
Elgen Strait: Escaping the Moonies
19 December 2022 - 34 mins explicitElgen Strait is an ex-member of the Moonies, better known as the Unification Church. Set up in South Korea by Sun Myung Moon in the early 1950s, the organisation has been accused by critics of being 'cult-like'. Elgen’s parents became members in their twenties and Elgen and his siblings were born into the Unification Church. Elgen tells John Sweeney what it was like to grow up as a Moonie and what led him to leave not once, but twice.

EXCLUSIVE Sweeney Keeps Talking: Vlad Demchenko
Find out what John Sweeney really thinks about his interview with Vlad Demchenko, the Ukrainian soldier who arrested him on Day 2 of Putin's war on suspicion of being a Russian spy. Available exclusively on Global Player. https://www.globalplayer.com/podcasts/42KuWb/ Download it from the App store or go to globalplayer.com If you're already on Global Player, search 'Sweeney Keeps Talking'.
30 January 2023 Finished

Vlad Demchenko: Ukrainian Freedom Fighter
explicitLast February, Putin launched his big war on Ukraine. Vlad Demchenko is a Ukrainian film-maker turned soldier who arrested John on Day 2 of the war on suspicion of being a Russian spy. Having sorted that, they’re now friends. Vlad tells John why he’s risking his life to defend Ukraine – and Europe. This is the story of an ordinary, extraordinary Ukrainian who is standing up to the Russian killing machine. This episode contains detailed descriptions of violence which some listeners may find distressing. If you are affected by anything you hear in this episode and need support please see the suggested helpline and website links below. Samaritans helpline: 116 123 https://www.samaritans.org/ https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/helplines/
41 mins
30 January 2023 Finished

EXCLUSIVE Sweeney Keeps Talking: Jackie Malton
Find out what John Sweeney really thinks about his interview with Jackie Malton, a former senior police officer known for being the real-life inspiration for the character DCI Jane Tennison in Prime Suspect. Available exclusively on Global Player. https://www.globalplayer.com/podcasts/42KuWb/ Download it from the App store or go to globalplayer.com If you're already on Global Player, search 'Sweeney Keeps Talking'.
23 January 2023 Finished

Jackie Malton: The Real Prime Suspect
explicitKnown for being the real-life inspiration for the character DCI Jane Tennison in the Prime Suspect TV drama series, Jackie Malton always wanted to be a detective. She joined the police force in the 1970s, when male police recruits were given a truncheon and female recruits were given a handbag. Jackie rose through the ranks to become one of only three female detective chief inspectors in the Metropolitan Police. But then she made a complaint about another officer, accusing them of corruption. Her reward? To be treated as if she was a traitor.
36 mins
23 January 2023 Finished

EXCLUSIVE Sweeney Keeps Talking: Aiden Aslin
Find out what John Sweeney really thinks about his interview with Aiden Aslin, the British-born former soldier who was captured by Russian forces whilst fighting in Ukraine. Available exclusively on Global Player. https://www.globalplayer.com/podcasts/42KuWb/ Download it from the App store or go to globalplayer.com If you're already on Global Player, search 'Sweeney Keeps Talking'.
16 January 2023 Finished

Aiden Aslin: Prisoner of War
explicitDetained, tortured, stabbed, and sentenced to death. This is Aiden Aslin’s astonishing story, from the heart of the conflict in Ukraine. Aiden fought with the Ukrainians and was captured by Russian forces during the siege of Mariupol. After a normal childhood in Nottinghamshire and ambitions to be a policeman, how did he find himself a prisoner of war? And how did he survive it? This episode contains detailed descriptions of torture and violence which some listeners may find distressing. If you are affected by anything you hear in this episode and need support please see the suggested helpline and website links below. Samaritans helpline: 116 123 https://www.samaritans.org/ https://www.ptsduk.org/ https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/helplines/ https://combatstress.org.uk/ https://www.freedomfromtorture.org/what-we-do/therapy-and-support
59 mins
16 January 2023 Finished