We all know the feeling. You’ve found an investigative journalism podcast with endless twists and turns. You’re so caught up in the surprising tale that you end up bingeing the whole show in just a few days. What are you going to listen to now?
Luckily we’re here to help! We’ve selected our favourite investigative journalism podcasts so you never get caught short again.
The Best Investigate Journalism Podcasts
Untold Legends: Ora
While everyone knows the story of Venus and Serena Williams, not everyone knows Ora Washington, an African-American athlete who excelled in tennis and basketball and won 201 trophies and titles throughout her career. However, Washington managed to fade into obscurity due to her race.
In this podcast from the BBC, former basketball player Renee Montgomery seeks to tell Washington’s previously untold story. Each instalment fuses research and narrative storytelling to tell Ora Washington’s incredible story that has unfortunately been forgotten.
The Catch
One of our very own productions, The Catch is Presented by Raphael Rowe, a journalist who himself spent 12 years locked up for a crime he didn’t commit.
This series delves into the story of a group of fishermen living on the Isle of Wight who were convicted of one of the largest, most audacious drug-smuggling plots in British history. Now fighting to clear their names, this show delves into both sides of the case, exploring each twist and turn, to piece together the real Freshwater Five story.
Listen now on Audible.
Finding Natasha
In the early 1970s, a promising young British ballerina was chosen to study at Russia’s prestigious ballet academy. A dream come true quickly became a nightmare that led to the teenage dancer having to escape the country, thanks to a woman she’d never see again. Finding Natasha seeks to reunite the ballerina and her unlikely hero across six riveting episodes.
The Trojan Horse Affair
In 2014, an inexplicable and confusing letter appeared on a city councillor’s desk in Birmingham, England, detailing an elaborate plan by Islamic extremists to infiltrate the city’s schools. The story soon blows up in the news and kicks off a national panic, leading to multiple investigations, revamped schools, and extra counterterrorism efforts.
In this podcast, hosts Brian Reed and Hamza Syed team up to investigate: Who wrote the Trojan Horse letter? They quickly discover that it’s a question those in power do not want them asking or answering.
Harsh Reality: The Story Of Miriam Rivera
The series is hosted by transgender actress Trace Lysette and focuses on the show There's Something About Miriam, a British reality show, and the life of Mexican transgender model Miriam Rivera.
The show examines Miriam’s early life in Mexico to her years in the US, and her experience on a dating show who’s premise was to hide her trans identity. The podcast dissects gender, sexuality, and the decision to make this TV show in the first place. This is a must listen podcast for anyone interested in the ethics of reality TV.
Sweet Bobby
Sweet Bobby is a multi-part investigation story in search of one of the world’s most sophisticated and notorious catfishers. It’s a story about who we act as online, and how social media can easily be weaponised as a tool of abuse and coercion.
With seven episodes (six plus a bonus one!), the story of Kirat Assi, the British woman at the centre of a web of lies that controlled and destroyed 10 years of her life is told for the first time. The show is hosted by investigative journalist Alexi Mostrous and dives into the fifty aliases created to abuse, coerce, and gaslight Assi for a decade.
The Dropout
The Dropout tells the story of the infamous Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes and how she managed to fool the entire world into believing in her medical technology company.
This compelling show is hosted by Rebecca Jarvis, a correspondent for ABC News, who interviews people who knew Elizabeth Holmes and follows her story from childhood to her recent trial. The podcast serves as the inspiration for, and shares a name with the 2022 Hulu miniseries of the same name, starring Amanda Seyfried as Holmes.
Pieces of Britney
Pieces of Britney from BBC Radio 4 is hosted by Pandora Sykes and seeks to dissect the treatment of women in the public eye through a case study on Britney Spears, who’s life and struggles have been at the forefront of the public eye.
This eight part series chronicles Spears’ life and conservatorship and includes interviews with psychologists and cultural historians. While there have been dozens of podcasts about Spears and her conservatorship, Pieces of Britney serves as an analytical edition that does not sensationalise the details of her abuse.
Dark House
Dark House serves as the incredibly niche cross section of interior design, the paranormal, and true crime. In each episode, hosts Hadley Mendelsohn and Alyssa Fiorentino, a twisted backstory of an infamous American home is explored, including The Watcher House in New Jersey and the Boise Murder House of Idaho. While the podcast can be incredibly dark at times, this show is a fun dive into the paranormal homes we’ve always wondered about.
The Walker’s Switch
The final podcast on our list is something a little different. Describing itself as ‘Serial, but for crisps,’ The Walker’s Switch is an investigation into whether Walkers switched the colours of their Cheese & Onion and Salt & Vinegar crisp packets. 2 out of 3 people are convinced they changed. But Walkers deny it ever happened. Over six episodes, Lauren Peters and Augustine Cerf try to discover the truth.
Want more captivating podcasts?
Whether you’re a lover of history podcasts, investigative journalism, current affairs or more, discover more shows from Message Heard.