10 episodes
Obscene: The Dublin Scandal BBC Radio 5 Live
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4.1 • 71 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
Definitely Radio5
I’m a Radio4 fan and this is definitely a Radio5 documentary.
It appears to be dumbed down to hold the interest of a tabloid audience like so many podcasts.
4 stars for effort and Adrian Dunbar
Let down by poor production decisions
What a shame. Such an interesting story but it uses interviews from a who’s who of Ireland’s most inane “journalists” & gives voice—without adding comment or context—to the kind of people who say the accused was “off” or evil because he didn’t holler at convent school girls or play GAA. What’s worse is to direct Adrian Dunbar to narrate with an odd ghost story/bogeyman voice which detracts from a serious & really interesting subject matter.
Good until the bonus episode
I enjoyed learning about this story and the great narration. About 2/3 through the bonus episode the female journalist declared that this was not a true crime podcast. Hmm I’m not sure that’s accurate. She went further to decry true crime podcasts and those who listen to them. Did she understand she was speaking to a majority of her audience? Does declaring this work both separate and superior from true crime podcasts appease her aversion to the genre? It leaves a bad taste in my mouth after having listened to the full podcast only to be told by listening I’m part of a schism of society. Don’t throw stones at your audience as a mechanism to separate yourself from the work you produced.