REAL LIVES – Details, episodes & analysis

Starting weekly from the 6th of October 2025....

From Naomi Channell, TV producer, journalist, and host of the hit true crime podcast REAL, comes a brand-new series that proves the most extraordinary stories aren’t always about crime… they’re about life.

In REAL LIVES, Naomi sits down with people whose experiences are stranger, wilder, and more moving than fiction. From a victim of a bigamist to a Dunblane survivor, the UK’s first commercial surrogate to a woman jilted at the altar, and even a death doula who helps people face the end of their lives — these are stories of resilience, heartbreak, survival, and reinvention.

Twisting, gripping, and deeply human, REAL LIVES invites you into the moments that changed everything. These aren’t just stories. They’re real lives.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In March 1996, a man entered the Dunblane primary school in Scotland and murdered 16 primary school children and their teacher who was trying to protect them.

This tragedy is mourned and remembered by millions across the UK and beyond, no more so than those from the local community. Amy Rose was a pupil at the school the day the unthinkable happened, and she is here to share how this tragedy impacted her community, her family and her life.

This is REAL LIVES.

If you'd like to support the show, you can do so here:

https://www.patreon.com/c/REALtruecrimepodcast

To buy Amy's book - Emotionally Unstable Mumma: From Broken to Blessed: A Survivor's Story of Dunblane, Trauma and Healing please visit:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Emotionally-Unstable-Mumma-Survivors-Dunblane-ebook/dp/B0FFJWNNJG

For help and support with domestic violence, here are some organisations and support services that can help you:

https://www.nationaldahelpline.org.uk/ - UK

https://mankind.org.uk/ - Support for male victims

https://safelives.org.uk/ - UK

https://www.victimsupportni.com/help-for-victims/domestic-violence/ - Northern Ireland

https://mapni.co.uk/ - Northern Ireland for men

https://sdvs.ie/ - Ireland

https://www.mensaid.ie/ - Ireland for men

https://www.lifewire.org/ - USA

https://www.thehotline.org/resources/men-can-be-victims-of-abuse-too/ - USA for men

https://www.rizeup.com.au/ - Australia

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Yve Gibney thought she had it all, a successful career, thriving children and a husband she adored.

But almost two decades into her marriage, her husband said something that made her question everything. So she started to investigate him and what she discovered would turn her world upside down.

This is REAL LIVES.

If you'd like to support the show, you can do so here, thank you:

https://www.patreon.com/c/REALtruecrimepodcast

To buy Yve's books, please see here:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/Yve-Gibney/author/B08ZSYGSPJ?ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true

f you need help or support with domestic abuse please get in touch with the following organisations:

https://www.nationaldahelpline.org.uk/ - UK

https://mankind.org.uk/ - Support for male victims

https://safelives.org.uk/ - UK

https://www.victimsupportni.com/help-for-victims/domestic-violence/ - Northern Ireland

https://mapni.co.uk/ - Northern Ireland for men

https://sdvs.ie/ - Ireland

https://www.mensaid.ie/ - Ireland for men

https://www.lifewire.org/ - USA

https://www.thehotline.org/resources/men-can-be-victims-of-abuse-too/ - USA for men

https://www.rizeup.com.au/ - Australia

https://mensline.org.au/family-violence/ - Australia

Addiction services:

https://www.turning-point.co.uk/find-a-local-service - UK

https://www.asam.org/ - USA

https://www.turningpoint.org.au/ - Australia

https://info.health.nz/mental-health/alcohol-and-drug-services - New Zealand

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the 1980s, a British mother of 2 became the UK's first commercial surrogate. But what started out as an act of kindness, made headlines around the world.

In her first podcast interview, Kim Cotton talks about her life as a once controversial figure, who has helped 1147 couples have babies via surrogacy.

This is REAL LIVES.

To support the show, you can join my Patreon here, thank you:

https://www.patreon.com/c/REALtruecrimepodcast

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We have midwives and birth doula's to help bring us into this world, but there are a growing number of people who are helping people leave this world too.

In this episode, Dr Emma Clare tells us about her role an end of life doula, how she helps people die on their terms and why this job changed her view on life.

This is REAL LIVES.

if you'd like to support the show, you can join my Patreon here, thank you:

https://www.patreon.com/c/REALtruecrimepodcast

To find out more about Emma's work, please see End of Life Doula Uk's website here:

https://eol-doula.uk/

The video referenced by Emma by Dr Kathrine Mannix - 'Dying for Beginners' is here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ayMhA1pRLeY&t=17s

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kayley Stead thought she had it all.... a job she loved, a man she adored and now... he'd put a ring on it and she was getting married.

But as she was getting ready on the morning of her wedding, her bridesmaid dropped a bombshell - nobody could find the groom. And what happened next is something most of us would never have predicted.

This is REAL LIVES.

To support the show and become part of a lovely community, you can join my Patreon here, thank you:

https://www.patreon.com/c/REALtruecrimepodcast

To follow Kayley on social media, you can find her here:

https://www.tiktok.com/@kayleystead?lang=en

https://www.instagram.com/kayleystead2206/?hl=en

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On the 30th of May 2015, Eugene Scardifield's life changed forever. His brother Michael had been murdered in a violent attack.

In this episode, Eugene takes us through Michael's case and guides us through his reality. What does the family of a person lost to homicide do once they receive such devastating news? And how do you begin to live again?

This is REAL LIVES.

To join my Patreon, please find the details here: https://www.patreon.com/REALtruecrimepodcast

To find Eugene's books, see here:

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

John Comerford was raised in a home where he felt happy, safe and loved. But when he went to high school, his teacher took those feelings from him.

He was physically and sexually abused by his teacher and it changed his life forever. After he left school, he was left with the emotional scars and deep routed trauma that made him want to take the life of the man who had caused him so much pain. So he loaded a shotgun and made his way school...

In this episode, John tells us his story and how, after his journey of healing, he has helped many other victims of child abuse.

This is REAL LIVES.

To find John's books, see here: https://jjcomerford.com/books

The organisation that helped John is here: www.samsn.org.au

If you need help or support please see these organisations that can help:

https://www.thesurvivorstrust.org/ - For people who have been the victim of sexual abuse (UK)

https://www.rainn.org/ - Sexual Abuse Support USA

https://www.nasasv.org.au/support-directory or www.samsn.org.au - Sexual Abuse Support Australia 

https://www.rcni.ie/useful-links/ - Sexual Abuse Support Ireland

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, we speak to three female PI's who are blowing the stereotype of a 'Private Investigator' right out of the water. These women work on everything from cheating spouses to unsolved murders.

Today's guests are Samantha and Emma from Verity Henton - www.verityhenton.co.uk / https://www.instagram.com/verityhenton/ / https://www.tiktok.com/@verityhenton

And

Ali Marsh from Miss AM Private Investigations - https://missaminvestigations.co.uk/

To buy Ali's book, Private Lies: True Stories From my Life As a Private Investigator - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Private-Lies-True-stories-Investigator/dp/178946840X

To support the show, please see Patreon for extra benefits and content:

https://www.patreon.com/c/REALtruecrimepodcast

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mark Tinsley is the lawyer who stepped into one of the most notorious — and deeply troubling — criminal investigations of recent years: The Murdaugh Family Murders.

Mark meticulously followed the facts and relentlessly pursued justice in one of America's most infamous trials. In today’s episode of Real Lives, Mark opens up about his fight against Alex Murdaugh, getting justice for Mallory Beach, and how he became a household name for true crime consumers everywhere.

If you'd like to support the show, you can do so here, thank you:

https://www.patreon.com/c/REALtruecrimepodcast

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.