What It Was Like

In the late 80s, a string of petty thefts around North Pond, Maine, had locals baffled. As the decades went on and food kept vanishing from holiday homes, whispers began about a hermit in the woods. In 2013, police arrested Christopher Knight, who had lived alone there for 27 years. Journalist Michael Finkel tells us how he befriended him, and why this man fled society.Get in touch with Michael Finkel via his site: michaelfinkel.comRead Mike’s book on Chris Knight: The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit

In 2008, a group of LA teenagers started breaking into celebrities’ homes. Orlando Bloom, Lindsay Lohan and Paris Hilton all lost designer clothes to the crew who became known as The Bling Ring. A few years later, Nancy Jo Sales was the journalist and author who took the story mainstream. In this subscriber episode preview she tells us how she earned their trust to write about them, and how they signaled the rise of Instagram influencer culture.Get in touch with Nancy Jo Sales via her site: nancyjosales.comRead Nancy’s book: The Bling Ring: How a Gang of Fame-obsessed Teens Ripped off Hollywood and Shocked the WorldSubscribe to WIWL PLUS+ to hear the full episode and get access to loads more exclusive content.Join our membership on Spotify here or on Apple Podcasts here.Find us on TikTok: @whatitwaslikepodcastFind us on Youtube: @whatitwaslikepodcastFollow us on Instagram: whatitwaslikepodcastThis is a Superreal production

The recent effort by a FlyDubai co-pilot to crash his own plane is not the first case of its kind. In 2015, Germanwings co-pilot Andreas Lubitz flew a plane into the French Alps, killing 150 passengers. On this ep, we talk to pilot and journalist Jeff Wise, who met Lubitz’s friends and visited the crash site. Why do suicidal pilots sometimes become mass killers?Read Jeff’s book: Fatal Descent: Andreas Lubitz and the Crash of Germanwings 9525Check out Jeff’s podcast: Finding MH370

In 2014, Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 vanished on its way to Beijing with 239 people on board. It remains one of aviation’s greatest mysteries. In this subscriber ep preview, Jeff Wise, host of the podcast Finding MH370, shares his unique take on what happened to the plane, and why it hasn’t been found.Check out Jeff’s podcast: Finding MH370Subscribe to WIWL PLUS+ to hear the full episode and get access to loads more exclusive content.Join our membership on Spotify here or on Apple Podcasts here.

In 1980s New York, Andy Behrman was an art dealer forging his clients’ paintings. He was also living with undiagnosed bipolar disorder, which he believes fueled his criminality and eventually landed him in prison. On this ep, Andy talks about his eternal hunger for more and how mania both enhanced and ruined his life.Read Andy’s book: Electroboy: A Memoir of Mania

Robert Wittman founded the FBI’s Art Crime Team and spent 20 years going undercover to recover stolen art. In the full subscriber ep, Bob tells us how he catches art criminals. As he says, most of them make the same predictable mistakes, including those behind last October’s heist of the Louvre in Paris.Read Robert’s books:Priceless: How I Went Undercover to Rescue the World’s Stolen TreasuresThe Devil’s Diary: Alfred Rosenberg and the Stolen Secrets of the Third ReichSubscribe to WIWL PLUS+ to hear the full episode and get access to loads more exclusive content.Join our membership on Spotify here or on Apple Podcasts here.

This show often features people who’ve survived unimaginable horrors as kids, which begs the question: how do people move on? In this episode preview we put this question to Al Killen-Harvey, a clinical social worker who has spent decades helping abused and neglected children rebuild their lives. We talk trauma healing, how he carries his clients’ stories, and why he’s optimistic about the future.Learn more about Al’s organisation: The Harvey InstituteSubscribe to WIWL PLUS+ to hear the full episode and get access to loads more exclusive content.Join our membership on Spotify here or on Apple Podcasts here.

In 1991, cruise ship performers Moss and Tracy Hills found themselves on a sinking ship. As the MTS Oceanos floundered, passengers waited for the crew to take charge. Finally, Moss and Tracy stepped in, and ultimately rescued over 500 passengers. On this ep, Moss tells the story of becoming an accidental hero.