Best Jim Fitzgerald Podcasts (2025)

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Ep 203 - Why Are We Afraid of Clowns? 🤡 46:03

3h ago46:03

46:03

Clowns are meant to bring joy. So why do they inspire so much fear? In this episode, we peek behind the greasepaint to explore the origins of coulrophobia, the fear of clowns, and how these strange figures evolved from ancient jesters and rule-breaking pranksters into the painted performers we know today. We uncover deep historical roots, unsettlin…

1
S16 Ep23: Follow-Up S16: E23 49:10

4h ago49:10

49:10

Bob, Zaq, and Janet discuss Bob's interview with false confession expert Alan Hirsh, the Reid Technique and ethics of police lying in interrogations, and answer listener questions. The majority of the funding of our work comes directly from listeners, through our Patreon community. To join Patreon, click THIS LINK. At the $5/month level you'll get …

1
From F. Scott Fitzgerald to pulp detective novels - 1925 America's greatest literary year 33:33

2d ago33:33

33:33

A century ago, America was the literary and intellectual powerhouse of the world. Black writers defined the black experience in the Harlem Renaissance, F. Scott Fitzgerald captured the glamour and hypocrisy of the jazz age in The Great Gatsby and thousands of detective, western and sci fi pulp novels were published, creating the foundations of mode…

1
Britain, France and the creation of Iraq 1919-21 25:52

3d ago25:52

25:52

When the mandate system was created at the Paris Peace Conference, it became a powerful tool for the British and French to carve up the Middle East and Africa following the defeat and collapse of the German and Ottoman Empires. France took control of Syria and created the state of Lebanon and the British gained Palestine, Transjordan and Iraq. This…

1
The plot against Harold Wilson - 1967 33:01

4d ago33:01

33:01

In the late 1960s the British secret state, bankers, right wing newspaper and TV proprietors and other elite figures sought to remove Prime Minister Harold Wilson from power. They were indifferent to the fact that he had won two general elections in a row and thought that a government that included unelected business figures would save the nation f…

1
Carter, Reagan, Bush and China 27:04

5d ago27:04

27:04

From the late 1970s onwards China and the USSR were on two very different historical paths and three US presidents, Carter, Reagan and Bush sought to harness the potential of the world's most populous country as it rapidly became wealthier. China, often cited as having embraced capitalism after Mao, abandoned inward looking autarchy and opened its …

1
S16 Ep23: The Science of False Confessions 49:31

5d ago49:31

49:31

Bob is joined by false confession expert, Alan Hirsh. Professor Hirsh has over 20 years of experience studying and testifying about the science of interrogation tactics and false confessions. You can hear more of Alan's work on his podcast "The Truth About False Confessions". Beam – Go to ShopBeam.com/truth and use code “TRUTH” for 40% off. 1st Pho…

1
Maoism and Anti Imperialism 24:35

7d ago24:35

24:35

Mao's ideas presented a clear challenge to western imperialism throughout the 20th Century and became a rallying cry to national liberation movements and anti imperialist groups wiithin western countries from the Baader Meinhof Gang to the Yippees. *****STOP PRESS***** I only ever talk about history on this podcast but I also have another life, yes…

1
S16 Ep22: Follow-Up S16: E22 55:24

7d ago55:24

55:24

Bob, Zaq, and Janet discuss the interrogation of Chris Watts, the Reid Technique, and answer listener questions. The majority of the funding of our work comes directly from listeners, through our Patreon community. To join Patreon, click THIS LINK. At the $5/month level you'll get access to lots of Patreon Only BONUS EPISODES, Ad Free versions of a…

1
S25E6 - Espen Jorstad Ian Simpson Monica Vaka Henry Kilbane 1:57:33

9d ago1:57:33

1:57:33

For our grand finale, David and Dara have put together a Unibet Poker reunion! They welcome the 2022 WSOP MAIN EVENT champion Espen Jorstad. They are joined by the 2013 Irish Open champion and 888 ambassador Ian Simpson. For strategy, the lads analyse a hand with Norwegian poker champion Monica Vaka. Triton commentator Henry Kilbane stops by for so…

1
Britain's Broken Media 36:28

9d ago36:28

36:28

In the past two decades successive scandals have revealed that Britain has some of the worst media institutions in the developed world. The ability of ordinary people to interpret the news, use accurate information to hold politicians to account or to gain a coherent sense of the world has arguably never been weaker. In his new book Breaking: Break…

1
Gaza Update 29:12

10d ago29:12

29:12

Britain, France, Canada and other western governments have today issued a statement decrying the blockade of Gaza after nearly two years of offering unconditional support to Israel.This follows weeks of increasingly critical headlines in newspapers and magazines that are traditionally staunch supporters of the Zionist state. What does this suggest?…

1
China after Deng (Part One) 25:07

11d ago25:07

25:07

Jiang Zemin and Hu Jintao are often overlooked but pivotal figures in recent Chinese history whose role in steering China through its extraordinary economic transformation in the 1990s and 2000s is overshadowed by Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping. This is the first in a series of podcasts about these two figures and how they created the China now ruled…

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S16 Ep22: Interrogation of a Guilty Man 1:17:24

12d ago1:17:24

1:17:24

In response to listener questions, this week Bob shares the interrogation of Chris Watts. Watts has been proven to be guilty of murdering his wife and two children. In this episode, you'll hear the evolution of his story, as he's subjected to classic Reid Technique tactics The majority of the funding of our work comes directly from listeners, throu…

1
Discussing Mark Twain's 'Jim' 35:11

14d ago35:11

35:11

The character of Jim in the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain was written as a condemnation of the Jim Crow regimes that were springing up across the South as the Reconstruction Era slowly came to an end. Twain's Jim was the first Black character in popular American literature that can be thought of as being written in depth and without …

1
The Lock-In 101 - Barry Carter 48:07

14d ago48:07

48:07

This we were are locked in for what the lads are saying is their final ever episode the popular Chip Race spin-off (but then they said that on the last episode too). Fittingly, it is Barry who joins them for a chat about the stories of the week. After some shameless plugging of the actually excellent Simplify Poker (Use Code CHIPRACE for 20% off) a…

1
S5 Ep46: Follow-Up S5: E46 47:47

14d ago47:47

47:47

DO NOT CALL SONIA HAGOOD'S OFFICE. After the recording of this episode, Ms. Hagood communicated to Damien's attorney's that everything is moving forward as planned with the testing. Further communication at this point, will only serve to harass the Prosecutor and distract her from doing her job. Bob, Zaq, and Janet talk about Bob's interview with D…

1
Melting Point: Russian Jews and the journey to Texas 30:41

15d ago30:41

30:41

In the decade before the First World War over ten thousand Russian Jews travelled across the Atlantic but instead of alighting in New York, where a large Jewish diaspora community was established, they came to Galveston, Texas. Galveston was not the final destination for most of the new arrivals, many travelled across the USA and settled in its rur…

1
The Contradictions of Thatcherism 25:10

17d ago25:10

25:10

Margaret Thatcher sought to revive Britain's fortunes during the 1980s, she was a social conservative and a free market fundamentalist; a contradictory set of ideological positions. The liberation of market forces devastated the social structures that Thatcher claimed to uphold, principally the family, which underwent dramatic transformations throu…

1
Trump's tariff capitulation 26:35

18d ago26:35

26:35

In a hundred years time will China offshore its manufacturing to poorer countries? Not if it has any sense. Today Trump's great retreat from the tariff war began in earnest as some cold economic realities have begun to bite, but what is the historical long view here? This episode explores how offshoring and America's weakening dollar supremacy, com…

1
Presenting: Murder True Crime Stories 6:39

18d ago6:39

6:39

Murder:TrueCrimeStoriesexplores the depths of history's most notorious murders, like you've never heard before. Go beyond the crime scene as we search for the real story, and focus on the people impacted the most. Whether or not the case is solved, you'll come away with an understanding of why these stories need to be told. Murder: True Crime Stori…

1
Britain, Germany and the Blitz 27:02

21d ago27:02

27:02

By the start of the blitz Britain didn't have enough anti aircraft guns, despite half a decade anticipating mass bombing as a means of war. Germany was ill prepared for the bombing of British cities as well, with its slow, light bomber lacking the speed or the payload to be able to devastate Britain in the way allied airforces would later destroy G…

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S16 Ep21: Follow-Up S16: E21 57:39

21d ago57:39

57:39

Bob and Janet discuss Bob's final episode questioning Richard Allen's guilt and answer listener questions. Today’s Sponsors: Naked Wines – To get Naked Wine’s 6 bottle for $39.99 offer, head to NakedWines.com/Truth and use code TRUTH for both the code AND password Beam – Go to ShopBeam.com/truth and use code “TRUTH” for 40% off. The majority of the…

1
VE Day : London 1945 24:04

22d ago24:04

24:04

What was it like to experience the end of the Second World War in London, 80 years ago today? We read David Kynaston's Austerity Britain to find out how housewives, politicians, writers and diarists experienced the end of six years of terrible conflict and what this meant to them. *****STOP PRESS***** I only ever talk about history on this podcast …

1
Nazi wartime labour shortages 25:49

23d ago25:49

25:49

At the height of the Third Reich's war production there were nearly five million additional German and foreign workers in the war economy. Despite the efforts made by Albert Speer to rationalise the war economy and make it more efficient, there was still too few workers to compete with the combined military production of the allied powers. Workers …

1
Social change in American post war suburbia 26:41

24d ago26:41

26:41

What did the good life look like in 1945? Or more to the point, what did the good life look like to white working and middle class inner city families? The answer for many was suburbia, new out-of-town developments accessed by America's millions of new car owners who longed for space and who could be assured that people of their social, racial and …

1
The German invasion of Belgium: 1914 25:06

25d ago25:06

25:06

In the first weeks of the outbreak of the First World War, the outdated Schlieffen Plan required the German Army to rapidly cross Belgium to attack northern France. Instead of the anticipated 6-8,000 troops, the Belgians fielded 32,000 men and defended the fortress town of Liege vigorously. German atrocities in Liege afterwards were the product of …

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S16 Ep21: Richard Allen: Guilty or Not Guilty? 40:16

26d ago40:16

40:16

Bob examines the key evidence presented in the conviction of Richard Allen for the murders of Abby Williams and Libby German to determine if he agrees with the verdict. Today’s Sponsors: 1st Phorm – Get free shipping on all orders over $75, and new customers get the 1st Phorm app for free for 30 days with purchase. You’ll receive an email with the …

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S16 Ep20: Follow-Up S16: E20 1:16:47

28d ago1:16:47

1:16:47

Bob, Zaq, and Janet are joined by Dr. Shiloh as they discuss Richard Allen's confessions, Dr. Wala, and answer listener questions. The majority of the funding of our work comes directly from listeners, through our Patreon community. To join Patreon, click THIS LINK. At the $5/month level you'll get access to lots of Patreon Only BONUS EPISODES, Ad …

1
The historiography of Malcolm X 25:21

29d ago25:21

25:21

The way in which Malcolm X and the Black Power movement has been interpreted and understood over time has changed as academics grappled with his legacy and interrogated his autobiography, published posthumously. This podcast explores how the way we have come to understand him has changed over time. You can buy Kevern Verney's book - The debate on B…

1
America's post war rise and fall 31:42

1M ago31:42

31:42

In the aftermath of the Second World War, America had half the world's wealth and a quarter of its GDP. By the 1970s its position as an economic powerhouse without competitor had slipped away and it faced stronger challenges from Europe and Japan. A decade of crisis in America saw the forces of neoliberal thinking take centre stage to eviscerate th…

1
S25E5 - Simon Wilson Jamie Kerstetter Karim Chelli 1:41:21

1M ago1:41:21

1:41:21

As we count down our final 3 shows for Unibet Poker, we welcome the 2025 Irish Poker Champion Simon Wilson. We are joined by poker player commentator and WPT Club Gold marketing manager Jamie Kerstetter. For strategy, we take a deep dive into a hand David played versus Chip Race former newsman Daragh Davey at the Unibet DSO Barcelona. Mindset coach…

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Britain in an age of crisis 2001-2025 29:36

1M ago29:36

29:36

The period of the last 25 years in Britain has been one of continual crisis and disaster, from the Iraq War to the financial crisis to Brexit and covid. Britain has been transformed by these disasters and now is a smaller, poorer and more isolated country, perhaps permanently so. In his book Britain Alone, Liam Stanley explores the causes of this d…

1
A Chinese Century? 40:50

1M ago40:50

40:50

America's de-industrialisation, offshoring, its battle to maintain dollar supremacy whilst also restoring itself to being a net exporter have led to historic crises from which there appear to be no exit. President Trump's recent and clearly failing tariffs against China and the rest of the world are merely an indication of America's relative econom…

1
S16 Ep20: The Richard Allen Confessions 40:25

1M ago40:25

40:25

Bob breaks down a series of recorded phone calls that Richard Allen made from prison to his wife and mother, where he confessed to murdering Abby Williams and Libby German. We also discuss the confession allegedly made to Psychologist Dr. Wala, as well as her questionable involvement in the case. Today’s Sponsors: 1st Phorm – Get free shipping on a…

1
Ep 202 - What Do They Want With Us? 🛸 49:25

1M ago49:25

49:25

When strange lights appear in the sky, we are left wondering what they are. But when those encounters become personal, when people claim they have been taken, studied, or changed, the questions grow darker. In this episode, we continue our journey into the world of UAPs and the paranormal, exploring the stories that disturb us most. From the famous…

1
S16 Ep19: Follow-Up S16: E19 1:20:42

1M ago1:20:42

1:20:42

Bob, Janet, and Dr. Scott discuss Bob's analysis of Richard Allen's second statement and answer listener questions. The majority of the funding of our work comes directly from listeners, through our Patreon community. To join Patreon, click THIS LINK. At the $5/month level you'll get access to lots of Patreon Only BONUS EPISODES, Ad Free versions o…

1
Hollywood, witch hunts and class struggle in LA 35:52

1M ago35:52

35:52

In this episode of the Explaining History podcast we speak with the writer Dennis Broe whose new book The Dark Ages, explores the second Hollywood anti communist purge of 1951. We talk about Hollywood and Los Angeles as a site of ongoing class struggle, the role of the media and the LAPD in the development of modern Los Angeles and the role of diss…

651
S16 Ep19: Richard Allen Statement Analysis #2 34:51

1M ago34:51

34:51

Last week the videos of Richard Allen's police interviews/interrogations have been released to the public. In this episode Bob breaks down and analyzes the second interview. He discusses behavioral and word choices, and presents his assessment of Allen's guilt based solely on this interview. Next week's episode will do the same with Allen's confess…

Podcasts Worth a Listen

Jim Fitzgerald Podcasts

Podcasts Worth a Listen