1. John George Haigh: Wakefield's Acid Bath Murderer

Content note: This episode includes discussion of murder and human remains.

In 1949, detectives searching a builder's yard in Crawley uncovered fragments of evidence that should not have survived: bone, dentures, a handbag clasp, and tiny gallstones.

Their discovery would unravel the crimes of John George Haigh, later known as the Acid Bath Murderer: a charismatic fraudster who believed he had found the perfect way to erase his victims and escape conviction.

This episode follows Haigh's path from West Yorkshire to the hotels and social circles of post-war London, tracing the confidence tricks, forged identities and escalating murders that led to one of Britain's most notorious trials. It's a story about greed, appearances, and the fatal mistake of confusing the absence of a body with the absence of evidence.

My gratitude to Jade Reilley, my researcher, for such a brilliant job with the case report. To check out her work, please follow her on Instagram! https://www.instagram.com/msjadereilly?stkn=MWxmdGhlcTdwZW1vMg%3D%3D

Follow Bad Mad and Northern so you never miss an episode, and if you enjoyed it, a 5* rating really helps new listeners find the show (**hint hint lol!**)

Thanks lads!

Lucy

****

About the show Bad, Mad & Northern is a history and true crime podcast about the villains, eccentrics and extraordinary stories of the North: murderers and body snatchers, kings and rebels, drowned villages and Cold War secrets. Each episode is carefully researched and told with honesty about the sources, and a healthy dose of northern scepticism.

Meet your host I'm Lucy Sheridan: author, speaker, and proud northerner, recording from an armchair in the Peak District. I've always been drawn to the darker corners of our history, and this show is where I get to share them with you. Pull up a chair.

****

Subscribe and watch on YouTube from 1st October 2026

Website: badandmad.com

Newsletter:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/badandmadpod/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@badandmadlucy

Got a story suggestion, feedback or a correction? Email hello@badandmad.com