“On that day, there were no flies on the dead. The flies were dead too.” 

On the 21st of August 1986, 1746 people and 3500 livestock died in the Cameroonian village of Nyos, died suddenly, and all at once.  

Ancient folklore had long cautioned the inhabitants of Nyos about evil spirits that lurked deep within their crater lake, but the grim reality far exceeded the unsettling myths.

What took place that evening, was one of two natural disasters ever recorded of its kind, and the next one could claim the lives of millions. 

--

Patreon - Ad-free & Bonus Episodes

YouTube - Full-length Video Episodes

TikTok / Instagram

Sources and more available on redhandedpodcast.com

In December 2006, the town of Ipswich was rocked by a spree of brutal murders targeting sex workers in its notorious red light area. But the story didn’t end with the capture of the so-called ‘Suffolk Strangler’, Steve Wright… 

The murders of Tania Nicol, Gemma Adams, Anneli Alderton, Annette Nicholls and Paula Clennell would go on to transform policing strategies for prostitution in the UK (and even inspired a tone-deaf musical).

And with killer Steve Wright back in the news in February 2026 after pleading guilty to the murder of schoolgirl Victoria Hall in 1999, this decades-old case still hasn’t run out of surprises.

--

Patreon - Ad-free & Bonus Episodes

YouTube - Full-length Video Episodes

TikTok / Instagram

Sources and more available on redhandedpodcast.com

EmptyHanded is back! We’re joined by comedian Abi Clarke to discuss all things racy, risky and romantic – and read out some of the most scandalous listener-provided stories we’ve ever heard. 

–

Patreon - Ad-free & Bonus Episodes
YouTube - Full-length Video Episodes
TikTok / Instagram

Sources and more available on redhandedpodcast.com

Valentine's Day is the perfect time to dive into the surprising, and at times horrifying, history of contraception through the ages; from crocodile-dung pessaries and mercury-tadpole concoctions to penis sheaths made of turtle shells, humanity has come a long way in its efforts to outsmart the stork. This is the ShortHand.
--
Patreon - Ad-free & Bonus Episodes
YouTube - Full-length Video Episodes
TikTok / Instagram

Sources and more available on redhandedpodcast.com

When Brendan Banfield frantically called 911 in February 2023 to report a double murder at his million-dollar suburban home in Virginia, it seemed like an extramarital sex game gone wrong.

But as police dug deeper, the deaths of Christine Banfield and Joe Ryan – the stranger found beside her – proved even weirder than they once appeared. And all the evidence pointed to a dastardly plot between Brendan and the family’s Brazilian nanny, Juliana Peres Magalhães, in a twisted web of infidelity, catfishing, and betrayal…

So did this bloodthirsty Bonnie and Clyde duo conspire to commit the grisly killings? With everyone talking about the sensational trial that wrapped up in February 2026, we’re diving into one of the most shocking cases we’ve ever covered. 

Watch this episode on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/s4yaGloq8zk

--

Patreon - Ad-free & Bonus Episodes

YouTube - Full-length Video Episodes

TikTok / Instagram

Sources and more available on redhandedpodcast.com

For all the centuries of slavery throughout human history, you might think one group came through mostly unscathed: white Europeans. But for more than a thousand years, Barbary pirates from North Africa (funded by the Ottoman Empire) prowled European coastlines, snatching unsuspecting Christian folk and taking them to be slaves in the Islamic world.

At their height, huge fleets of privateers were raiding coastal towns, sliding their ships silently up onto English beaches in the dead of night, and snatching people in their beds. Here’s the ShortHand, on the forgotten history of the Barbary corsairs.

--

Patreon - Ad-free & Bonus Episodes

YouTube - Full-length Video Episodes

TikTok / Instagram

Sources and more available on redhandedpodcast.com

The ever-changing story of neonatal nurse Lucy Letby, and the Countess of Chester baby deaths, has been given the Netflix treatment – and We. Have. Thoughts.

For our coverage of the full story, check out our previous deep-dive just before this one in the feed. But in this week’s second-ShortHand, we talk about missed evidence, digital anonymisation, and decide whether or not it changed our minds.

--

Patreon - Ad-free & Bonus Episodes

YouTube - Full-length Video Episodes

TikTok / Instagram

Sources and more available on redhandedpodcast.com

In light of the new Netflix documentary about Lucy Letby, we're dipping into the RedHanded archives to revisit our own coverage of this controversial case – following an expert panel's findings in February 2025...

Want even more up-to-date analysis? Listen to our new ShortHand episode now: 'ShortHand: Lucy Letby – What Netflix Left Out'.

--

An independent panel of experts has concluded that NO murders took place at the Countess of Chester hospital. If true, it would mean that Lucy Letby, currently serving 15 life sentences and branded the UK’s most prolific child serial killer, is innocent – and the subject of the worst miscarriage of justice in recent British memory. We go over what was covered at last week’s press conference – and whether it changed our minds on this complex case.
Watch the press conference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DT8CO15IHMsStatistical
Smoke and Mirrors with Prof John O’Quigley: https://youtu.be/k8jkl255PWI?si=DlYAFeNgU8NFlZ-Y

--

Patreon - Ad-free & Bonus Episodes

YouTube - Full-length Video Episodes

TikTok / Instagram

Sources and more available on redhandedpodcast.com

In January 2016, a coffee date between three glamorous Indonesian gal pals turned deadly – when Mirna Salihin, a wealthy and beautiful newlywed, took a sip of a Vietnamese iced coffee that had been laced with a lethal dose of cyanide. The culprit? Her ex-bestie Jessica Wongso. The motive? A toxic case of the green eyed monster: with revenge served ice cold.

At least, that’s how the Indonesian courts said it went down. But was it really that simple? 

A bungled trial, dodgy test results and a crooked legal system meant that many now believe Jessica Wongso could be innocent – no matter how guilty her smile. But what do we think? Join us as we explore the case that divided Indonesia... and left a pretty bitter taste in our mouths.

Watch this episode on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/yc7jH8nWB4k

--

Patreon - Ad-free & Bonus Episodes

YouTube - Full-length Video Episodes

TikTok / Instagram

Sources and more available on redhandedpodcast.com

From faking insanity to go undercover in an asylum, racing around the world in 72 days, and reporting from the front lines of deadly war zones, this fearless investigative reporter risked everything to expose the truth… and she did it all in a corset.

The unstoppable Nellie Bly rewrote all the rules to smash her way into the boys’ club of Victorian journalism, and blazed a trail for all the ladies who followed in her footsteps – including us.

--

Patreon - Ad-free & Bonus Episodes

YouTube - Full-length Video Episodes

TikTok / Instagram

Sources and more available on redhandedpodcast.com