Charlene: Somebody Knows Something

In this bonus episode of Al Fayed: Who Looked Away?, we’re hearing from journalist Meirion Jones. Throughout his career Meirion has investigated and broken stories about powerful offenders. The kind of people who, like Mohamed Al-Fayed, had enough money and influence to silence victims and the media. Throughout this episode he talks us through how those power dynamics work, how the justice system...

Many survivors of Al-Fayed’s abuse stayed silent about their experiences for years. Now that silence is broken.  But speaking out isn’t enough. These survivors want meaningful action. Frustrated by the new police investigation, Operation Cornpoppy, they will fight to be heard, standing up for justice against the police, the politicians and Harrods itself.  Nothing about this case is simp...

As details emerged about the scale and systematic nature of Mohamed Al-Fayed’s crimes, he was compared to another notorious predator – Jeffrey Epstein.  Soon, survivors of Al-Fayed start describing their experiences using a term from Epstein’s case – trafficking. Their stories of being trafficked illustrate the scale of these crimes - and could be the key to getting justice. But this case has...

Mohamed Al-Fayed’s abuses were not isolated incidents. They were a deliberate pattern of exploitation and control. And they started on the shop floor, a toxic working environment where young women were on show as much as the items on sale. Women like series host Nicola Thorp. As more and more survivors come forward, their stories reveal just how far and wide this pattern spread – and how many othe...

On a winter’s day in 1990, Joanna Brittan’s boss beckons her off the street, and into a waiting limousine.  They take a long drive to a country estate outside of London, where they meet Mohamed Al-Fayed – the billionaire businessman who owns the iconic department store, Harrods.  Decades later, Joanna will look back at this strange trip to the countryside in a new, disturbing light.&nbsp...

Mohamed Al-Fayed was the billionaire businessman who owned the iconic department store – Harrods. Together they projected an image of wealth, luxury and glamour. In the wake of his death, that image was shattered when hundreds of former Harrods employees came forward to accuse Al-Fayed of grooming, abuse and assault. But this was more than just one man. It was a trafficking network, on the scale o...

In 2025, more than twenty years after she disappeared, is there any hope for finding out what happened to Charlene? Nicola sits down with the senior investigating officer of the case to find out how the search is continuing to the present day. But even as she prepares for the trip to Blackpool, she finds Charlene’s name is back in the news, and her story is causing controversy in the UK and around...

Nicola outlines how far-right groups have used Charlene as a poster child for their campaigning, stoking public outrage to fuel their political agenda. She unpacks the lies and misinformation that have spread as these groups seek to exploit this case. And among the protestors flocking to far-right rallies in Blackpool, there’s one man with a serious criminal record… and a possible link to Charlene...

A witness gets in touch with Nicola, with new information that could be significant for the investigation. A mysterious flat, a suspect that has never been identified, and an intriguing possibility – did Charlene really disappear on that Saturday in November, after all? As she investigates, Nicola finds herself embroiled in the drama of the online cold-case community. The following content may fee...

What had gone so wrong with Charlene’s case? After some very public failings, the police put one of their own in front of a disciplinary hearing. But this is bigger than one bad detective.   As Nicola investigates the fallout from the collapsed trial, she uncovers secrets, mistakes and mysteries that have her questioning everything about the case. The following content may feel overwhelm...

In the wake of Charlene’s disappearance, the focus was on the network of men grooming young girls from late night takeaways. But what the public didn’t know was that these weren’t the only bad men in Charlene’s life. Nicola speaks to Charlene’s parents, Karen and Bob, and confronts them about what exactly was happening in the Downes household. The following content may feel overwhelming. Ever...

On a chilly morning in Blackpool, Nicola interviews Mohammed Raveshi, one of the men charged in relation to Charlene’s disappearance. Some still believe he is guilty. But as he tells the strange story of how he ended up on trial for the murder of a young girl, it just raises more questions. If you have any information about the disappearance of Charlene Downes, you can contact us at charlene@thecr...

Two men are arrested and charged – for murdering Charlene and disposing of her body. Police and prosecutors believe they have the audio tapes to prove it. But it’s not so simple. What happens in the trial will shock everyone and shape this story for years to come. Nicola uncovers the drama in the court room, and the controversial conclusion to the trial that still haunts the case. The following co...

On Saturday 1st of November 2003, fourteen-year-old Charlene Downes disappeared from her hometown of Blackpool. The story of what happened to her has haunted the town ever since – but is it true? Twenty years later, another Blackpool girl, broadcaster Nicola Thorp, looks into this case that she remembers from her childhood. But she quickly finds out that it goes deeper than she could have imagined...

Investigating a two decades old case in Blackpool. Somebody knows something. Join The Crime Desk to hear all episodes in this gripping new series as soon as it launches, later this summer. Plus, you'll get exclusive weekly bonus episodes of our award-winning podcast The Trial, ad-free listening across all of our shows, and early access to brand-new series like our high-stakes investigative series,...