The Compendium: An Assembly of Fascinating Things

Nellie Bly the woman who check herself into a madness to expose the grim realities inside, but that was only the start for this plucky young stunt reporter. Elizabeth Cochran, practising a thousand-yard stare in a gaslit mirror, because the only way to report the truth is to be locked up with it. What follows is ten days inside the Blackwell Island asylum, where neglect, cruelty, and bureaucracy do their worst behind closed doors. Back in print, the fallout forces uncomfortable questions and real pressure for reform. And just when you think she’s done risking her life for a byline, Joseph Pulitzer hands her the kind of assignment that turns journalism into spectacle: an around-the-world dash that dares Jules Verne’s fiction to keep up. Topics include Host & Show Info Hosts:Intro Music: Alice in dark WonderlandCommunity & Calls to Action Review & follow on: SpotifyApple PodcastsInstagram: @theCompendiumPodcastWebsite: thecompendiumpodcast.comSupport us: Sign up to PatreonCircus Job Board: Apply to join the CircusShare this episode with a friend! If you enjoyed it, tag us on social media and let us know your favourite takeaway. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In 2019, eBay went full villain in one of Silicon Valley’s biggest cyberstalking scandals. Today we’re diving into the fragile ego at the top, and the lengths the CEO went to in a harassment campaign against a wholesome suburban couple in Boston. After critical posts hit a nerve, eBay’s CEO instructed their Global Security team to take down nay sayers at any cost. Today we track the emails, fake accounts, doorstep packages, and the FBI investigation that drags the whole operation into the light. Topics include Host & Show Info Hosts:Intro Music: Alice in dark WonderlandCommunity & Calls to Action Review & follow on: SpotifyApple PodcastsInstagram: @theCompendiumPodcastWebsite: TheCompendiumPodcast.comSupport us: Sign up to PatreonCircus Job Board: Submit your job DescriptionsShare this episode with a friend! If you enjoyed it, tag us on social media and let us know your favourite takeaway. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The West Memphis Three story is a nightmare of panic, pressure, and vanished evidence, where a confession mattered more than truth. In 1993, three eight-year-old boys vanished in West Memphis, Arkansas, then turned up murdered in Robin Hood Hills. As the Satanic Panic crept into the investigation, police chased a satanic ritual narrative and built a case around Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin, and Jesse Misskelley, fuelled by a false confession and courtroom “experts” who should never have been there. Years later, the hair evidence in a ligature knot and the Alford plea that freed them leave one brutal question hanging: if they walked out, who never got caught? Topics include Resources and Further Reading West Memphis ThreeThe Satanic PanicParadise Lost (1996)West of Memphis (2012)Devil's Knot Host & Show Info Hosts:Intro Music: Alice in dark WonderlandCommunity & Calls to Action Review & follow on: SpotifyApple PodcastsInstagram: @theCompendiumPodcastWebsite: TheCompendiumPodcast.comSupport us: Sign up to PatreonCertified Freaks: Submit your job Descriptions Share this episode with a friend! If you enjoyed it, tag us on social media and let us know your favourite takeaway. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

McMillions exposed how McDonald’s Monopoly was quietly hijacked, turning “random” winners into a pattern the FBI could not ignore. It started with a tip that sounded like sour grapes, but then the FBI noticed something odd: all the winners were connected. The lead led to the realisation that the McDonald’s Monopoly game was rigged, and had been for most of its existence. And the man behind it was Uncle Jerry, Jerry Jacobson. What emerged was a secret FBI initiative dubbed Operation Final Answer, and a co-ordinated national sting. Topics include Resources and Further Reading McMillions (2020) McDonalds Monopoly Scam Host & Show Info Hosts:Intro Music: Alice in dark WonderlandCommunity & Calls to Action Review & follow on: SpotifyApple PodcastsInstagram: @theCompendiumPodcastWebsite: TheCompendiumPodcast.comSupport us: Sign up to PatreonCertified Freaks: Submit your job Descriptions Share this episode with a friend! If you enjoyed it, tag us on social media and let us know your favourite takeaway. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Chowchilla bus kidnapping began like any school run, then veered into a buried alive ordeal no one could have imagined. One moment a group of kids are arguing about snacks, the next they are being marched off a bus by men who clearly skipped Kidnapping 101. While the town panics, the abductors bungle their own plan and promptly disappear, leaving 27 people trapped underground with no idea what happens next. What unfolds is a mix of fear, grit, and surprisingly resourceful thinking as the captives take matters into their own hands. Topics include Resources and Further Reading 1976 Chowchilla kidnapping Edward Ray They’ve Taken Our Children, 1993The ballad of the Chowchilla bus kidnappingChowchilla bus kidnapping Host & Show Info Hosts:Intro Music: Alice in dark WonderlandCommunity & Calls to Action Review & follow on: SpotifyApple PodcastsInstagram: @theCompendiumPodcastWebsite: TheCompendiumPodcast.comSupport us: Sign up to PatreonCertified Freaks: Submit your job Descriptions Share this episode with a friend! If you enjoyed it, tag us on social media and let us know your favourite takeaway. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Suffolk Strangler turned Ipswich into a locked-door city. Five women vanish from the red light district and the road home becomes a crime scene. In December 2006, the Ipswich murders unfold at terrifying speed as five women are found dumped on rural roads outside the town. Panic turns the streets silent, while the women at the centre of the story are reduced to headlines instead of humans. Inside Operation Sumac, detectives chase CCTV footage, a Ford Mondeo, DNA evidence and forensic fibres to close in on Steve Wright. Topics include Resources and Further Reading Ipswich serial murdersWright guilty of Suffolk murdersMurder in the Red Light Host & Show Info Hosts:Intro Music: Alice in dark WonderlandCommunity & Calls to Action Review & follow on: SpotifyApple PodcastsInstagram: @theCompendiumPodcastWebsite: TheCompendiumPodcast.comSupport us: Sign up to PatreonCertified Freaks: Submit your job Descriptions Share this episode with a friend! If you enjoyed it, tag us on social media and let us know your favourite takeaway. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In June 2002, a Federal Heights neighbourhood wakes to panic as the investigation stalls and fractures. With suspicion falling on handyman Richard Ricci, the Smart family turns to the spotlight and America’s Most Wanted. The search may end, but the legal fight begins, with an insanity defence and Elizabeth forced to reclaim her voice. Topics include Host & Show Info Hosts:Intro Music: Alice in dark WonderlandCommunity & Calls to Action Review & follow on: SpotifyApple PodcastsInstagram: @theCompendiumPodcastWebsite: TheCompendiumPodcast.comSupport us: Sign up to PatreonCertified Freaks: Submit your job Descriptions Share this episode with a friend! If you enjoyed it, tag us on social media and let us know your favourite takeaway. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Two men stalk Los Angeles at night, dumping bodies across the hills as police scramble to understand a pattern of terror unfolding in plain sight. This episode examines the Hillside Stranglers case, following Kenneth Bianchi and Angelo Buono as their murders gripped Los Angeles in the late 1970s. We explore how victims were selected, the pressure mounting on investigators, the bizarre multiple personality defence attempt, and the Veronica Compton plot that nearly derailed justice before the case finally collapsed in on itself. Topics include Resources and Further Reading The Hillside Strangler Kenneth Bianchi Angelo Buono Jr. Biography & Crimes Host & Show Info Hosts:Intro Music: Alice in dark WonderlandCommunity & Calls to Action Review & follow on: SpotifyApple PodcastsInstagram: @theCompendiumPodcastWebsite: TheCompendiumPodcast.comSupport us: Sign up to PatreonCertified Freaks: Submit your job Descriptions Share this episode with a friend! If you enjoyed it, tag us on social media and let us know your favourite takeaway. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

A missing child returns under suspiciously perfect circumstances, sparking a decades-long battle over identity and truth. This episode traces the disappearance and reappearance of four-year-old Bobby Dunbar, the contradictions that muddied the investigation, and the families pulled into the fallout. Through contested identifications, clashing testimonies, and the revelation of a century-late DNA test, we explore how a single child’s return became one of America’s most enduring mysteries. Topics include Resources and Further Reading A Case for SolomonThe Ghost of Bobby DunbarThe Strange Case of Bobby DunbarDisappearance of Bobby Dunbar Host & Show Info Hosts:Intro Music: Alice in dark WonderlandCommunity & Calls to Action Review & follow on: SpotifyApple PodcastsInstagram: @theCompendiumPodcastWebsite: TheCompendiumPodcast.comSupport us: Sign up to PatreonCertified Freaks: Submit your job Descriptions Share this episode with a friend! If you enjoyed it, tag us on social media and let us know your favourite takeaway. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

A neonatal unit descends into crisis as accusations of murder, medical error, and systemic failure collide around nurse Lucy Letby. This episode examines the events inside the Countess of Chester’s neonatal unit, where unexplained collapses and conflicting evidence fuelled one of the NHS’s most divisive scandals. We explore the debates over air embolisms, ventilator failures, and hospital negligence while asking whether this tragedy points to deliberate harm or a system buckling under pressure. Topics include Resources and Further Reading The Nurse Who Hated Babies, 2023 – Channel 4Lucy LetbyThe Thirlwall InquiryLucy Letby International Expert Panel Press ConferenceThree bosses at Letby hospital arrested for ‘manslaughter Host & Show Info Hosts:Intro Music: Alice in dark WonderlandCommunity & Calls to Action Review & follow on: SpotifyApple PodcastsInstagram: @theCompendiumPodcastWebsite: TheCompendiumPodcast.comSupport us: Sign up to PatreonCertified Freaks: Submit your job Descriptions Share this episode with a friend! If you enjoyed it, tag us on social media and let us know your favourite takeaway. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

A bitter rivalry spirals out of control as two palaeontologists race to outdo each other and rewrite the story of the dinosaurs. This episode explores the Bone Wars, the feud between Edward Cope and Othniel Marsh that pushed American palaeontology to new heights and embarrassing lows. From sabotage and rivalry to genuine scientific breakthroughs, we trace how their obsession uncovered extraordinary fossils while nearly destroying their reputations. Topics include Resources and Further Reading The Bone WarsThe Bone Wars That Made Dinosaurs So Popular Host & Show Info Hosts:Intro Music:Alice in dark WonderlandCommunity & Calls to Action Review & follow on:SpotifyApple PodcastsInstagram:@theCompendiumPodcastWebsite:TheCompendiumPodcast.comSupport usPatreonShare this episode with a friend! If you enjoyed it, tag us on social media and let us know your favourite takeaway. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

A man is found dead in a locked hotel room with no signs of a struggle, leaving investigators with a mystery that makes no sense. This episode follows the case of Greg Flanagan, whose death in Room 348 seemed straightforward until private investigator Ken Brennan uncovered evidence hiding in plain sight. We trace the overlooked clues, the chain of small mistakes that derailed the initial inquiry, and the reasoning that finally revealed what happened inside that locked room. Topics include Resources and Further Reading Body in room 348Body in room 348 Host & Show Info Hosts:Intro Music:Alice in dark WonderlandCommunity & Calls to Action Review & follow on:SpotifyApple PodcastsInstagram:@theCompendiumPodcastWebsite:TheCompendiumPodcast.comSupport usPatreonShare this episode with a friend! If you enjoyed it, tag us on social media and let us know your favourite takeaway. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

A quiz show champion reaches the million-pound question, only for suspicious coughs to spark a scandal that grips the nation. This episode revisits the Who Wants to Be a Millionaire coughing scandal, tracing how Charles Ingram, his wife Diana, and Tecwen Whittock became the centre of a media storm and courtroom battle. We explore the evidence, the trial, the role of Chris Tarrant, and the twists that inspired ITV’s Quiz, all while asking whether the Coughing Major was truly guilty. Topics include Quiz Resources and Further Reading Charles Ingram Fraud Scandal FootageCharles IngramQuiz Miniseries 2020Bad Show: The Quiz, The Cough, The Millionaire Major Reasonable doubt: was ‘the Coughing Major’ innocent? Host & Show Info Hosts:Intro Music:Alice in dark WonderlandCommunity & Calls to Action Review & follow on:SpotifyApple PodcastsInstagram:@theCompendiumPodcastWebsite:TheCompendiumPodcast.comSupport usPatreonShare this episode with a friend! If you enjoyed it, tag us on social media and let us know your favourite takeaway. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this episode of The Compendium, we uncover the real story behind Guy Fawkes, the man, the myth, and the match that nearly blew up Parliament. But Guy Fawkes really the mastermind or the scapegoat. Today we go from Robert Catesby’s radical vision to King James I’s brutal retribution, and how his failed act of treason became Bonfire Night — and why Britain still chants “Remember, Remember the Fifth of November.” We give you just the Compendium, but if you want more, here are our resources: The Gunpowder Plot - WikipediaThe Gunpowder Plot: Terror and Faith in 1605Guy Fawkes and the Gunpowder PlotGuy Fawkes night Host & Show Info Hosts:Suggested by: Intro Music:Alice in dark WonderlandAleksey ChistilinTrailer Music: Stealy MoveSoundroll Community & Calls to Action Review & follow on:SpotifyApple PodcastsFollow us on Instagram:@theCompendiumPodcastVisit us at:TheCompendiumPodcast.comEarly access episodes:Patreon Share this episode with a friend! If you enjoyed it, tag us on social media and let us know your favorite takeaway. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this episode of The Compendium, we dive into the wild, beautiful, and often brutal life of Frida Kahlo. Frida Kahlo is the artist who turned her pain into power. From the accident that shattered her spine to the politics, love affairs, and Diego Rivera drama that filled her world, Frida painted every heartbreak straight onto the canvas. And today I’m going to tell Adam all about it as we explore her bold self-portraits, her surrealism before it had a name, and how a woman once dismissed as “Diego’s wife” became a global symbol of art, rebellion, and self-expression, from La Casa Azul to the Tate Modern. We give you just the Compendium, but if you want more, here are our resources: Frida (2002)Frida: A Biography of Frida KahloComplete Works – Frida KahloFrida: The Making of an Icon Host & Show Info Hosts:Topic Suggested by:Intro Music:Alice in dark WonderlandAleksey ChistilinTrailer Music: Stealy MoveSoundroll Community & Calls to Action Review & follow on:SpotifyApple PodcastsFollow us on Instagram:@theCompendiumPodcastVisit us at:TheCompendiumPodcast.comEarly access episodes:Patreon Share this episode with a friend! If you enjoyed it, tag us on social media and let us know your favorite takeaway. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this episode of The Compendium, we dive into the chaotic story of Fyre Festival, the so-called “greatest party that never happened.” What began as Billy McFarland’s glossy vision of a luxury music festival in the Bahamas quickly unraveled into a full-scale disaster involving Ja Rule, celebrity influencers, and one infamous cheese sandwich. We explore how this viral catastrophe became a modern parable of greed, Ponzi schemes, and social media delusion, and what happened to Billy McFarland after the fallout. We give you just the Compendium, but if you want more, here are our resources: Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened (2019)Fyre FestivalHype: Inside the Fyre Festival and the Golden Age of Grift Billy McFarland Host & Show Info Hosts:About:Intro Music:Alice in dark WonderlandAleksey ChistilinTrailer Music: Stealy MoveSoundroll Community & Calls to Action Review & follow on:SpotifyApple PodcastsFollow us on Instagram:@theCompendiumPodcastVisit us at:TheCompendiumPodcast.comEarly access episodes:Patreon Share this episode with a friend! If you enjoyed it, tag us on social media and let us know your favorite takeaway. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this episode of The Compendium, we explore the Mushroom Murders the shocking case of Erin Patterson and the deadly family lunch poisoned with death cap mushrooms. Three relatives died, one barely survived, and the trial revealed her deep web of lies. This episode has it all, deception, courtroom drama and of course that imfamous poisoned Beef Wellington. Join us as we uncover how this bizarre story became Australia’s most infamous mushroom murder trial. We give you just the Compendium, but if you want more, here are our resources: Inside the Family Lunch That Killed Three (2025) Leongatha Mushroom MurdersKey Facts in Australia’s Mushroom Murder Trial Host & Show Info Hosts:About:Intro Music:Alice in dark WonderlandAleksey ChistilinTrailer Music: Stealy MoveSoundroll Community & Calls to Action Review & follow on:SpotifyApple PodcastsFollow us on Instagram:@theCompendiumPodcastVisit us at:TheCompendiumPodcast.comEarly access episodes:Patreon Share this episode with a friend! If you enjoyed it, tag us on social media and let us know your favorite takeaway. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this episode of The Compendium, we revisit Space Cadets: How A British Reality Show Convinced Contestants They Were In Space. In 2005, Channel 4 and Endemol staged the most ambitious TV hoax in British history, tricking contestants into believing they had been launched into orbit. Hosted by Johnny Vaughan, the show combined fake cosmonaut training, a shuttle simulator, and an elaborate Ipswich “Russian base” to sell the illusion. Nearly twenty years later, we unpack how Space Cadets blurred entertainment and deception, why it remains reality TV’s strangest moment, and how contestants truly believed they were in space. We give you just the Compendium, but if you want more, here are our resources: Space Cadets (2005) Space Cadets TV SeriesIpswich, we have a problemCapricorn One (1978) Host & Show Info Hosts:About:Intro Music:Alice in dark WonderlandAleksey ChistilinTrailer Music: Stealy MoveSoundroll Community & Calls to Action Review & follow on:SpotifyApple PodcastsFollow us on Instagram:@theCompendiumPodcastVisit us at:TheCompendiumPodcast.comEarly access episodes:Patreon Share this episode with a friend! If you enjoyed it, tag us on social media and let us know your favorite takeaway. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this episode of The Compendium, Adam walks us through the tragic and terrifying story of Aileen Wuornos. Aileen was the Florida sex worker whose life of abuse, rage, and survival turned her into one of America’s most infamous female serial killers. We’ll tell you about her violent childhood to the murders that inspired Monster, we explore the woman behind the headlines, her fractured mind, and the haunting question at the heart of her story: was Aileen a monster, or a victim who never stood a chance? We give you just The Compendium, but if you want more, here are our resources: Aileen WuornosMonster (2003)Aileen: Life and Death of a Serial Killer (2003)Monster: My True Story Host & Show Info Hosts:Suggested by: Intro Music:Alice in dark WonderlandAleksey ChistilinTrailer Music: Stealy MoveSoundroll Community & Calls to Action Review & follow on:SpotifyApple PodcastsFollow us on Instagram:@theCompendiumPodcastVisit us at:TheCompendiumPodcast.comEarly access episodes:Patreon Share this episode with a friend! If you enjoyed it, tag us on social media and let us know your favorite takeaway. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this episode of The Compendium, we revisit the tragic story of Reeva Steenkamp and the night she was killed by Oscar Pistorius. From the rise of the Blade Runner to the shocking Valentine’s Day shooting in Pretoria, we examine the trial, the verdict, and the controversy that followed. Exploring themes of manslaughter, parole, and South Africa’s crime culture, this episode asks: who was Reeva, and what does her story reveal about justice and violence? We give you just the Compendium, but if you want more, here are our resources: Oscar Pistorius: Behind the DoorOne Tragic Night: The Shooting of Reeva SteenkampOscar Pistorius: The Trial of the Blade Runner (2018) Host & Show Info Hosts:About:Intro Music:Alice in dark WonderlandAleksey ChistilinTrailer Music: Stealy MoveSoundroll Community & Calls to Action Review & follow on:SpotifyApple PodcastsFollow us on Instagram:@theCompendiumPodcastVisit us at:TheCompendiumPodcast.comEarly access episodes:Patreon 📤 Share this episode with a friend! If you enjoyed it, tag us on social media and let us know your favorite takeaway. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.