Fool Me Twice

Are criminals telling the truth, lying outright, or simply telling you what they want you to hear? In Episode 37 of Fool Me Twice , comedian Bradford Oakes and renowned human lie detector, former detective and deception expert Steve Van Aperen explore the fascinating psychology of confessions, partial confessions, withholding information and the art of deception. Drawing on decades of experience i...

In Episode 36 of Fool Me Twice , former police detective and deception expert Steve Van Aperen joins comedian Bradford Oakes to explore the alarming world of scams, the psychology behind them, and why even intelligent people fall victim. With Australians reporting $2.18 billion in scam losses in 2025, and more than half a billion dollars lost in the first six months of 2026, Steve and Brad examine...

What does it take to convince people you're someone you're not? And how do fraudsters manage to fool intelligent, educated professionals, sometimes for years? In Episode 35 of Fool Me Twice , comedian Bradford Oakes and former police detective and deception expert Steve Van Aperen investigate four extraordinary cases of impersonation, fraud and deception. From fake lawyers arguing cases in...

When does inspiration become imitation, and when does imitation become theft? In their longest episode yet, comedian and comedy coach Bradford Oakes and Steve Van Aperen tackle plagiarism, joke stealing and the awkward business of telling the truth. The conversation begins with a question every coach faces: how honest should you be with someone who wants to make people laugh? Bradford explains why...

What does a liar look like? Can a fleeting facial expression expose the truth, and are comedians better than most people at faking emotion? In Episode 33, comedian Bradford Oakes joins former police officer, behavioural expert and forensic interviewer Steve Van Aperen for a funny and fascinating exploration of facial expressions, deception, intuition and the signals we send without saying a word....

What happens when love, lies and betrayal collide? In this episode, Bradford Oakes and Steve Van Aperen explore the messy world of cheating, emotional affairs, secret finances, online flirting and the stories people tell when they are caught. Before getting into the serious stuff, Bradford reflects on teaching an MC training course and explains why an event without a host can quickly fall apart. T...

What makes someone lie about serving in the military, and how far will they go to keep the deception alive? In this episode of Fool Me Twice, Brad Oakes and former detective Steve van Aperen dive into the extraordinary world of stolen valour: people who invent, exaggerate or completely fabricate military service, ranks, deployments and medals in order to gain status, respect, employment, money or...

In Episode 30 of Fool Me Twice , comedian Bradford Oakes and former detective Steve Van Aperen explore how easily people can be influenced, misled, or persuaded by polls, social behaviour and poorly framed questions. The conversation begins lightheartedly, with Steve recovering from having a wisdom tooth removed and the pair exchanging painful and funny dental stories. The discussion then turns to...

In Episode 29 of Fool Me Twice , Bradford Oakes and Steve Van Aperen explore deception, interviewing techniques, body language, tunnel vision, and the importance of rapport when trying to uncover the truth. The episode begins with some light-hearted conversation about Bradford’s recent country comedy gigs, wildlife on Australian roads, and the differences between metropolitan and regional audience...

Episode 28 of Fool Me Twice features Bradford Oakes and Steve van Aperen discussing lying, deception, false confessions, false memories and common mistakes people make when trying to read others. The conversation begins with Brad describing his frustration with artificial intelligence after spending hours using large language models that appeared to ignore instructions, apologise repeatedly and pr...

Are we being sold beauty, or being sold insecurity? In this episode of Fool Me Twice, Brad and Stephen take a sharp, funny and sometimes uncomfortable look at the multi billion dollar cosmetics and beauty industry, asking how much of what we’re promised is reality, how much is clever marketing, and how much crosses the line into deception. From products claiming to “reverse the ageing process” to...

Episode 26 of Fool Me Twice sees Bradford Oakes and Steve Van Aperen explore deception across the animal kingdom, mixing behavioural observations, personal stories and comedy. They begin by revisiting whether doctors are justified in softening serious medical news, concluding that compassionate “sugarcoating” can sometimes reduce distress and that outsiders should be cautious about judging profess...

In episode 25, Steve Van Aperen and Bradford Oakes explore lies, deception and the relationship between doctors and patients, joined by Dr Nicole Yap , an oncoplastic surgeon specialising in breast cancer surgery and reconstruction. The episode begins with the hosts swapping travel and airport stories, from Brad’s Tasmania gig near Devonport to Steve’s shock at Sydney Airport coffee prices. Their...

Episode 24 sees Brad Oakes and Steve Van Aperen examine political lying, deception and public trust, asking how governments can mislead without always stating an obvious falsehood. They distinguish between direct lies, evasive answers, omissions and “obfuscation”—making an issue deliberately unclear or confusing. The pair also consider whether some lies can be protective or justified, such as with...

Episode 23 of Fool Me Twice features hosts Bradford Oakes and Steve van Aperen in conversation with Rob Blezard, a Victoria Police detective with a 35-year career. Blezard outlines his path from joining the force in 1988 to working ten years in uniform at city, Kew, Heidelberg and Brunswick stations. Brunswick, he explains, was an especially formative posting: busy shifts, experienced sergeants an...

This final episode wraps up the podcast’s “anatomy of a murder” storyline (hear episode 1 , episode 2 and episode 3 ) by moving from the crime scene into offender profiling, suspect analysis and a likely investigative conclusion. Steve Van Aperen, drawing on his policing experience and his work on The Hunters , joins Bradford Oakes for a conversation that balances dark subject matter with their us...

In Episode 21 of Fool Me Twice , Bradford Oakes and Steve Van Aperen return to their ongoing “anatomy of a murder” scenario, using a fictional targeted shooting in a Melbourne laneway to explain how homicide investigations really unfold. They begin by recapping listener questions from the previous episode, including the old detective advice to keep your hands in your pockets at a crime scene. Stev...

In this episode of Fool Me Twice , Brad Oakes and Steve Van Aperen return to their “anatomy of a murder” exercise, using a fictional Collingwood laneway shooting to unpack how real homicide investigators think. Steve begins by answering listener questions from the previous episode, including why an old detective once told him to keep his hands in his pockets at a crime scene. His explanation centr...

In this bonus episode of Fool Me Twice , host Steve Van Aperen swaps the usual format for a behind-the-glass conversation with Morry Morgan, the show’s producer. With co-host Bradford Oakes away, Steve and Morry use the opportunity to revisit how the podcast began, how they first met, and the strange chain of events that eventually led to Fool Me Twice . Steve traces his journey from detective wor...

Episode 19 of Fool Me Twice features Bradford Oakes and Steve Van Aperen exploring what they call “the anatomy of a murder”, a detailed walkthrough of how detectives and forensic investigators approach a homicide scene. The episode combines serious crime analysis with humour and storytelling, giving listeners an insight into investigative thinking and police procedure. Bradford Oakes opens the dis...

In this episode of Fool Me Twice , the conversation centres on the Mandela Effect and the unreliability of memory. Stephen and Bradford explore how people can confidently remember events, sayings and details that are completely incorrect, and why memory can be influenced by suggestion, repetition and personal interpretation. The discussion begins with some listener clarifications from previous epi...

In Episode 17 of Fool Me Twice , hosts Bradford Oakes and Steve Van Aperen explore one of the most provocative and complex topics in modern relationships, cheating, deception, and the psychology that drives it. The episode opens with the usual light-hearted banter between the hosts before quickly shifting into a deeper and more confronting conversation about infidelity. Bradford shares a personal...

In Episode 16 of Fool Me Twice , Bradford Oakes and Steve return, now recording from their newly finished podcast studio in South Melbourne, for a wide ranging and engaging discussion on deception, perception, and human behaviour. The episode opens with Steve reflecting on his recent return trip from China, where a mix of golf, alcohol, and a brief speaking engagement left him both rejuvenated and...

In Episode 15 of Fool Me Twice , hosts Bradford Oakes and Steve Van Aperen unpack the fascinating and often flawed world of alibis. Blending true crime with behavioural analysis, they explore how people attempt to construct believable cover stories, and more importantly, how those stories unravel under scrutiny. Steve breaks down the true definition of an alibi, proof you were elsewhere when a cri...

In Episode 14 of Fool Me Twice , Bradford Oakes and Steve Van Aperen explore deception in everyday situations, beginning with a call from a listener named Jules, who asks how to identify dodgy salespeople. Her question sparks a practical discussion on recognising misleading behaviour in sales. The hosts explain that while many salespeople are honest, the sales process often involves exaggeration o...