From Gary Glitter to Rose West; Prince Harry to Harold Shipman… courtroom artist Priscilla Coleman has sketched them all, over five decades documenting Britain’s biggest criminal trials.
In UK courts, artists can’t sketch inside, so she begins by writing what she sees, combining shorthand notes with a photographic memory technique. Under tight deadlines - and often without even a table - she rushes outside to turn those notes into the courtroom images we recognise from the nightly news.
In this broad interview with Olly, Priscilla recalls watching the Wagatha Christie trial; considers what she’s learned from such diverse case studies as Ian Huntley and Jeffrey Archer; and explains why she thinks the legal system needs to change…
Image credit: Priscilla Coleman/MB Media
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Meanwhile, in the Zeitgeist, Ollie Peart joins Olly at the Concours of Elegance at Hampton Court Palace, surrounded by cars worth millions of pounds, to investigate the trend for younger people getting into classic car restoration.
Is it a way of avoiding ULEZ charges? Do the tax breaks justify abandoning newer cars altogether? And, assuming you can’t afford a Ferrari or a Bentley, what are the upcoming marques to invest in? The answers may surprise you…
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Elsewhere, down the Foxhole, Alix Fox - fresh from discovering a kindred spirit in a bondage-themed hair salon - tackles a listener’s anxiety about contracting HIV from a non-consensual encounter.
Twenty-five tests, taken over fifteen years, are telling her she doesn’t have HIV… is there any chance they could be wrong?
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Finally, music this month comes from Ipswich-born rapper Piers James, and his new single 'F.O.E'.
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NOW…
🎧 LISTEN TO OLLY guesting on Mann-fan Darren Hill’s podcast, The Story Pilgrim - if two middle-aged men walking around Letchworth is your idea of an hour well spent: https://pod.fo/e/328330
🍻 BUY US A BEER. We are only able to make this show thanks to your donations. If you can afford to, pretty PLEASE support our independent podcast here.
✉️ SEND US YOUR FEEDBACK. If you have a challenge for Ollie, a question for Alix, a letter for Olly, or you’d like to share your story on a future edition of the show - fill out our Feedback form here.
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… and we’ll see you with our tenth birthday episode on 10th October. x
Presenter: Olly Mann. Contributors: Priscilla Coleman, Alix Fox, Ollie Peart, Piers James. Producer: Matt Hill. Theme Music: ‘Skies Over Cairo’ by Django Django. Artwork: Podcast Discovery. Copyright: Olly Mann / Rethink Audio 2025
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