While true-crime podcasts often fall prey to accusations of tasteless sensationalism, Tim Grant and Nicci MacLeod share the science of forensic linguistics in Writing Wrongs with an ethos that appears far from morbid hype. Grant and MacLeod (two experts often called to court) tell us how linguistics can be used to solve cold cases, but they also disclose that the practices used to collect statements can create allegations of complicity or even elicit a false confession.

The episodes are painstakingly researched and include guests who have an important role in the narrative surrounding true crime. In one episode, Kate Summerscale, prize-winning author of The Suspicions Of Mr Whicher, describes the case of John Christie, the subject of her new book and the killer who watched as Timothy Evans was wrongly convicted of murders Christie himself had committed. After learning about the case in a previous episode, we hear Summerscale’s compelling knowledge of the investigation, her role in presenting the stories of real people, and the similarities between historic crimes and those committed in very recent history. 

Although cases may still be unsolved or riddled with investigative issues, Writing Wrongs strikes a fantastic balance between storytelling and systematic assessment, remaining captivating without a whiff of sensationalism. Guilt-free true crime? Sign me up.

Episodes of Writing Wrongs are available on all the usual platforms.