Just before this BBC podcast gets underway, here's something you may not know.

My name's Linda Davies and I Commission Podcasts for BBC Sounds.

As you'd expect, at the BBC we make podcasts of the very highest quality featuring the most knowledgeable

experts and genuinely engaging voices. What you may not know is that the BBC

makes podcasts about all kinds of things like pop stars,

poltergeist, cricket, and conspiracy theories and that's just a few examples.

If you'd like to discover something a little bit unexpected, find your next podcast over at BBC Sounds.

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Hi, thanks for downloading analysis. In this episode... podcasts. happens when it collides with allegations of domestic abuse in the family courts.

Breaking up is never easy, but when children are involved things are more complicated,

parents splitting up on bad terms are long going to be in each other's lives.

There's no doubt that people who are angry and upset and emotional are not in the best place to present rationally the history of their relationship and why it broke down.

I see exaggeration on both sides.

The majority of parents who split up decide between themselves how much time their children spend with each parent and when.

But each year, thousands of parents who can't agree go to the family courts where magistrates and judges make those decisions for them.

And it's in the courts where an old, some might say fringe idea in psychotherapy has started to gain traction.

It's called parental alienation.

Its supporters say it's a form of child abuse.

It's critics that it's a way for abusive men to

silence their ex partners. And it's fast become one of the most contested

aspects of family law. It's something that has become, shall we say, a weapon in situations where

forensic evidence is called in.

...