PODCAST: UNTOLD: THE DANIEL MORGAN MURDER

PODCAST: UNTOLD: THE DANIEL MORGAN MURDER

SEASON ONE & TWO

The Untold Story

The phone hacking scandal that closed News of the World was big, but that was just the tip of the iceberg.  At the bottom of that iceberg of 'dark arts' - hacking, burglary, bugging, and bribing bent cops - is the body of Daniel Morgan. 

It’s been described by an Assistant Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police as “one of the most disgraceful episodes in the entire history of the Metropolitan Police Service.” 

Over the three decades since Daniel was killed, five failed police investigations and an ongoing panel inquiry, his has become the most investigated murder in British history.

The story moves from back streets of London, through the highest echelons of Scotland Yard, to the offices of Rupert Murdoch's best selling newspapers, to the doors of Number Ten Downing Street. 

If you haven't heard this story, ask yourself, why? 

MY VERDICT: I listened to both seasons straight after one another and I binged the whole thing pretty quickly. That was a problem, as the second season does go back over a lot of the information from the first. However this was my problem and not something that the makers of ‘Untold’ can be blamed for.

The podcast is very well made and the story is fascinating. There is so much more to this story than a straight forward whodunit, probably because all involved are pretty sure they know who was responsible for the murder of Daniel Morgan, instead we delve into a world of underhand tactics by not only private investigators but also the police and the media. 

I would thoroughly recommend this podcast and found it refreshing to hear a story based in England, it meant a little more to me to know the places and people involved than the predominately American podcasts I had listened to in the past, and it’s nice to hear an English voice for a change. Even if you’re not from England, I think the storytellers give a good enough description of things that even those unfamiliar with newspapers like The News of the World will still be able to follow. However, be warned, there is a lot of information to digest, a lot characters to remember and after five full investigations a whole lot to process, hopefully with more to come this will all be worth it.

http://www.untoldmurder.com

https://www.creativereview.co.uk/from-the-newspad-to-a-multi-channel-media-what-2001-a-space-odyssey-got-right-about-our-future/

FILM 1579: AMANDA KNOX

American exchange student Amanda Knox is convicted and eventually acquitted for the 2007 death of another student, Meredith Kercher in Italy.

FILM 1491: A MURDER IN THE PARK 

In 1999, just hours before his scheduled execution, convicted killer Anthony Porter's life was saved by a journalism class from Northwestern University, led by renowned Innocence Project pioneer, Professor David Protess. The class seemingly found the real killer, Alstory Simon. Porter was released, becoming the poster boy of the anti-death penalty movement. Because of his case, Illinois eventually abolished the death penalty. The filmmakers present strong evidence that Northwestern's investigation led to the release of the real killer, and imprisoned an innocent man. In October 2013, due in part to this film's investigation, the Cook County State's Attorney's office reopened this case.

(IMDB)

FILM 1483: WAG THE DOG

TRIVIA: After this film started production and before its release, US President Bill Clinton became involved in a sex scandal and threatened military action against Iraq.

During the filming of Wag the Dog (1997) Dustin Hoffman, his co-star Robert De Niro and director Barry Levinson had an impromptu meeting with President Bill Clinton at a Washington hotel. "So what's this movie about?" Clinton asked De Niro. De Niro looked over to Levinson, hoping he would answer the question. Levinson, in turn, looked over to Hoffman. Hoffman, realizing there was no one else to pass the buck to, is quoted as saying, "So I just started to tap dance. I can't even remember what I said."

"Why change horses midstream?" was originally a campaign slogan for Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War.

The talk show phone number, (800) 555-0199, is common to many films and television shows because this is the only number that has been reserved by the phone company as an allowable "fake" 800 number for media usage.

Conrad's line, "A good plan today is better than a perfect plan tomorrow," is a quote from WWII General George S. Patton.

The scene in which shoes laced together are hanging from telephone and electric wires was shot on East Capitol Street a few blocks behind the U.S. Capitol. The production crew left several pairs of shoes behind and they remained hanging on the wires for years.

The character of Winifred Ames was originally written for a man.

Motss' claim "there is no Academy Award for producing" is (technically) incorrect, since the Academy Award for Best Picture has always been given to the main producers of a film.

It was filmed in 28 days, during a pause in other Barry Levinson's movie, Sphere (1998).

FILM 1400: COBAIN: MONTAGE OF HECK

TRIVIA: According to a interview in Rolling Stone, director Brett Morgan planned on including Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl in the film, but Grohl was busy filming Sonic Highways. By the time Grohl was available Morgan was satisfied with his cut of the film and decided not to include him.

According to a Vanity Fair interview with Director Brett Morgen, after Frances Bean Cobain saw the film at it's Sundance premiere, Morgen escorted her back to her car. Before leaving, Cobain embraced Morgen and said, "You made the film I wanted to see."