The Surgeon Of St Helena

4.6 (177)
True Crime
Weekly Series

What happens when a dangerous surgeon arrives on one of the world’s most remote islands? How much damage can he do before he is stopped? St Helena is a small island in the South Atlantic, over 1000 miles from the nearest landmass. It is famous for hosting Napoleon in exile, and boasts the world's oldest living land mammal, Jonathan the tortoise, as one of its residents. But this tiny British Overseas Territory is gripped with scandal. When orthopedic surgeon Dr Sergio Villatoro arrived in 2015 he was supposed to revolutionise care on the island. Instead he caused unimaginable harm. Was it incompetence? Or was he deliberately causing harm? And is the government of St Helena trying to block the residents' fight for justice? Following on from the critically acclaimed The Pitcairn Trials, Luke Jones investigates another scandal unfolding in one of Britain’s most isolated territories Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Season 2 Trailer

Introducing: The Surgeon Of St Helena

What happens when a dangerous surgeon arrives on one of the world’s most remote islands? How much damage can he do before he is stopped? St Helena is a small island in the South Atlantic, over 1000 miles from the nearest landmass. It is famous for hosting Napoleon in exile, and boasts the world's oldest living land mammal, Jonathan the tortoise, as one of its residents. But this tiny British Overseas Territory is gripped with scandal. When orthopedic surgeon Dr Sergio Villatoro arrived in 2015 he was supposed to revolutionise care on the island. Instead he caused unimaginable harm. Was it incompetence? Or was he deliberately causing harm? And is the government of St Helena trying to block the residents' fight for justice? Following on from the critically acclaimed The Pitcairn Trials, Luke Jones investigates another scandal unfolding in one of Britain’s most isolated territories. First episodes arrive June 28th 2026, hit follow so you don't miss this show. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2 min

See All Season 2 (1)

Luke Jones

Host

4.6

out of 5

177 Ratings

Heartbreaking

11/26/2025

NickLaurensMom

Thank you for telling the true stories of the Pitcairn abuses of children, especially young girls. I had no idea of the trial and the history of the small island community beyond the film version about the Mutiny on the Bounty, which seemed romantic, and yet this is how the culture borne out of that historical era ended up. Thank you especially for allowing Glenda to tell her story, bless her. What a heroine she is for standing up and telling the truth of what happened to her, which also was done to others. One of the best podcasts I have ever listened to!
I don’t know which is worse

Apr 11

oldjohnhall

Ok this is such a typical British interpretation and frankly I don’t know which is worse, the crimes of Pitcairn, the shortsighted colonial point of view, or the awfully disgusting commercials aimed at it’s audience. It’s all so imperialist and barfy
A Respectfully Told Horror Story

11/17/2025

OofiOofster

It is highly important that such truths as this are documented & told because we should never, ever forget that small unchecked communities can be the most dangerous places on our planet.
Top Notch

10/20/2025

soul24

I love everything about this podcast. It’s haunting to think about the generations of abuse continuing on Pitcairn, from father to son, dating all the way back to its settlement. The storytelling is incredible, the little sound effects are effective without being overbearing, and the research that went into it is comprehensive. Highly recommended.

What happens when a dangerous surgeon arrives on one of the world’s most remote islands? How much damage can he do before he is stopped? St Helena is a small island in the South Atlantic, over 1000 miles from the nearest landmass. It is famous for hosting Napoleon in exile, and boasts the world's oldest living land mammal, Jonathan the tortoise, as one of its residents. But this tiny British Overseas Territory is gripped with scandal. When orthopedic surgeon Dr Sergio Villatoro arrived in 2015 he was supposed to revolutionise care on the island. Instead he caused unimaginable harm. Was it incompetence? Or was he deliberately causing harm? And is the government of St Helena trying to block the residents' fight for justice? Following on from the critically acclaimed The Pitcairn Trials, Luke Jones investigates another scandal unfolding in one of Britain’s most isolated territories Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.