Charlene: Somebody Knows Something

5.0 (3)
TRUE CRIME
WEEKLY SERIES

In 2003, 14-year-old Charlene Downes mysteriously vanished from her hometown of Blackpool. Chilling stories started to spread. And when two men are arrested for murdering Charlene, they are accused of cutting up her body – and using her remains as kebab meat. The story of what happened to this young girl has haunted Blackpool for more than twenty years. It has twisted and turned, taking in police, paedophiles, and far-right protests. But not all is as it seems – and so much of this story remains hidden in the shadows. Broadcaster Nicola Thorp is the same age as Charlene. She grew up in Blackpool too. Now, Nicola is revisiting this case – to uncover the truth, and the lies, about what really happened to Charlene. After all, Somebody knows Something. If you have any information about the disappearance of Charlene Downes, you can contact us at charlene@thecrimedesk.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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TRAILER

Coming soon... Charlene

Investigating a two decades old case in Blackpool. Somebody knows something. Join The Crime Desk to hear all episodes in this gripping new series as soon as it launches, later this summer. Plus, you'll get exclusive weekly bonus episodes of our award-winning podcast The Trial, ad-free listening across all of our shows, and early access to brand-new series like our high-stakes investigative series, Heists, Scams & Lies. Become a member today at thecrimedesk.com. If you have any information about the disappearance of Charlene Downes, you can contact us at charlene@thecrimedesk.com. New episodes of Charlene: Somebody Knows Something are released on Thursdays. Join The Crime Desk to hear all episodes straight away. Plus, you'll get exclusive weekly bonus episodes of our award-winning podcast The Trial, ad-free listening across all of our shows, and early access to brand-new series. Become a member today at thecrimedesk.com. Visit newsletter.thecrimedesk.com to sign up to our free weekly newsletter. It's free and packed with exclusive interviews, expert insight, and gripping deep dive investigations from across the world. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

04/23/2025

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1 min

Launched in the UK in 2022, The Trial is an award-winning, chart-topping podcast that goes behind the headlines of some of the biggest trials in the world. We take you into the courtroom, bringing you the detail as the evidence unfolds, examining key moments and carrying out exclusive interviews with detectives, victims, and experts. The Trial series occasionally uses actors and some voices generated by AI. Their words are taken as verbatim from the official court transcript. For ad-free listening to all of our shows, exclusive bonus episodes of The Trial every week, and complete access to our show archives, subscribe to The Crime Desk now. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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The Trial goes behind the headlines of some of the biggest trials in the world. We take you into the courtroom, bringing you the detail as the evidence unfolds, examining key moments and carrying out exclusive interviews with detectives, victims, and experts. For ad-free listening to The Trial, exclusive bonus episodes every week, and complete access to previous series of the show, subscribe to The Crime Desk now. Visit www.thecrimedesk.com to become a member. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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TRUE CRIME
To access episodes from previous series of The Trial, subscribe to The Crime Desk. Join today at thecrimedesk.com. Click here to sign up for The Crime Desk's weekly newsletter. It's free and packed with exclusive interviews, expert insight, and gripping deep dive investigations from across the world. Lucy Letby is a child killer. Last year she was convicted of murdering seven babies and trying to murder six more while working as a neo-natal nurse at the Countess of Chester Hospital, in the NW of England and was sentenced to spend her life in jail. She also went back in court to face a retrial on one charge the jury could not reach a verdict on - the alleged Attempted Murder of a premature baby girl, known as Baby K. She was found guilty once again. Follow the trial's evidence just as the jury do, with reports from Daily Mail northern correspondent Liz Hull and broadcast journalist Caroline Cheetham. In this podcast, they bring you far more detail about what the jury heard, examine key moments of the trial, and conduct exclusive interviews with investigative detectives, victims, and experts. The Trial goes behind the headlines of some of the biggest trials in the world. We take you into the courtroom, bringing you the detail as the evidence unfolds, examining key moments and carrying out exclusive interviews with detectives, victims, and experts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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The Trial goes behind the headlines of some of the biggest trials in the world. We take you into the courtroom, bringing you the detail as the evidence unfolds, examining key moments and carrying out exclusive interviews with detectives, victims, and experts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Nicola Thorp

Host

5

out of 5

3 Ratings

Informative—Glad I listened!

Jan 20

NickLaurensMom

Nicola is easy to listen to, and is clearly a compassionate journalist. I had not heard of this particular case as I live in USA, but I found that I had to binge this podcast! Hoping it will help to finally get justice for Charlene, who was taken from those who cared about her at a very young and impressionable age. RIP, Charlene. Say her name!

In 2003, 14-year-old Charlene Downes mysteriously vanished from her hometown of Blackpool. Chilling stories started to spread. And when two men are arrested for murdering Charlene, they are accused of cutting up her body – and using her remains as kebab meat. The story of what happened to this young girl has haunted Blackpool for more than twenty years. It has twisted and turned, taking in police, paedophiles, and far-right protests. But not all is as it seems – and so much of this story remains hidden in the shadows. Broadcaster Nicola Thorp is the same age as Charlene. She grew up in Blackpool too. Now, Nicola is revisiting this case – to uncover the truth, and the lies, about what really happened to Charlene. After all, Somebody knows Something. If you have any information about the disappearance of Charlene Downes, you can contact us at charlene@thecrimedesk.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.