In season six of Campside Media’s con-themed podcast, journalist Bijan Stephen delves into the life of German art dealer Helge Achenbach. Described throughout this series as ‘the most famous criminal you’ve never heard of’, the six episodes explore Achenbach’s humble childhood in Düsseldorf, his work in making Germany’s art market a global player, and the series of greedy mistakes that led to his imprisonment.

As host, Stephen is the glue holding together a series of interviews with Achenbach and a handful of supporting characters. Having this much time with the story’s protagonist feels unusual for an investigation of this nature. Instead of building an ominous picture of the ‘baddie’, we get to hear from the horse’s mouth about his difficult upbringing and interpersonal relationships, including with the late German billionaire Berthold Albrecht who Achenbach infamously defrauded. 
Although this access is journalistically commendable, it comes at a cost. Not only do we hear arguably too much of Achenbach’s unreliable narration, but his accounts dictate the structure of episodes, leaving Stephen’s segues (and thus a listener’s understanding of the plot) constantly a few paces behind. Undoubtedly ripe for long-form exploration, issues with structure and script mean Gallery Of Lies doesn’t quite squeeze enough out of this juicy tale.
New episodes released weekly on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.