Five podcasts that set the standard

The benchmark. Hedley Thomas spent years on this investigation into Lynette Dawson's 1982 disappearance, and the podcast helped put her husband Chris Dawson behind bars in 2022. That's not just great journalism — it's a case study in what the format can actually achieve. Start at Episode 1 and clear your schedule.

The podcast that sent a murderer to jail — The Teacher's Pet is one of the most impactful true crime investigations ever made, resulting in the 2022 conviction of Chris Dawson.

No host personality, no banter, no filler. Just clean, cold, rigorous storytelling on cases you've probably never heard of — and a handful you have, told better than anywhere else. Casefile is what I'd recommend to someone who says they don't really like true crime podcasts. It might change their mind.

With over 600 million downloads, Casefile's anonymous host and clinical storytelling set the gold standard for no-nonsense true crime — once you start an episode, you will finish it.

The first British true crime podcast that made me actually laugh — and immediately feel guilty about it. Kieran and Ben have found the exact frequency between dark and funny that most comedy-adjacent shows miss completely. Dry, self-deprecating, and surprisingly thoughtful about the cases it covers.

I Could Murder a Podcast is what happens when British dark humour meets true crime — and it mostly works. Hosts Kieran Hedley and Ben Carter bring enough chemistry and care to make even grim material feel companionable. If you liked My Favorite Murder but wish it sounded more like a British pub conversation, this is your show.

Three weeks in October 2002 that paralysed an entire region. The DC Sniper case was all over the news at the time, but nobody quite explained how badly the investigation went sideways before it ended. Monster: DC Sniper finally makes sense of the chaos, the wrong turns, and the politics.

Monster: DC Sniper is the definitive investigation into the attacks that paralysed America's capital in 2002 — Tenderfoot TV's most ambitious production and one of their best.

A journalist and a daughter, still looking for Marion Barter 25+ years after she vanished. This is what true crime podcasting looks like when it refuses to give up — the investigation genuinely pressured NSW Police to reopen the case. One of the most moving listens in the genre.

The Lady Vanishes is one of Australia's most gripping investigative podcasts. Journalist Sally Leydon spent years investigating the cold case disappearance of Marion Barter — and the podcast directly contributed to police reopening the investigation.