Pick of the podcasts: Dr Death, Fonejacker, Have You Seen This Man?

First there was Dr Duntsch, a doctor who killed or maimed 33 patients in Texas.

Then there was Dr Fata. He was a medic who poisoned more than 500 of his patients in Michigan.

And now there is a new Dr Death for the third series in Wondery’s hit podcast about some terrifying medical malpractice.

Dr Paolo Macchiarini, also known as The Miracle Man, is the latest to be exposed in a typically forensic investigation and a shocking story of trust, betrayal and miracles.

Paolo is a smart and handsome surgeon, renowned for his ability to perform surgeries that transform his patients’ lives. When television producer Benita covers him for a story, he’ll transform her life too, but not in the ways she expects.

As Benita crosses professional lines to be with him, she learns how far Paolo will go to protect his secrets. Meanwhile, halfway around the world, four doctors at a prestigious medical institute make shocking discoveries of their own that call everything into question.

It sounds like a thriller but Laura Beil, an independent journalist in Dallas, has created another gripping slice of real-life drama. She was the recipient of the Victor Cohn Prize for Medical Science Reporting in 2018, in part for her investigations in men’s mental health, and her work has appeared in The New York Times, Cosmopolitan and Science News; in short she knows what she’s talking about.

Dr Death, which has been downloaded 80 million times worldwide, has also been made into a television series.

Much of her investigations look at physicians who are guilty of something; often you’re left with the impression America’s broken health system is what is really on trial.

Have You Seen This Man?

John Ruffo engineered one of the most outlandish frauds in American history – a $350 million swindle.

But even after his arrest, no one really knew Ruffo. When the unassuming Brooklyn computer salesman pleaded guilty in 1998 and received a 17-year prison sentence, his story was just beginning.

In the second series, the hosts join the US Marshals cold-case fugitive manhunt for Ruffo as they span the globe…

Fonejacker

The classic Channel 4 comedy finds new life in podcast form with pranks from British Iranian actor Kayvan Novak.

These are brand new prank calls from the Bafta-award winning fonejacker and feature classic characters such as car salesman Terry Tibbs, serial complainer Dufrais Constantinople, Art critic Brian Badonde, cold caller Irish Mike, Internet Service Providings, and all new voices.