10 episodes
Obscene: The Dublin Scandal BBC Radio 5 Live
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4.6 • 30 Ratings
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Adrian Dunbar narrates a story about a time in Ireland when nothing was quite what it seemed.
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Welcome to Obscene: The Dublin Scandal
Line of Duty’s Adrian Dunbar narrates Obscene: The Dublin Scandal, a seven-part series about a bizarre moment in Irish history.
In the summer of 1982, two seemingly random killings occurred within the space of days, sparking Ireland’s biggest manhunt. The smartly-dressed suspect, Malcolm MacArthur, was eventually found hiding in the home of Ireland’s Attorney General.
His trial lasted seven minutes, and after spending 30 years behind bars, MacArthur can now be seen wandering the streets of Dublin.
Featuring contributions from award-winning Irish novelist Colm Toibin (Brooklyn), The Irish Times’ Fintan O’Toole, and veteran broadcaster Olivia O’Leary, this series revisits the political fallout that ensued, and tackles the many unanswered questions surrounding this case. -
Episode 1: Man in a Dickie Bow
Two seemingly random killings and a smartly-dressed assailant shock Ireland in the summer of 1982.
Warning: This episode contains descriptions of graphic violence and some strong language.
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CREDITS:
Narrated by Adrian Dunbar
Written by Paul Walker
Archive producer: Declan Smith
Music: Jeremy Warmsley
Mix engineer: Peregrine Andrews
Development producer: Satiyesh Manoharajah
Development researcher: Christian Dametto
Creative director: Georgia Moseley
Assistant producer: Tess Davidson
Series Producer: Eamon O’Connor
Assistant Commissioner: Natalie Mace
Executive Producer: Paul Smith
Commissioning Editor for BBC: Dylan Haskins
Obscene: The Dublin Scandal is a BBC Studios Podcast production for BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Sounds. -
Episode 2: Manhunt
The police launch Ireland’s biggest manhunt for the suspect. Tip offs lead to an unexpected location.
Warning: This episode contains some violence.
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CREDITS:
Narrated by Adrian Dunbar
Written by Paul Walker
Archive producer: Declan Smith
Music: Jeremy Warmsley
Mix engineer: Peregrine Andrews
Development producer: Satiyesh Manoharajah
Development researcher: Christian Dametto
Creative director: Georgia Moseley
Assistant producer: Tess Davidson
Series Producer: Eamon O’Connor
Assistant Commissioner: Natalie Mace
Executive Producer: Paul Smith
Commissioning Editor for BBC: Dylan Haskins
Obscene: The Dublin Scandal is a BBC Studios Podcast production for BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Sounds. -
Episode 3: Whatever it is, you are on your own
Who is Malcolm MacArthur, the suspected killer found hiding in the Attorney General’s home?
Warning: This episode contains some violence.
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CREDITS:
Narrated by Adrian Dunbar
Written by Paul Walker
Archive producer: Declan Smith
Music: Jeremy Warmsley
Mix engineer: Peregrine Andrews
Development producer: Satiyesh Manoharajah
Development researcher: Christian Dametto
Creative director: Georgia Moseley
Assistant producer: Tess Davidson
Series Producer: Eamon O’Connor
Assistant Commissioner: Natalie Mace
Executive Producer: Paul Smith
Commissioning Editor for BBC: Dylan Haskins
Obscene: The Dublin Scandal is a BBC Studios Podcast production for BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Sounds. -
Episode 4: The Right Man
Murder and politics collide as Charles Haughey, the Irish Prime Minister, attempts to clear the air with a disastrous press conference.
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CREDITS
Narrated by Adrian Dunbar
Written by Paul Walker
Archive producer: Declan Smith
Music: Jeremy Warmsley
Mix engineer: Peregrine Andrews
Development producer: Satiyesh Manoharajah
Development researcher: Christian Dametto
Creative director: Georgia Moseley
Assistant producer: Tess Davidson
Series Producer: Eamon O’Connor
Assistant Commissioner: Natalie Mace
Executive Producer: Paul Smith
Commissioning Editor for BBC: Dylan Haskins
Obscene: The Dublin Scandal is a BBC Studios Podcast production for BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Sounds. -
Episode 5: Four Courts, Seven Minutes
The surprising outcome of Malcolm MacArthur’s trial only adds to a growing sense of suspicion in Ireland.
Warning: This episode contains some strong language.
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CREDITS:
Narrated by Adrian Dunbar
Written by Paul Walker
Archive producer: Declan Smith
Music: Jeremy Warmsley
Mix engineer: Peregrine Andrews
Development producer: Satiyesh Manoharajah
Development researcher: Christian Dametto
Creative director: Georgia Moseley
Assistant producer: Tess Davidson
Series Producer: Eamon O’Connor
Assistant Commissioner: Natalie Mace
Executive Producer: Paul Smith
Commissioning Editor for BBC: Dylan Haskins
Obscene: The Dublin Scandal is a BBC Studios Podcast production for BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Sounds.
Customer Reviews
Compelling…
A compelling podcast, principally for its revelations about corruption in the Irish government and Judiciary, an ongoing problem.
Deeply troubling is Fintan O’Toole’s suggestion that such killings likely would be perceived by the public as ‘banal and mundane’.
Why did the Irish people not demand the prosecution of MacArthur for the murder of Donal Dunne? Dunne’s family has been wholly betrayed by a system that was supposed to be better for the Irish than that under English rule.
Life in prison should mean life. What sort of idiotic logic is used to translate ‘penal servitude for life’ into thirty years?
The notion that Irish society is truly changing is nonsense. Minding one’s own business, other than to gleefully gossip about the troubles of others, remains the order of the day. As well, the Catholic church, as corrupt as it is, still has a stranglehold.
Far too many Irish remain impressed by fake posh accents. Comportment, dress and the perception of someone being of a particular class still commands respect in some quarters. You can still hear the familiar refrain: ‘He was handsome and Anglo-Irish; he didn’t look like a murderer’.