The Compendium: An Assembly of Fascinating Things

A young wellness influencer claims she cured terminal brain cancer through clean eating, builds a global brand, and sells hope to people who desperately need it. Belle Gibson tells the real story behind the fake cancer survivor whose app, cookbook, and lifestyle empire collapsed when the truth finally caught up. Belle Gibson explores the rise of The Whole Pantry, the Apple Cider Vinegar Netflix se...

A celebrated 9/11 survivor becomes a symbol of resilience, leads a support network, and tells a story so vivid that people believe every heartbreaking detail. Tania Head reveals the astonishing case of the woman who claimed she escaped the South Tower, lost her fiancé in the attacks, and built a public identity around a tragedy she never experienced. Tania Head follows Alicia Esteve Head’s rise wi...

One artist gets exclusive access to the blackest black, another responds with the pinkest pink, and the art world discovers that colour can be surprisingly petty. Anish Kapoor vs Stuart Semple is the strange, funny, and surprisingly revealing feud that turned Vantablack, artistic access, and pigment politics into a modern art scandal. Anish Kapoor vs Stuart Semple follows Kapoor’s exclusive use of...

A ruler builds a desert city of silk tents, imports fine food from Paris, and throws a party so extravagant it becomes a symbol of everything his people are beginning to reject. Billion Dollar Banquet tells the story of the Shah of Iran’s 2,500th anniversary celebration at Persepolis and the political backlash that helped define the road to revolution. Billion Dollar Banquet follows Shah Mohammad...

Before reality TV learned to shout, throw chairs, and turn private humiliation into public entertainment, there was Jerry Springer. Jerry Springer traces the unlikely rise of a former politician who became the face of daytime television chaos, from confessional drama to infamous TV fights and the show that made trash TV impossible to ignore. Jerry Springer explores the history of The Jerry Springe...

A man loses his papers, becomes trapped between borders, and turns an airport terminal into a home for nearly two decades. Terminal Man tells the extraordinary story of Mehran Karimi Nasseri, also known as Sir Alfred, the Iranian refugee whose life inside Charles de Gaulle Airport inspired Steven Spielberg’s The Terminal. Terminal Man follows the bureaucratic limbo, identity questions, routines, i...

A family decides to make a comedy with more than 100 untamed lions and tigers, and somehow the result is less film production than survival exercise. Roar tells the chaotic true story of the 1981 movie often called the most dangerous film ever made, starring Tippi Hedren, Noel Marshall, and a young Melanie Griffith. Roar follows the 11-year production, the real animal attacks, the injuries, the fl...

A teacher prepares to go to space, a nation gathers to watch, and 73 seconds after launch the sky becomes a tragedy no one can forget. The Challenger Disaster revisits the 1986 space shuttle explosion, the crew of Challenger, and the fatal decisions that changed NASA forever. The Challenger Disaster follows Christa McAuliffe, the Teacher in Space programme, the O-ring failure, Morton Thiokol, NASA...

A tiger shark at a Sydney aquarium vomits up a human arm, and suddenly a day out by the sea becomes one of Australia’s strangest murder mysteries. The Shark Arm Murder dives into the 1935 case that connected Coogee Aquarium, a missing man, organised crime, forgery, blackmail, and a shark with terrible timing. The Shark Arm Murder follows the death of Jimmy Smith, the suspicions around Patrick Brad...

Two beautiful pop stars win a Grammy, dominate the charts, and then become the face of one of music’s most humiliating lies. Milli Vanilli tells the real story behind the lip-sync scandal that turned Fab Morvan and Rob Pilatus from global hitmakers into scapegoats for a much bigger music industry machine. Milli Vanilli follows Girl You Know It’s True, Frank Farian, the hidden studio singers, the G...

Thousands of shoes became the punchline, but behind the closets was a regime built on wealth, fear, and political violence. Imelda Marcos tells the story of the former First Lady of the Philippines, the “Iron Butterfly” whose glamour, influence, and extravagance became inseparable from the corruption of the Marcos dictatorship. Imelda Marcos follows her rise beside Ferdinand Marcos, the Marcos reg...

A spiritual commune promises freedom, enlightenment and utopia, then becomes the centre of a political takeover attempt, mass poisoning plot and one of America’s strangest cult scandals. Sex Cult follows Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, the Osho movement, Rajneeshpuram and the commune that tried to bend Antelope, Oregon to its will. Sex Cult traces the rise of the Rajneeshee community, the power of Ma Anan...

A powerful church leader, a vanished wife, and years of unanswered questions sit at the centre of one of Scientology’s most unsettling mysteries. Inside Scientology investigates David Miscavige, Shelly Miscavige, and the rumours, allegations and speculation that have followed her disappearance from public view. Inside Scientology follows the structure of the Church of Scientology, the power dynami...

A private relationship becomes a national spectacle, a presidency is nearly brought down, and a young woman is turned into a punchline by politics, media and power. The Monica Lewinsky Scandal revisits the Clinton-Lewinsky affair not just as a sex scandal, but as a political crisis that reshaped the 1990s. The Monica Lewinsky Scandal follows Bill Clinton, Monica Lewinsky, Linda Tripp, Kenneth Star...

A boy’s strange behaviour, a frightened family and a series of Catholic rites become the chilling foundation for one of the most famous horror films ever made. The Exorcism of Roland Doe explores the alleged real-life exorcism story behind The Exorcist and the mystery of the child also known as Ronald Hunkeler. The Exorcism of Roland Doe follows the reported Ouija board activity, the claims of dem...

A respected New York gallery sells masterpieces to elite collectors, only for the art world to discover that the paintings are not lost treasures at all. Knoedler Gallery Scandal tells the story of the fake Rothkos, forged modern masters and multi-million-dollar deception that helped destroy one of America’s oldest art institutions. Knoedler Gallery Scandal follows Glafira Rosales, Pei-Shen Qian,...

A beloved BBC presenter is shot on her doorstep in broad daylight, and decades later the question still hangs over British true crime: Who Killed Jill Dando? This episode revisits the 1999 murder of Jill Dando, the public shock that followed, and the mystery that continues to trouble investigators, journalists and viewers. Who Killed Jill Dando follows the investigation, the controversial trial an...

A kidnapped heiress reappears with a new name, a gun in her hands and a revolutionary army at her side. Patty Hearst follows the astonishing case of Patricia Campbell Hearst, whose abduction by the Symbionese Liberation Army turned into one of the strangest true crime stories of the 1970s. Patty Hearst traces the kidnapping, the ransom demands, the SLA’s radical politics, the bank robbery, the nam...

A famous aviator’s child is taken from his crib, a ransom note appears, and America is pulled into the case that became known as the crime of the century. The Lindbergh Baby tells the haunting story of the Lindbergh kidnapping and the search for Charles Lindbergh Jr. The Lindbergh Baby follows Charles Lindbergh’s fame, the ransom notes, the ladder, the national search, the media frenzy, the arrest...

An 18-month-old girl falls into a narrow Texas well, and for 58 hours the world watches rescue workers dig toward a child they can barely reach. Baby Jessica tells the story of Jessica McClure, the 1987 well rescue that gripped America and helped change the future of live news. Baby Jessica follows the fall, the rescue tunnel, the volunteers, the cameras, the CNN coverage, and the moment a local e...

Two brothers call 911 after their parents are shot dead in a Beverly Hills mansion, and what first looks like a brutal home invasion becomes one of America’s most argued-over murder cases. The Menendez Brothers follows Lyle and Erik Menendez, the killings of José and Kitty Menendez, and the trial that divided public opinion. The Menendez Brothers traces the spending spree, confession, courtroom dr...

In this episode of the Compendium, we delve into the chaos of the 1989 Oscars a night of Hollywood history so bizarre it’s often called the worst Oscars in hostory. But was it really? From Rob Lowe's infamous duet with Snow White to the awkwardly swaying stars, dancing tables, and endless backdrops culminating in a bus-sized model of Grauman's Chinese Theatre mounted on Snow White's head, Alan Car...

In this episode of The Compendium, we unravel the mysterious and twisted tale of the Billionaire Boys Club, an exclusive high-society club that turned into a deadly Ponzi scheme. Learn about Joe Hunt, the mastermind behind the madness, and his right-hand man, Dean Karny. Discover how their greed led to the murders of Ron Levin and Hedayat Eslaminia. Resources and Further Reading “The Billionaire B...

In this episode of the Compendium, we unravel the captivating tale of the Alcatraz Escape, one of the most famous prison escapes in history. Dive into the mysterious and daring plans that led to the legendary breakout from Alcatraz, the notorious island prison. We'll explore real Alcatraz escape stories, uncover secrets of the Rock, and discuss the lives of Frank Morris and his accomplices. This e...

In this episode of The Compendium, we slice into the infamous 1993 case of Lorena Bobbitt, a story that shocked the world and redefined media coverage of domestic abuse and revenge. Lorena Bobbitt, after enduring years of abuse at the hands of her husband, made international headlines by doing what ever woman wished they could, cut of the guys junk! We'll explore the details of their tumultuous re...