The Paris Bluebeard: The Life & Lies of Marcel Petiot

Dark Histories

Ben Cutmore

History

4.8 • 2.2K Ratings

🗓️ 21 October 2025

⏱️ 93 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In the shadows of war-torn Paris, a charming young doctor lived a double life. Physician by day, and resistance fighter by night, his underground network promised salvation to those desperate to escape the Nazi grip. But in a time where trust was at a premium, the truth was not necessarily as it seemed. When Dr. Marcel Petiot’s home at 21 Rue Le Sueur became a concern to his neighbours as a sickly smelling smoke rose from his furnace, the illusion began to unravel. A resistance fighter, a Gestapo set up, or the scene of countless heinous crimes, the truth was as complicated to the police as it was for those who knew the doctor's friendly smile, and kind bedside manner. SOURCES King, David (2011) Death in the City of Light. Little Brown Book Group, London, UK. Liverpool Echo (1944) Death House Doctor Hunt. Liverpool Echo, Mon 13 March 1944, p3. Liverpool, UK. Rosbotton, Ronald C. (2015) When Paris Went Dark: The City of Light Under German Occupation, 1940-1944. Back Bay Books, NY, USA.The Standard (1946) Dr Petiot Executed In Paris. The Standard, Sat 25 May 1946, p12. London, UK. ------ For almost anything, head over to the podcasts hub at ⁠⁠⁠darkhistories.com ⁠⁠⁠ Support the show by using our link when you sign up to Audible: ⁠⁠⁠http://audibletrial.com/darkhistories⁠⁠⁠ or visit our Patreon for bonus episodes and Early Access: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/darkhistories⁠⁠⁠ The Dark Histories books are available to buy here: ⁠⁠⁠http://author.to/darkhistories⁠⁠⁠ Dark Histories merch is available here: ⁠⁠⁠https://bit.ly/3GChjk9⁠⁠⁠ Connect with us on Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠http://facebook.com/darkhistoriespodcast⁠⁠⁠ Or find us on Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠http://twitter.com/darkhistories⁠⁠⁠ & Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/dark_histories/⁠⁠⁠ Or you can contact us directly via email at ⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠ or join our Discord community: ⁠⁠⁠https://discord.gg/cmGcBFf⁠⁠⁠ The Dark Histories Butterfly was drawn by Courtney, who you can find on Instagram @bewildereye Music was recorded by me © Ben Cutmore 2017 Other Outro music was Paul Whiteman & his orchestra with Mildred Bailey - All of me (1931). It's out of copyright now, but if you're interested, that was that. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	This episode is brought to you by SimplySafe.
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0:20.5	So you can relax. Visit simplysafe.com.
0:24.4	UK slash pod for an exclusive discount. Hello everyone. My name is Wesley Levisay from the
0:33.9	History of the Second World War podcast. Join me on a journey to the most destructive
0:38.5	conflict in human history, a journey that will take us not just through the famous campaigns
0:43.1	and cataclysmic battles, but also to the lesser well-known corners of the war that touched
0:47.9	millions all over the world, as we try and answer not just the questions of what and where,
0:53.3	but how and why. You can find
0:55.8	History of the Second World War on all major podcast platforms or at history of the second world war.com.
1:02.2	In the shadows of war-torn Paris, a charming young doctor lived a double life, physician by day,
1:09.7	and resistance fighter by night. His underground network promised
1:13.8	salvation to those desperate to escape the Nazi grip. But in a time where trust was at a premium,
1:20.5	the truth was not necessarily as it seemed. When Dr Marcel Petio's home at 21 Ruehler-Sir
1:26.5	became a concern to his neighbours as a sickly
1:29.5	smelling smoke rose from his furnace, the illusion began to unravel.
1:34.8	A resistance fighter, a Gestapo set up or the scene of countless heinous crimes.
	...

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