Sweeney Talks

Last February, Putin launched his big war on Ukraine. Vlad Demchenko is a Ukrainian film-maker turned soldier who arrested John on Day 2 of the war on suspicion of being a Russian spy. Having sorted that, they’re now friends. Vlad tells John why he’s risking his life to defend Ukraine – and Europe. This is the story of an ordinary, extraordinary Ukrainian who is standing up to the Russian killing machine. This episode contains detailed descriptions of violence which some listeners may find distressing. If you are affected by anything you hear in this episode and need support please see the suggested helpline and website links below. Samaritans helpline: 116 123 https://www.samaritans.org/ https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/helplines/

Find out what John Sweeney really thinks about his interview with Jackie Malton, a former senior police officer known for being the real-life inspiration for the character DCI Jane Tennison in Prime Suspect. Available exclusively on Global Player. https://www.globalplayer.com/podcasts/42KuWb/ Download it from the App store or go to globalplayer.com If you're already on Global Player, search 'Sweeney Keeps Talking'.

Known for being the real-life inspiration for the character DCI Jane Tennison in the Prime Suspect TV drama series, Jackie Malton always wanted to be a detective. She joined the police force in the 1970s, when male police recruits were given a truncheon and female recruits were given a handbag. Jackie rose through the ranks to become one of only three female detective chief inspectors in the Metropolitan Police. But then she made a complaint about another officer, accusing them of corruption. Her reward? To be treated as if she was a traitor.

Find out what John Sweeney really thinks about his interview with Aiden Aslin, the British-born former soldier who was captured by Russian forces whilst fighting in Ukraine. Available exclusively on Global Player. https://www.globalplayer.com/podcasts/42KuWb/ Download it from the App store or go to globalplayer.com If you're already on Global Player, search 'Sweeney Keeps Talking'.

Detained, tortured, stabbed, and sentenced to death. This is Aiden Aslin’s astonishing story, from the heart of the conflict in Ukraine. Aiden fought with the Ukrainians and was captured by Russian forces during the siege of Mariupol. After a normal childhood in Nottinghamshire and ambitions to be a policeman, how did he find himself a prisoner of war? And how did he survive it? This episode contains detailed descriptions of torture and violence which some listeners may find distressing. If you are affected by anything you hear in this episode and need support please see the suggested helpline and website links below. Samaritans helpline: 116 123 https://www.samaritans.org/ https://www.ptsduk.org/ https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/helplines/ https://combatstress.org.uk/ https://www.freedomfromtorture.org/what-we-do/therapy-and-support

Find out what John Sweeney really thinks about his interview with former Labour Home Secretary, Alan Johnson. Available exclusively on Global Player. https://www.globalplayer.com/podcasts/42KuWb/ Download it from the App store or go to globalplayer.com If you're already on Global Player, search 'Sweeney Keeps Talking'.

To many, he’s the greatest Prime Minister we never had. Born into post-war poverty, Alan Johnson’s childhood was tough. Alan was orphaned when he was 12 and brought up by his sister, Linda. They fought to stay together and escape the slums. Alan became a postman at the age of 18 before becoming a politician, holding a range of ministerial posts including Home Secretary. He tells John Sweeney what it was like to be grindingly poor in 1950’s Britain and what he loves and loathes about the Labour Party.

One of the best-known double acts in British politics, the Hamiltons have been in and out of trouble their whole lives. In 1997, Neil lost Tatton, one of the safest Tory seats in the country to Independent candidate Martin Bell. Christine’s verbal attacks during the election earned her the nickname ‘Battleaxe’. After losing to Martin Bell, the Hamiltons went on to reinvent themselves as media stars and became famous for… well, being famous. After Neil's recent return to politics, how do they reflect on careers spent dividing opinion?

Find out what John Sweeney really thinks about his interview with Neil and Christine Hamilton, one of the best-known double acts in British politics. Available exclusively on Global Player. https://www.globalplayer.com/podcasts/42KuWb/ Download it from the App store or go to globalplayer.com If you're already on Global Player, search 'Sweeney Keeps Talking'.

Find out what John Sweeney really thinks about his interview with Martin Bell, former war reporter and Independent MP. Available exclusively on Global Player. https://www.globalplayer.com/podcasts/42KuWb/ Download it from the App store or go to globalplayer.com If you're already on Global Player, search 'Sweeney Keeps Talking'.

A much-loved war reporter and one of the best writers in the business, Martin Bell has seen it all. As a BBC reporter, he covered foreign assignments in more than 90 countries and 11 wars. In 1997, Martin quit the BBC to stand as an independent anti-sleaze candidate against the MP for Tatton, Neil Hamilton. The two candidates waged an increasingly hostile and public battle. It saw some of the most surreal scenes of the election, finishing with Martin winning one of the safest Conservative seats in the country.

Elgen Strait is an ex-member of the Moonies, better known as the Unification Church. Set up in South Korea by Sun Myung Moon in the early 1950s, the organisation has been accused by critics of being 'cult-like'. Elgen’s parents became members in their twenties and Elgen and his siblings were born into the Unification Church. Elgen tells John Sweeney what it was like to grow up as a Moonie and what led him to leave not once, but twice.

Find out what John Sweeney really thinks about his interview with the former England Rugby player, James Haskell. Available exclusively on Global Player. https://www.globalplayer.com/podcasts/42KuWb/ Download it from the App store or go to globalplayer.com If you're already on Global Player, search 'Sweeney Keeps Talking'.

A man often in the headlines for his antics on and off the field, James Haskell was a formidable flanker and even bigger character. Following an illustrious career in the game, James has gone on to become a best-selling author, podcaster and mental health advocate. His wife, Chloe Madeley, calls him ‘rugby’s answer to Donald Trump’ because of his tendency to speak his mind. James tells John Sweeney why his wife was being rude, how he turned his first rugby set-back into a success and what happened when he met former England Rugby Head Coach, Eddie Jones for the first time.

Find out what John Sweeney really thinks about his interview with Alison Bellamy, the reporter befriended by Jimmy Savile. Available exclusively on Global Player. https://www.globalplayer.com/podcasts/42KuWb/ Download it from the App store or go to globalplayer.com If you're already on Global Player, search 'Sweeney Keeps Talking'.

In the early 2000s, Alison Bellamy was Jimmy Savile’s ‘good news girl’, writing the positive press stories on which he thrived. They became close friends, and she even went on to write his authorised biography, How’s About That, Then? But after Savile’s death, her world crumbled. Hundreds of accounts of his sexual abuse surfaced, and Alison was left devastated and betrayed. For exclusive bonus content visit Global Player: https://www.globalplayer.com/podcasts/42KuWb/

Find out what John Sweeney really thinks about his interview with Chris Atkins, the film-maker who ended up inside one of Britain’s most notorious prisons. Available exclusively on Global Player. https://www.globalplayer.com/podcasts/42KuWb/ Download it from the App store or go to globalplayer.com If you're already on Global Player, search 'Sweeney Keeps Talking'.

Chris Atkins was a film-maker at the very top of his game, creating critically acclaimed programmes that regularly made front page news. But after becoming embroiled in a dodgy scheme to fund a documentary, he landed in deep, deep trouble. Chris ended up in HMP Wandsworth, one of Britain’s most notorious prisons. How did he handle life on the inside? For exclusive bonus content visit Global Player: https://www.globalplayer.com/podcasts/42KuWb/

Find out what John Sweeney really thinks about his interview with John McDonnell, Labour MP and the most left-wing Chancellor we never had. Available exclusively on Global Player. https://www.globalplayer.com/podcasts/42KuWb/ Download it from the App store or go to globalplayer.com If you're already on Global Player, search 'Sweeney Keeps Talking'.

Throughout the glory days of New Labour, John McDonnell sat on the backbenches, a-snivelling and a-sniping. Then his best mate, Jeremy Corbyn, became Labour Leader and the Left got achingly close to power. But in 2019, it all went horribly wrong, as Labour lost voters on all sides and suffered a crushing defeat to the Tories. Boris Johnson became Prime Minister and John quit the shadow cabinet. Labour were in trouble… big trouble. How did John cope with such an emphatic rejection by the British public? For exclusive bonus content visit Global Player: https://www.globalplayer.com/podcasts/42KuWb/

Find out what John Sweeney really thinks about his interview with Sam McAlister, the producer behind THAT Prince Andrew interview. Available exclusively on Global Player. https://www.globalplayer.com/podcasts/42KuWb/ Download it from the App store or go to globalplayer.com If you're already on Global Player, search 'Sweeney Keeps Talking'.

Sam McAlister has negotiated with everyone from Buckingham Palace to The White House, Tesla to Facebook. But she’s best known for arranging one of the most shocking and revealing interviews of all time: Prince Andrew’s infamous showdown with Emily Maitlis. Sam started out as a barrister – it wasn’t for her. Her anxiety was through the roof, her hair fell out, and she says the only time she felt happy was in the cells with the clients. How did Sam go from that to bagging the scoop of the decade? For exclusive bonus content visit Global Player: https://www.globalplayer.com/podcasts/42KuWb/

Find out what John Sweeney really thinks about his interview with the Conservative MP and newly re-appointed Veterans Minister, Johnny Mercer. Available exclusively on Global Player. https://www.globalplayer.com/podcasts/42KuWb/ Download it from the App store or go to globalplayer.com If you're already on Global Player, search 'Sweeney Keeps Talking'.

Soldier, veteran of three tours of Afghanistan and warrior for veterans’ rights, Johnny Mercer MP has been in and out of trouble so much it’s almost as if he likes it. He was put in the Cabinet by Boris Johnson, sacked by Liz Truss and has now been re-hired by Rishi Sunak. John Sweeney spoke to him when he’d just been fired by then Prime Minister Liz Truss… remember her? For exclusive bonus content visit Global Player: https://www.globalplayer.com/podcasts/42KuWb/

Find out what John Sweeney really thinks about his interview with Christopher Steele, the former MI6 officer and the man behind the Trump dossier in Sweeney Keeps Talking. Available exclusively on Global Player. https://www.globalplayer.com/podcasts/42KuWb/ Download it from the App store or go to globalplayer.com If you're already on Global Player, search 'Sweeney Keeps Talking'.

Find out what John Sweeney really thinks about his interview with the author and NHS palliative care doctor, Dr Rachel Clarke in Sweeney Keeps Talking. Available exclusively on Global Player. https://www.globalplayer.com/podcasts/42KuWb/ Download it from the App store or go to globalplayer.com If you're already on Global Player, search 'Sweeney Keeps Talking'.

Once deemed “an enemy of Mother Russia” by an FSB agent, Christopher Steele was high up in secret intelligence circles at the start of Vladimir Putin’s rule. After 22 years serving Britain at MI6, Chris compiled an explosive report on the influence of the Russian secret state on then Presidential Republican candidate Donald Trump. Trump denied it all and Britain’s quiet man in the shadows was thrust into the media’s spotlight. He was in deep, deep trouble. For exclusive bonus content visit Global Player: https://www.globalplayer.com/podcasts/42KuWb/

Writer, filmmaker, doctor, and a thorn in the side of the UK government, Dr Rachel Clarke is many things. What she is not, is afraid to risk her safety for the good of others. While visiting hospices and training doctors in Ukraine, the bombs began to drop. This is the kind of trouble that can have deadly consequences. For exclusive bonus content visit Global Player: https://www.globalplayer.com/podcasts/42KuWb/

John Sweeney is trouble. He's taken on Vladimir Putin, challenged Donald Trump, and after months of uncovering hard truths in Ukraine, this old-school reporter is back. John is never silent about what he’s experienced. Sweeney talks, and in this podcast, so do his guests. John speaks to people like him, who are not prepared to be part of the silent majority. They have put their livelihoods and personal reputations on the line to challenge those who run our governments, lead our industries, control our finances and dictate the way we live. They refused to toe the line, and have found themselves in trouble. Big trouble. Activists, agitators, heroes… or villains. You decide. Go to Global Player for exclusive bonus episodes where John offers candid reflections on what he's discovered during each interview, what surprised him and what we can learn from it all. https://www.globalplayer.com/podcasts/42KuWb/ Download Global Player from the App Store or go to globalplayer.com

When stalkers aren't stopped, the worst can happen. We hear firsthand accounts of how serious this can become. I talk to the parents of Alice Ruggles - murdered by her ex-boyfriend turned stalker, and Tracey Morgan, who's life has been destroyed by a stalking campaign lasting decades. We hear of the threat to our safety, our lives, and how we, and the police need to change how stalking is approached. LBC presenter Shelagh Fogarty shares her experience of being stalked, when a listener became obsessed and started to follow her. Stalking pushed her to the edge of coping. It's changed her forever and now she's trying to find a way to carry on. One in five women will be victims of stalking in their lifetime. We might think we're safe - but are we really? If you think you or someone around you is being stalked, please can the police or the national stalking helpline on 0808 802 0300. Throughout this podcast we have talked to stalking charities and advice services, below are contact details for more information: https://www.suzylamplugh.org/ https://www.paladinservice.co.uk/ https://www.alicerugglestrust.org/

"He knows everything about me, he knows where to find me no matter where I go. The police know - yet he's a free man. The walls are closing in. I'm starting to crack - I can't do this much longer." LBC presenter Shelagh Fogarty shares her experience of being stalked, when a listener became obsessed and started to follow her. Stalking pushed her to the edge of coping. It's changed her forever and now she's trying to find a way to carry on. One in five women will be victims of stalking in their lifetime. We might think we're safe - but are we really? If you think you or someone around you is being stalked, please can the police or the national stalking helpline on 0808 802 0300. Throughout this podcast we have talked to stalking charities and advice services, below are contact details for more information: https://www.suzylamplugh.org/ https://www.paladinservice.co.uk/ https://www.alicerugglestrust.org/

"The nightmares are intensifying, I can't sleep properly anymore. I'm getting pains. I'm struggling to cope. And then the nightmare comes to life. He's here, the only place I have left to be safe - and he's found me. Is this the beginning of something much worse?" LBC presenter Shelagh Fogarty shares her experience of being stalked, when a listener became obsessed and started to follow her. Stalking pushed her to the edge of coping. It's changed her forever and now she's trying to find a way to carry on. One in five women will be victims of stalking in their lifetime. We might think we're safe - but are we really? If you think you or someone around you is being stalked, please can the police or the national stalking helpline on 0808 802 0300. Throughout this podcast we have talked to stalking charities and advice services, below are contact details for more information: https://www.suzylamplugh.org/ https://www.paladinservice.co.uk/ https://www.alicerugglestrust.org/

"I've accepted I'm being stalked - but I don't know how much danger I'm in. He's following me everywhere, getting closer to my home. And if he finds out where I live, what happens then? He's sitting on the wall outside my work, clutching a bag. What is in that bag?" LBC presenter Shelagh Fogarty shares her experience of being stalked, when a listener became obsessed and started to follow her. Stalking pushed her to the edge of coping. It's changed her forever and now she's trying to find a way to carry on. One in five women will be victims of stalking in their lifetime. We might think we're safe - but are we really? If you think you or someone around you is being stalked, please can the police or the national stalking helpline on 0808 802 0300. Throughout this podcast we have talked to stalking charities and advice services, below are contact details for more information: https://www.suzylamplugh.org/ https://www.paladinservice.co.uk/ https://www.alicerugglestrust.org/

"I keep noticing the same face in the crowd. The same face on the train. Is this a coincidence, or am I being followed? And if this guy is stalking me - what does he plan to do? Am I safe? How can I be sure?" LBC presenter Shelagh Fogarty shares her experience of being stalked, when a listener became obsessed and started to follow her. Stalking pushed her to the edge of coping. It's changed her forever and now she's trying to find a way to carry on. One in five women will be victims of stalking in their lifetime. We might think we're safe - but are we really? If you think you or someone around you is being stalked, please can the police or the national stalking helpline on 0808 802 0300. Throughout this podcast we have talked to stalking charities and advice services, below are contact details for more information: https://www.suzylamplugh.org/ https://www.paladinservice.co.uk/ https://www.alicerugglestrust.org/

Shelagh Fogarty began her LBC career as a guest presenter in 2014, and her balanced and calm presenting style soon earned her a permanent role. Heartbreakingly, it was this calm approach which led to the most harrowing ordeal of Shelagh's life, when a man stalked her for nearly 2 years. In 2017, Shelagh began to notice the same face appearing in crowds, on the tube, outside her work. She dismissed it at first, but then the appearances became more and more frequent and noticeable - he was there when she met friends, when she travelled across London, at her local train station, and even when he followed her home.??The Followers is a 5-part LBC podcast series where Shelagh talks about the disturbing stages she went through during her stalking: dismissing it, fearing it, and feeling powerless as she was forced to live a limited life. The podcast also included conversations with experts and victims, looking at how societal views, misogyny and popular media tropes may be enabling stalkers to commit crimes without intervention.? Shelagh wanted to tell her story and to speak with various experts to understand more about obsessive and controlling behaviour, to deal with what happened to her on a personal level and to help others identify the behaviour that can lead to stalking. All 5 episodes will be available from July 4th exclusively on Global Player. Download it now from the App store or go to https://www.globalplayer.com If you think you or someone you know is being stalked, please call the police or the National stalking helpline on 0808 802 0300

This is not your regularly scheduled content, but instead a new podcast we think you’ll love. From Crowd Network, this is The Secret History of Flight 149. When Flight 149 departed London Heathrow on 1 August 1990, the passengers and crew had no idea of the trauma that lay ahead. A routine stopover in Kuwait turned into a hostage crisis. Hear from the hostages themselves as they recall the horrifying realisation that their holiday had taken a very dark turn. Journalist Stephen Davis delves into what's been dubbed one of the biggest cover ups in modern history. Episode one of nine. To listen to the rest of the series, search ‘The Secret History of Flight 149’ in your podcast app.

The final episode in the series looks at the dark fairy tale that is the life of Ghislaine Maxwell. She started out a rich and beautiful princess. She is now ina rat-infested cell in a New York prison known as The Tombs, awaiting trial on charges she denies. How could the fairy tell end like this, or is this the end?

In 2019 Epstein is arrested and then dies in prison. The authorities say suicide, some suspect that he did not kill himself. And Ghislaine? She vanishes. How is it possible to disappear in the twenty first century? In this episode we hear from a former FBI Special Agent who explains how people can hide and how they can be caught.

Prince Andrew can’t explain why a photo of him exists with his arm around the waist of Virginia Roberts Giuffre, then 17, with Ghislaine looking on inside her mews flat in London. However, he does explain why he stayed in Epstein’s Manhattan mansion in 2010 after the American had been convicted of having sex with an under-age girl. But he’s viewed by many as unconvincing. In this episode we look at what possible favours passed between those allegedly involved?

Ghislaine Maxwell’s address book is packed with the names of the rich, famous and powerful. But how did no one know what was happening behind the scenes? Did Ghislaine’s black book and her friendships with the likes of Donald Trump who said: “I wish her well” and Bill Clinton provide an aura of respectability that prevented proper scrutiny?

Multiple young women say they were sexually abused by Jeffrey Epstein. A smaller number say that Ghislaine Maxwell abused them along with Epstein - she denies all allegations. Victims also accuse Ghislaine of running the machine that served Epstein and that she was the real mastermind behind his actions. In episode two of Hunting Ghislaine we look at the relationship with Epstein after her father, Robert Maxwell's death, and the role she is accused of playing in supplying him with young women.

Ghislaine Maxwell has been charged with helping rich paedophile Jeffrey Epstein sexually exploit and abuse multiple minor girls – she denies all wrongdoing. This episode looks at the first monster in her life: her father, Robert Maxwell, a liar, a thief and a sadist. He named the yacht he fell from after her: The Lady Ghislaine. Did he form or, perhaps, deform her too? If you or someone you know is a victim of sexual assault, you can contact victim support free on 0808 16 89 111 or visit www.victimsupport.org.uk Hunting Ghislaine is a Global Original podcast written and reported by John Sweeney. Co-commissioned by Global and The Story Lab, produced in association with Chalk & Blade