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Crime Stories

From Myra Hindley's unpublished prison letters to Howard Marks' autobiography, Mr Nice, what explains the modern desire to speak publicly about crime? Also, 'hardman' biographies.

Laurie Taylor explores the fascination for true crime stories. He's joined by Jennifer Fleetwood, Senior Lecturer in Criminology at City, University of London, whose latest work considers the remarkable rise in the number of people who speak publicly about their experience of crime. Personal accounts used to be confined to the police station and the courtroom, but today bookshops heave with autobiographies by prisoners, criminals, police and barristers while streaming platforms host hours of interviews so how easy is it for the 'truth' to come out?

Louise Wattis, Assistant Professor in the Department: Social Sciences 路at Northumbria University, Newcastle looks at the skyrocketing interest in true crime as a form of popular entertainment. What do we know about the appeal of 'Hardman' biographies of violent criminals, a hugely popular subgenre, particularly for male readers?

Producer: Jayne Egerton

Available now

28 minutes

Last on

Sun 2 Feb 2025 06:05

Featured

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Guests and further reading

- Jennifer Fleetwood, Senior Lecturer in Criminology at City, University of London听

What We Talk About When We Talk About Crime听 (Notting Hill Editions)

- , 听Assistant Professor in Criminology at Northumbria University, Newcastle

Gender,听True Crime and Criminology:听Offenders,听Victims and Ethics (Emerald Publishing Limited)

Broadcasts

  • Tue 28 Jan 2025 15:30
  • Sun 2 Feb 2025 06:05

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