Bad People x The Serpent Part 2: Psychopathic charm

Bad People

BBC

True Crime

4.4 • 1.1K Ratings

🗓️ 23 January 2021

⏱️ 41 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Charles Sobhraj is a convicted killer and the inspiration for the new BBC One drama, The Serpent. Julia and Sofie speak with Julie Clark, journalist and author of On the Trail of the Serpent: The Life and Crimes of Charles Sobhraj. Julie and her late husband Richard Neville met Sobhraj. What is he really like? And we hear from Sobhraj himself as Julie shares a secret recording from his cell. Spending so much time with Sobhraj landed Julie and Richard in a tricky situation, Sobhraj told them he had plans to break out of jail. Did they tell the police? What should journalists do when they find themselves in similar moral dilemmas? And do Julie’s observations suggest that Sobhraj is a psychopath? Warning: This episode contains strong language and references to violence and murder. Presenters: Dr. Julia Shaw and Sofie Hagen Producers: Paula McGrath and Caroline Steel Assistant Producer: Simona Rata Music: Matt Chandler Series Editor: Rami Tzabar Commissioning Producer: Hannah Rose Commissioning Executive: Dylan Haskins Commissioning Editor: Jason Phipps Bad People is a BBC Audio Science Production for BBC Sounds #BadPeople_BBC

Transcript

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0:00.0	Newscast is the unscripted chat behind the headlines.
0:05.6	It's informed, but informal.
0:07.6	We pick the day's top stories and we find experts who can really dig into them.
0:12.4	We use our colleagues in the newsroom and
0:14.4	our contacts. Some people pick up the phone rather faster than others.
0:18.0	We sometimes literally run around the BBC building to grab the very best guests.
0:23.4	Join us for daily news chats to get you ready for today's conversations.
0:28.3	Newscast, listen on BBC sounds.
0:33.0	Three two one.
0:36.0	Welcome to our second special bonus episode of Bad People,
0:40.0	discussing a new TV series,
0:42.0	the BBC One hit, The Serpent.
0:44.0	And of course this episode will contain spoilers,
0:47.0	so you might want to start by actually watching the show on BBC I Player.
0:51.0	The whole Buckset is there right now.
0:53.2	If you're new to bad people, then welcome.
0:56.2	Please subscribe to us on BBC Sounds and check out our past episodes.
1:00.2	We've covered everything from my area of expertise, false memory, to industrial corruption and the garbage mafia and even cannibalism. So there's something for everyone.
1:11.0	Today we're exploring what characteristics make someone
1:14.3	charming, the nature of psychopaths, and juicy ethical dilemmas faced by journalists
1:19.5	in this particular case. The Serpent is based on the story of Charles Subrage, con man and murderer who is currently in prison in Nepal.
1:28.0	On today's show we have all kinds of bizarre stories about what it's like to hang out with Sabrage and his buddies, stories peppered with jailbreaks, parties,
	...

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