A Bit of a Stretch - The Podcast
Chris Atkins
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About This Podcast
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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Recent Episodes
S3E4 Ladies' Night
Most of the other episodes are about men, so to find out more about the experiences of women in the system Chris meets Jules, a young woman who went to prison for GBH aged just 20. She got a five…
S3E3 Cold in Your Bones
Nick worked in the library at HMP Wandsworth when Chris was banged up there in 2016. They didn't stay in touch, but a few years later Nick heard this podcast and got in contact. In this touching…
S3E2 Sing When You're Winning
When Chris was in HMP Wandsworth he joined MJ's Liberty Choir, which he called "Spinsters and Spiceheads" as it was made up of volunteer women of a certain age and some of the prison's more colourful…
S3E1 You're nicked
Meet ex-cop Peter Bleksley, who spent years undercover busting some of Britain's biggest crime gangs. But one day a suspicious accident blew his cover forcing him into hiding - with a contract out on…
S2E5 London Bridge
Marc Conway was an extremely disturbed and dangerous criminal for many years. He grew up on a crime ridden estate in the 80s, and by his teens he was a prolific armed robber. He served ten prison…
S2E4 I Met My Brother's Killer
Simon Dawson was brutally murdered by two car thieves in 1998. It shattered the life of his twin brother Nick, who's likeness enabled the police to catch the killers. Nearly twenty Years later Nick…
S2E3 Prison Break
Meet Simon Maclellan, who escaped from a high security jail pretending to be his twin brother in 2009. For the very first time Simon explains how he managed to fool dozens of prison officers, several…
S2E2 Total Recall
Ed Cooley was convicted of drugs and firearms offences in 2014 and given ten years and eight months. Like most prisoners he was released on license halfway through, but he's since been recalled back…
S2E1 The Fake Duke
In 2015 Alexander Wood made the national news for being convicted of fraud, after staying in over thirty elite hotels masquerading as the Duke of Marlborough. Chris Atkins met Alex in HMP Wandsworth,…
S1E9 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…
S1E8 Pandemic in Prisons
The pandemic took a hammer blow to an already collapsing prison system. Chris was in touch with several inmates still serving their sentences, and they allowed us to record their calls to reveal the…
S1E7 Turning the Screw
Prisons are pretty miserable for the inmates, but what about the officers? Chris talks to two ex-prison officers about riots, accidental spice attacks and bad pay. Hosted on Acast. See…
S1E6 Rehabilitate This
Prisons are supposed to rehabilitate offenders, but nearly half of inmates reoffend within a year. How do some prisoners buck the trend and change who they are? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy…
S1E5 Are You Listening?
There is a mental health crisis in prisons, and it's sometimes impossible to access psychiatric support. Often the only help comes from the Listeners, prisoners specially trained by the Samaritans to…
S1E4 Children of Prisoners
There are over 200,000 children in the UK with a parent in prison. To find out the impact on these forgotten victims, Chris talks to his ex partner, Lottie, about how his imprisonment effected his…
S1E3 Prison: A Love Story
How do couples maintain a romantic relationship when one of them is behind bars? This episode features Gary, whose girlfriend had to wait two and a half years while he was inside, and Lucy, whose…
S1E2 The Daily Grind
What do prisoners eat? How do we get showers? What's the food like? When he was in prison Chris got dozens of letters asking about the details of life inside. This episode will delve into the nitty…
S1E1 Arrival and Survival
Prison is always toughest at the very start. How do people cope when thrust into a modern jail for the very first time? Farook was given seven years for GBH, his imprisonment was harder to deal with…
S1 A Bit of a Stretch Podcast - Trailer
Have you ever wondered what life's really like behind bars? Well fortunately for you Chris Atkins went to prison so you don't have to. This podcast features interviews of over 20 former inmates to…
Frequently Asked Questions
A Bit of a Stretch - The Podcast has published 19 episodes since September 2020, covering topics in Documentary, Society & Culture.
A Bit of a Stretch - The Podcast is currently dormant with new episodes weekly. Average episode length is 24m.
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