A Bit of a Stretch - The Podcast
By Chris Atkins
Chris Atkins is a documentary maker who went to prison for tax fraud in 2016. He spent nine months in HMP Wandsworth, one of the most dangerous prisons in the UK, and has written about his surreal experiences in his bestselling book A Bit of a Stretch. After his release he interviewed 20 ex-prisoners about their time in jail, and turned the recordings into season 1 of this podcast. Their stories are shocking, uplifting, heartbreaking, hilarious, and often downright weird, taking you headfirst into the biggest prison crisis in history. It reveals a collapsing system that is failing victims and wider society, and reveals how the human spirit can thrive in the darkest corners. Each episode is centred around a different theme, like Arrival, Family and Change, and was a huge hit on its release and the winner of the Criminal Justice Alliance media award in 2021.
Over the last two years Chris has discovered a lot these contributors have gone back to prison, sometimes several times, and so he's written a follow up book Time After Time, asking why so many prisoners reoffend. It follows a colourful cast of criminals who just can't go straight, including Alex who spent nine months living in luxury hotels pretending to be the Duke of Marlborough, and Ed who has been recalled to prison four times since his release, despite not being convicted of any further offences. Season 2 of the podcast will dip into some of these crazy stories, as Chris interviews a fascinating cast of convicts as they cycle through our hideously dysfunctional justice system.
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Latest episode
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Ladies' Night
Meet Jules, who went to a female prison when she was just 20 years old -
Cold in Your Bones
Nick reveals why a lack of housing on release caused him to reoffend -
Sing When You're Winning
Meet the irrepressible ladies of the Liberty Choir -
You're nicked
Meet ex-cop Peter Bleksley, who spent years undercover busting some of Britain's most dangerous drug gangs, and has pretty harsh views on criminal justice -
London Bridge
Story of Marc Conway, reformed armed robber who helped tackle a terrorist on London Bridge -
I Met My Brother's Killer
Nick Dawson went on a 17 year journey to meet the men who killed his brother Simon -
Prison Break
Meet Simon Maclellan, who escaped from a high security jail pretending to be his twin brother -
Total Recall
Story of Ed Cooley, who has been recalled back to prison 4 times despite not being convicted of any new criminal offences. -
The Fake Duke
Story of Alex Wood, who spent a year living in luxury hotels pretending to be the Duke of Marlborough -
Loose Ends
All the great material that didn't fit into previous episodes. Includes George Gilbey, star of Gogglebox and Celebrity Big Brother, who got 3 months for drink driving. And "Simon" reveals how D Cat prisoners smuggle in cheese for xmas pa...
