Man in a Bag Podcast with Jonathan Maitland, Vanessa Bowles cover art

Man in a Bag

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Man in a Bag

By: Reduced Listening
Narrated by: Jonathan Maitland, Vanessa Bowles
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About this listen

What led to the bizarre and macabre death of British spy, Gareth Williams, whose body was found padlocked inside a sports bag in his flat in London. Nobody is charged with his killing and more than a decade on, Gareth’s death remains a mystery.

Was he assassinated by Russian secret services?

Or were other forces at play?

Journalists Jonathan Maitland and Vanessa Bowles investigate one of the strangest deaths in recent British history.

©2022 Audible, Ltd. (P)2022 Audible, Ltd. Murder True Crime
Episodes
  • Ep 1: Missing

    Ep 1: Missing
    Sep 21 2022

    British spy Gareth Williams hasn’t turned up for work. The police have found a body, padlocked inside a bag, at his flat in London....
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    25 mins
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  • Ep 2: The Island

    Ep 2: The Island
    Sep 21 2022

    Who was Gareth Williams? Gareth was a brilliant mathematician from a Welsh-speaking island. The community suspects he was murdered and people are reluctant to talk.
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    34 mins
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  • Ep 3: Russian Connection

    Ep 3: Russian Connection
    Sep 21 2022

    Gareth was assassinated by the Russians, according to a former British government minister and an ex-spy who worked for Russian intelligence.
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    24 mins
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All stars
Most relevant  
I remember the story from when it was in the media, though I didn't know any of the detail. I can understand why one of the other reviewers said that they felt it was exploitative, though I wouldn't go that far. I just felt it was all a bit too much perhaps, maybe, could be, might have been, etc. Whilst I was aware the mystery had never really been solved, this was just entirely speculative and didn't really take anything further forward. all in all, it was ok but not spectacular.

interesting but a little long

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A gripping story told with sensitivity. So much I didn't know about this story that the reporting at the time it happened missed. The pod does a great job of showing what a fascinating, complex character Gareth was.

So many "holy crap" moments!

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Brilliantly reasoned and well researched. I still want to believe the conspiracy but agree with the reasoning.

wished it could have gone on longer

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Really gripping journey in a very unusual investigation where you so want to believe one version and not the other.
I really enjoyed listening to the lovely Welsh people accounts of Gareth’s youth.
I thought at the beginning I could listen to this podcast with my teenage son who is a real nerd but I am glad I followed the warnings of adult contents.
I thoroughly enjoyed this podcast.

Superb journalism

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Exploring various lines of inquiry and evidence available the presenters tell this story in an interesting and engaging way. A great listen.

A fascinating story

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I didn’t know anything about this before listening so I was just expecting the obvious. Some dark twists made this very compelling. Weird but very interesting. Half-chat/narration felt a bit rehearsed but just the way they decided to present it for clarity I guess.

Hold-all preconceptions

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This was so enthralling, and so well-made. The listener is "in safe hands", with skilled, intelligent and sensitive investigative journalists. I thoroughly recommend this podcast. XXXXX

Absolutely brilliant!

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Such a brilliant series, My mind kept changing about what I thought happened but the thorough look into this from all angles left me feeling like it was such a sad story that needed to be told and it was done so in such a respectful and insightful way. I found myself thinking about this a lot between binges of listening. it really is a clever, thoughtful, and intelligent piece of investigative journalism.

Such a thought provoking investigation

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Interesting topic, I found the last episode such an anticlimax but that maybe personal opinion

Interesting topic

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Gripping, important, public service journalism. Couldn’t stop listening. Like nothing I’ve ever heard before, really.

Superb

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