The Story Of Exposing Jimmy Savile - Mark Williams-Thomas - #369

**Chris Williamson** (0:00)
Hello, friends. Welcome back to the show. My guest today is Mark Williams-Thomas. He's an investigative journalist, an author and a former police detective. True crime documentaries are everywhere, and you've probably seen Mark in a lot of them. But most famously, he was the man responsible for investigating and exposing Jimmy Savile, which then led to an avalanche of other abusers being arrested all around the world. Today, we get an insight into what it's like to be a real-life Sherlock Holmes. Expect to learn who were the most disturbing criminals that Mark has ever met, what are the biggest difficulties when investigating Jimmy Savile, how Jimmy got away with it for so long, what it was like interviewing Oscar Pistorious, how accurate life in Line Of Duty actually is, what Mark thinks about making a murderer and much more. One of the craziest takeaways from this episode is that the true crime documentaries that you probably watch on Netflix and ITV aren't just there for entertainment. They are actually a forcing function that creates sufficient public pressure that the police actually begin investigations. Often, the true crime documentary is the beginning rather than the end of a criminal proceeding, which is crazy that a private investigator and a TV show can do work that the police haven't, but downstream from that, you actually end up getting justice out of the courts. In other news, this podcast is sponsored by BetterHelp. There might be something which is interfering with your happiness or preventing you from achieving your goals. BetterHelp will assess your needs and match you with your own licensed professional therapist who you can start communicating with in under 48 hours. It's not a crisis line or self-help. It is professional counseling done securely over the internet. You might have some things that have come up over the last 18 months. I think a lot of people have difficulties around work, difficulties in a relationship. Maybe there's just been something in the back of your mind that you've wanted to deal with since you were a kid. And getting a professional counselor to work with one on one that you can trust that's convenient and cheap and you can do over the internet no matter where you are in the world is a really good place to start. I've had a ton of messages from people who listen to the show that have started working with a therapist from BetterHelp. And the reviews have been glowing, which makes me feel really good. I love working with them. I think that the work that they do is fantastic and much needed to reduce the barriers to access for therapy. And yeah, if you've got a PT or you go to the gym for your body, you need to consider getting a therapist for your mind. It's more affordable than traditional offline counseling and financial aid is available. You can get 10% off your first month by going to betterhelp.com/modernwisdom. That's better, help.com/modernwisdom. Go and join over a million people who have taken charge of their mental health with the help of an experienced professional. In other other news, this episode is brought to you by Manscaped and their brand new Lawnmower 4.0. You can join 2 million men worldwide who use Manscaped to trim the most delicate part of their body. The Lawnmower 4 is the greatest ball and body hair trimmer ever created with a cutting edge ceramic blade to reduce grooming accidents and 90 minute batteries so you can take a longer shave, waterproof technology which allows you to groom in the shower, and an LED light which illuminates grooming areas for a closer and more precise trim or if you just fancy doing it in the middle of the night with all of the lights off. They've also upgraded to a 7,000 rpm motor with quiet stroke technology and the Lawnmower 4 allows you to customise your trim through additional guard lengths and a wireless charging system. On top of all of that, you can get 20% off everything sitewide including all of their accessories, their cologne, their crop preserver and the fantastic Lawnmower 4 by going to manscaped.com and using the code Modern Wisdom at checkout. That's 20% off and free shipping worldwide no matter where you are. If you need to get someone a gift, the man in your life, even if that man is you, head to manscaped.com and use the code Modern Wisdom for 20% off plus free shipping. But now it's time for the wise and wonderful Mark Williams-Thomas.
How would you describe what you do for work?

**Mark Williams-Thomas** (4:29)
Well, I think now, it's probably as an investigative reporter. I do do some private consultancy, and I also run a risk management consultancy, where I investigate and help organizations with dangerous offenders. So I'm a pretty busy person.