In this episode of Heretics, I’m joined by Andy Woodward — the whistleblower who helped expose one of the darkest scandals in British history.
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Andy recounts the grooming, coercion, and control he experienced as a child, and the long road to speaking out. We also dig into the institutional failures that allowed this to continue for years — including what happened when Andy tried to tell the truth publicly, and the aftermath of going up against powerful organisations.
This is a difficult but vital conversation about child safeguarding, grming tactics, institutional cover-ups, and what happens to survivors when the system claims to care — but doesn’t.
In this conversation:
- How grming works (and how adults get manipulated too)
- Why some offenders operate “in plain sight
- The cost of speaking out — professionally and psychologically
- Media, institutions, and the pressure to stay silent
- What needs to change to protect children and support survivors
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Chapters:
00:00 “Worse Than Savile?” Andy Woodward on grming, fear, and the moment everything changed
03:40 “Can he stay overnight?” The request that rewired a 10-year-old’s life
07:10 A “haunted house” trip… and the real horror in the minibus
10:05 “He was a psychopath.” The double life: generous “pipe piper”
12:45 Chinese stars, nunchucks, and terror as a weapon
14:55 “The Savile of football.” Why Andy says the pattern was the same
17:20 “Bigger cults… bigger picture.” Complicity, silence, and who benefits
19:55 “340 clubs.” The scale of what Andy says he blew open in 2016
22:20 “Did staff know?” The chants, the rumours, and what was said at the clubs
25:05 “If you say anything, I will k you.” The threat that sealed the silence
27:40 His sister, and the shocking aftermath
30:05 A family link… and the question Andy can’t shake
33:00 2003: Trying to hold the club accountable — and watching it get shut down
35:45 “Trust the institution.” Joining the police… then being put on the worst possible work
39:05 2016: Going public — “I was trending above Trump”
41:40 Wembley, the FA, and being told “no” when he asked to help safeguard kids
44:10 BBC film promises… then years of delay, trauma, and “duty of care” failures
47:15 “Football’s Darkest Secret” and the decision that left him re-traumatised
49:55 After the documentary: being sectioned — “seven police officers and three doctors”
52:40 The drama’s praise… then it vanishes: “removed after 12 months”
55:40 Inside The Boys Club: the new mission — men, trauma and prevention
58:30 Heretic he admires: Princess Diana — and why Andy chose her
#heretics #savile #truecrime
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