Hunting Ghislaine: A new LBC podcast investigating the life of Ghislaine Maxwell

17 November 2020, 14:21

Hunting Ghislaine, a Global Original podcast, begins on November 19th. On Global Player or wherever you find your podcasts
Hunting Ghislaine, a Global Original podcast, begins on November 19th. On Global Player or wherever you find your podcasts. Picture: LBC

In his new podcast for LBC, John Sweeney tells how his investigation into Ghislaine Maxwell left him believing there are some ‘pretty disgusting people’ sat around the high tables of Manhattan, Palm Beach, London and Windsor.

Listen & subscribe: Global Player | Apple Podcasts | Spotify

The story of Jeffrey Epstein has been told in many ways over the past two years, but none have given more than a few cursory moments to Ghislaine Maxwell.

His girlfriend, his alleged pimp and partner in a series of sex crimes against a series of underage women, some as young as 14, Ghislaine has remained in the shadows.

When Epstein’s life began to unravel, Ghislaine vanished, only to reappear when she was arrested by the FBI earlier this year. She denies six charges of enticing young girls for sex with Epstein and perjury.

Episodes available every Thursday from 19th November on Global Player

Hunting Ghislaine: A new LBC podcast investigating Ghislaine Maxwell

In LBC’s new podcast Hunting Ghislaine, investigative reporter John Sweeney (Panorama, Newsnight, The Observer) sets out to tell the strange story of Ghislaine Maxwell.

It’s a story both melancholic and macabre; a story arousing pity and disgust; a story of victims and monsters; a story of how some of the richest and entitled people on the planet used their money and power to silence the abused.

The six-episode series (co-commissioned by Global and The Story Lab, part of dentsu Creative) begins with a look at how Ghislaine was deformed by her media tycoon father Robert Maxwell, a bully, a crook and a thief. It reflects on her black book of high society contacts, including Bill Clinton, Donald Trump and Prince Andrew, all the while noting the cult-like nature of Epstein and Ghislaine’s world.

Alongside a host of experts and fellow journalists, Sweeney delves into Ghislaine’s past and her role in the Epstein scandal. Only she can answer how Epstein used his fabulous fortune to blind the eyes of American justice.

John Sweeney said: “No old school Fleet Street reporter like me who knew what a monster Robert Maxwell was cannot feel some pity for Ghislaine Maxwell on the day he fell off his yacht. But then Ghislaine fled to New York to serve a second monster. This is a dark fairy story of our times, about how power and money and connections can, for a time, blind justice. But not forever.”

Listen to the brand new LBC podcast Hunting Ghislaine on Global Player from the 19th November, or wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes every Thursday thereafter.