles and Sarah investigate the first few days that followed Crabb’s disappearance with the help of Peter Marshall, the 90-year-old journalist who first broke the story. As they piece together what might have happened, they discover a sinister 1950s cover-up — one that extends to the very centre of power.

Ministry of Secrets is part of The Binge - subscribe to listen to all episodes, all at once, ad-free right now. From serial killer nurses to psychic scammers – The Binge is your home for true crime stories that pull you in and never let go. Follow The Binge Crimes and The Binge Cases to get new stories on the first of the month, every month. Hit ‘Subscribe’ at the top of the Ministry of Secrets show page on Apple Podcasts or visit GetTheBinge.com. The Binge – feed your true crime obsession.

A Sony Music Entertainment production.

Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts and follow us @sonypodcasts.

Show notes:

Newspaper headlines:

The Times, 30 April 1956

The Times, 3 May 1956

Portsmouth Evening News, 1 May 1956

Le Monde, 7 May 1956

Le Monde, 14 May 1956

Bild Zeitung, circa June 1956

The Daily Mirror, 8 May 1956

The Daily Mirror, 9 May 1956

The Daily Mirror, 15 May 1956

Die Zeit, 10 May 1956

The New York Times, 13 June 1957

The New York Times, 29 May 1960

The Irish Times, 19 May 1956

The Irish Times, 10 May 1956

Der Spiegel, 22 May 1956

El Universal, 2006

HC Deb, Commander Crabb (Presumed Death), 09 May 1956 vol 552.

Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Giles and Sarah find a 2007 video interview made by Crabb’s oldest friend, Sydney Knowles. This explosive interview is full of sensational revelations that will take the Lionel Crabb mystery in a whole new direction.

Ministry of Secrets is part of The Binge - subscribe to listen to all episodes, all at once, ad-free right now. From serial killer nurses to psychic scammers – The Binge is your home for true crime stories that pull you in and never let go. Follow The Binge Crimes and The Binge Cases to get new stories on the first of the month, every month. Hit ‘Subscribe’ at the top of the Ministry of Secrets show page on Apple Podcasts or visit GetTheBinge.com. The Binge – feed your true crime obsession.

A Sony Music Entertainment production.

Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts and follow us @sonypodcasts.

Show notes:

Various materials - National Archives

Gordon Gutteridge quote - John Bevan, Crabbgate

Bulganin And Khrushchev visit, 1956 - British Pathé

San Francisco Prison Break Attempt, 1962 - British Pathé

Sidney Knowles interview - David Jackson-Wills

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Lionel Crabb was a celebrated wartime hero, feted in blockbuster films, and was even believed to be the model for James Bond. But when Giles and Sarah look through the Crabb files at the National Archives, a far more complex person starts to emerge. Those files also suggest that a sinister cover-up is at play.

Ministry of Secrets is part of The Binge - subscribe to listen to all episodes, all at once, ad-free right now. From serial killer nurses to psychic scammers – The Binge is your home for true crime stories that pull you in and never let go. Follow The Binge Crimes and The Binge Cases to get new stories on the first of the month, every month. Hit ‘Subscribe’ at the top of the Ministry of Secrets show page on Apple Podcasts or visit GetTheBinge.com. The Binge – feed your true crime obsession.

A Sony Music Entertainment production.

Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts and follow us @sonypodcasts

Show notes:

Sidney Knowles interview - David Jackson-Wills

Various letters & memorandums - National Archives

The Silent Enemy, 1958 - Romulus Films

Frogman article, 29 April 1957, The Herald Newspaper

Anthony Eden’s speech at Bradford, 1956 - AP Archive

Duck and Cover, 1952 - Library of Congress, Motion Picture, Broadcasting, and Recorded Sound Division

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices