Podcast Corner: New listening with the Apology Line, and the seedy story of Robert Maxwell
The story of disgraced media mogul Robert Maxwell - father of Ghislaine Maxwell - is told in the Power podcast. Picture: Getty Images
Wondery have some of the most bingeable series under their stable - Bunga Bunga and Guru, which we previously wrote about here, are just two examples from the past year. The Apology Line is Wondery's latest offering, a six-part series about a number in Manhattan that was in existence for 15 years.
People could call and talk about... anything. The down-the-phoneline audio has become a staple of true crime podcasts and here we think maybe the callers should be talking to a therapist, a priest in Confession, or a cop to confess their crimes. Because things escalate quickly for Allan, the person who set up the apology line.
On the first episode, we hear the outgoing message Allan made for callers: "This is Apology. Apology is not associated with the police or any other organisation but rather is a way for you to tell people what you have done wrong and how you feel about it."
Callers include people who didn't report a crime they witnessed; remorseful racists and lovers; a white rich female; and muggers. The opening episode ends with a death threat called into the line. The man apologises for what he's about to do - "kill Allan".
The Apology Line is addictive.
There are plenty podcasts about the sexual predator Jeffrey Epstein - including The Mysterious Mr Epstein from Wondery - but Power looks behind him to British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, who is accused of recruiting teenage girls for him. Her trial is scheduled for July 12.
From UK podcast network Somethin' Else, Power details the Maxwell family, focusing on Ghislaine's father Robert, "a real life Logan Roy" - a Succession reference that is sure to intrigue many.
A media mogul who owned the Mirror newspaper, his companies collapsed shortly after his death in 1991 - his body was found in the sea off the Canary Islands; was it an accident? Suicide? Something more nefarious?
Robert's relationship with his youngest daughter and his rags to riches story have been explored so far. You'll be searching our every detail about the family after listening.
