Missing Debbie | Bed of Lies
The Telegraph
Missing Debbie, a new series from the team behind Bed of Lies. When Debbie Cooper turns 40 she’s finally ready to find love and settle down, putting years of wanderlust behind her. She falls in love with awkward, geeky Jamie Starbuck and after a whirlwind 10 months they get married. A few weeks later, in May 2010, the newlyweds surprise family and friends by setting off on a round-the-world honeymoon. Emails arrive from all corners of the globe with descriptions of quiet coves in India, volunteering in Indonesia and sunrise yoga in Nicaragua. But something doesn’t feel right. There are no pictures. Debbie won’t call. And after two years on the road there’s no sign of her coming home. Debbie’s friends start to investigate and they soon discover Jamie’s been spinning a web of lies. Where is Debbie? And how long can Jamie cover-up the truth? In the fourth series of the award-winning Bed of Lies, investigative reporter Cara McGoogan tells Debbie’s story for the first time. With Debbie’s sisters, friends and the police, she untangles this gripping story of coercion, murder, and an elaborate deception that spans the globe. The first three series of Bed of Lies are also available to listen to on this feed:Series 1: They have the perfect relationship, until one day he vanishes. Her hunt leads to other women just like her - and a web of state-spun lies. Cara investigates the untold story of the "spycops" and the undercover policing scandal.Series 2: It was meant to be a miracle treatment, but it became a deadly poison. Cara investigates the biggest medical disaster in NHS history, the infected blood scandal.Series 3: A taxi driver is shot dead in front of his children. A high-security room goes up in flames. Then terrorists are unmasked as spies. And behind it all, a shadowy unit of the British Army, who ran the notorious agent Stakeknife. Award-winning journalist Cara McGoogan investigates the biggest cover-up of the Northern Ireland Troubles and asks: is the British state getting away with murder? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Oct 16, 2026 • 2min
Introducing Missing Debbie, a new series of Bed of Lies
Coming soon, on October 23rd. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Apr 11, 2025 • 1h 9min
Legacy | 9
In this gripping discussion, Paul Wilson shares his heartbreaking journey for justice as he seeks an inquiry into his father’s murder by the IRA. Phil James reveals the chilling truths uncovered during his investigating career, highlighting the state's dark capability for violence. Hugh Ord reflects on his time leading the Police Service of Northern Ireland and the importance of addressing unsolved cases from the Troubles. Together, they delve into the enduring trauma, the search for truth, and the complexities surrounding accountability in a fractured society.
Mar 29, 2025 • 1h 5min
Devastation | 8
A family forced to flee abroad. A young soldier killed by a car bomb. Two teenagers gunned down in a mobile shop. As Cara exposes the cold-bloodedness of both sides in the Troubles, she finds out the extent of the state's lethal spy network. Bereaved families hunt for justice, and the truth is shrouded in secrecy as killers walk the streets.Archive in this episode: RTE, GettySign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditorGet in touch: [email protected] and on social media @cjmcgoogan Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Mar 21, 2025 • 57min
Cover-up | 7
IRA spycatcher Freddie Scappaticci has been outed as FRU agent Stakeknife – but he’s not going to disappear without a fight. The British state takes unprecedented measures to make sure their spy gets away with murder. Cara teams up with veteran reporter John Ware to reveal just how high up the cover-up goes. Their reporting leads to a key organisation that has so far remained in the shadows: MI5.Archive in this episode: Getty, Parliament TVSign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditorGet in touch: [email protected] and on social media @cjmcgoogan Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Mar 7, 2025 • 52min
License to Kill | 6
Brian Nelson is finally in the dock for his campaign of murderous violence, but will he face justice? The question sends shivers through the British government, and the answer causes even more of a stir. But Brian is just the tip of the iceberg – there’s a new battle, shocking revelations, and a landmark apology to come. Archive in this episode: Getty, ITN, UK ParliamentSign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditorGet in touch: [email protected] and on social media @cjmcgoogan Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Feb 20, 2025 • 50min
Handlers | 5
Cara tracks down soldiers from the covert unit of the British army at the heart of her investigation. As these people who handled spies in the IRA and loyalist paramilitaries spill their secrets, it becomes clear that Agent 6137 and Scap are just the tip of the iceberg. Betrayal, sex, murder. Was it really all for the greater good?Sign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditorGet in touch: [email protected] and on social media @cjmcgoogan Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Feb 13, 2025 • 50min
Touts | 4
The IRA creates a new unit to root out informers – or touts – and kill them. A man known as Scap quickly rises to the top of this ‘Nutting Squad’ and builds up a fearsome reputation for cruelty. But he is hiding a dark secret – and the implications of the truth being exposed are enormous.Archive in this episode: Carlton TV, ITV, BBC, Getty, ITN, RTÉSign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditorGet in touch: [email protected] and on social media @cjmcgoogan Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Feb 6, 2025 • 58min
Agent 6137 | 3
Facing life in prison for murder, a key loyalist makes a surprising confession: he is Agent 6137. When he targeted people for the UDA to assassinate, he was also working for the British. The daughter of one of his victims hunts for the truth about his life as a spy – but as she and Cara dig deeper, they find documents are missing and proof is hard to pin down. Archive in this episode: Getty, ITN, BBCSign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditorGet in touch: [email protected] and on social media @cjmcgoogan Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jan 30, 2025 • 50min
Collusion | 2
Top detectives race to untangle a web of lies behind the murders. But just as they’re about to arrest a key loyalist suspect, their secure office containing top-secret evidence goes up in flames. They hear whispers that a clandestine unit of the British army could be behind the sabotage. All to protect one man – a man Cara reveals is a vicious fighter with a shadowy past. Sign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditorGet in touch: [email protected] and on social media @cjmcgoogan Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jan 30, 2025 • 46min
Trouble | 1
Three innocent Catholic men are shot dead in front of their families by a brutal Protestant paramilitary group hunting the IRA. Even in the dark days of the Troubles in Northern Ireland, the murders shock the nation. Then it emerges the gunmen aren’t working alone. Cara McGoogan is determined to find out who else is involved and how deep the collusion goes.Archive in this episode: Getty, ITN, ITV, RTÉ, Fremantle, Thames TV, NpatouSign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditorGet in touch: [email protected] and on social media @cjmcgoogan Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
