The Nobody Zone - award-winning true crime podcast returns

Next week will see the release of the first of two brand new episodes of RTÉ's award-winning true crime podcast The Nobody Zone. Anna Joyce gets us in the mood and reminds us of who's who and what's what.

Revisit the six existing episodes on your podcast app or at rte.ie/thenobodyzone. Episode 7 will be published on November 24th, 2020 - listen to it now above.

Cold cases are the lifeblood of the true crime fanatic. They make for a loyal following of sleep-deprived, overly-caffeinated patrons of ancestry.com eager to find that long-lost relative with a gruesome past.

It is the ambition of the super sleuth to solve a cold case, but rarely does such an opportunity arise. Unless you have access to an expert team of investigators and documentary makers with five years worth of research on Ireland and perhaps Britain's most prolific serial killer...

Last February, RTÉ's Documentary On One, in association with Third Ear Productions, welcomed listeners into the world of Irish serial killer Kieran Patrick Kelly for six nail-biting episodes.

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The Nobody Zone is a multi-faceted tale of murder, conspiracy theories and confession tapes. The podcast left listeners with a missing stack of bones, many unanswered questions and likely a few grey hairs by the series conclusion.

But fear not, the podcast is back with two new episodes loaded with new evidence on this 37-year-old cold case.

Whether you're a new listener or a repeat customer, here is a quick refresher with everything you need to know about The Nobody Zone.

Warning - side effects of this podcast may include sleepless nights, a newfound fear of trains and the insatiable urge to binge all previous episodes.

Why listen to another true crime podcast?

While most listeners will be chomping at the bit for new episodes, there will always be naysayers. Those who ask why does the world need another true crime podcast? The Nobody Zone is not your average murder mystery. It’s a piece of Irish history containing the only surviving interview tape of Ireland’s most prolific killer. It’s a real life iteration of an Agatha Christie novel with less aristocracy and more social commentary.

If you’re not a true crime addict or history buff, maybe you're in the market for an award-winning podcast for those chilly winter nights. The Nobody Zone has been downloaded in over 190 countries, spent 9 weeks at No.1 on the Irish Apple podcasts chart and was winner of Podcast of the Year at the 2020 IMRO awards. If you’re still on the fence ask yourself how often do you get to help solve a cold case so close to home?

Who was Kieran Patrick Kelly?

The life story of Kieran Patrick Kelly is riddled with more plot twists than an M.Night Shyamalan movie, here is a quick synopsis to remind you of the man whose diabolical tale has been downloaded three million times.

Kelly was born in Rathdowney, Co. Laois, but spent the majority of his youth in Dublin. He joined the British army at 18, but was dismissed in 1951. However, it didn’t take long for Kelly to make the transition from officer to killer, and in 1953 he took the life of Christie Smith.

Like most things, murderous tendencies are fostered in childhood. Episode six of the podcast delves into the upbringing of our killer. A former childhood playmate of Kelly, Mark Whelan recalls his sister would kill baby birds. And despite his family's abrupt exit from Rathdowney in 1937, Kelly’s mother and sister would return to the house each year. The current owner Nicky Meagher describes it as someone "visiting a grave"...

It is important to remember that throughout his life Kelly was a son, a husband, a father, and a friend. He was even a law-abiding citizen for a time until his marriage fell apart in 1964, and he returned to the role of killer.

Although he was only convicted of two killings, Kelly claimed to have murdered as many as 15 people over thirty years. However, like the infamous Ted Bundy (thank God for traffic stops) Kelly’s unmasking was a mundane affair. He was arrested on Clapham Common for stealing a man's watch and wedding ring. Although he might have evaded suspicion if didn’t strangle his cellmate to death… in Kelly’s defense, he was snoring.

Although Kelly’s last crime was committed in 1983, the London Metropolitan Police reopened the case in 2015, but it soon went stagnant. Well, until now…

Why did he Kill?

In terms of motivation, Kelly had little, his crimes were always vicious, often alcohol-fueled, and usually remorseless. From surgical spirits and oncoming trains to socks, he was a depraved opportunist, he didn’t fuss over the method as long as it didn’t leave a pulse. Unsurprisingly our killer also didn’t handle breakups too well, as his former boss Brian Slyman explains in episode five. "They had a big falling out. She wouldn't let him in. So he took the hosepipe off, pushed it into the letterbox".

However, despite clear psychopathic tendencies Kelly did have a conscience. For one thing, his confession was entirely voluntary - until the police officers refused to return the ring he stole and he retracted everything. Kelly also confessed to the murder of Patsy Walters, except there was one small problem… Kelly was in prison when Walters was killed.

And there, dear reader, lies a core lesson of The Nobody Zone - never trust a duplicitous killer, or anyone for that matter - except maybe narrator Tim Hinman.

Who do I need to know?

While Kelly is the leading man of this tale, there are a few familiar faces you will need to acquaint yourself with before moving onto the next installment of the podcast.

Irish journalist Rob Mulhern - Mulhern scours the UK and Ireland for any connection to Kelly. He takes the story from the streets of London to the heart of the midlands. Mulhern was so entrenched in the Kelly case that when he needed a builder he hired Kelly’s former employer. Although, it took the two a while to make the connection. In the last episode Mulhern oversees an excavation of Kelly’s childhood garden, where a decomposed skeleton was found in 1993. Sadly, the podcast leaves Mulhern at a loss with no new evidence, and no surviving record of the bones' existence. However, things might be about to heat up in this cold case…

Retired Detective Superintendent Ian Brown - Brown is an authority on Kelly. He led the infamous Kelly confession interview with his superior officer Detective Chief Inspector Ray Adams in 1983. Brown’s first meeting with Kelly began with a body - "I went down the cells, and I found Boyd lying on his back being given the kiss of life by the station Sergeant, around his neck was a pair of socks, they'd been tied together, and he’d been strangled, garotted. Sitting in the corner, cross-legged with no socks on was Kelly".

Geoff Platt - Author of The London Underground Serial Killer - Former detective Geoff Platt is a prominent figure in the first three episodes of the podcast. He is the Kaiser Soze of this mystery and is not exactly a reliable witness. Platt claims to be the last living connection to Kelly, however, the team soon find Kelly’s very much alive former solicitor John Slater.

In episode two Platt reveals Kelly confided in him about a second series of murders in the London underground. Platt states Kelly would wait until a victim was near the edge of a platform and push - minimum effort, maximum trauma. He also alleges Kelly’s murder count is 31 victims not the 13,14, or 15 DI Brown recalls.

However, his most outlandish proclamation involves a conspiracy plot involving the Home Office and the Metropolitan police. In episode three Mulhern probes Platt about the inconsistencies in his Kelly narrative, but comes up empty.

It is worth noting that in 2015, Platt’s book The London Underground Serial Killer made headline news and was covered by everyone from the BBC to the Huffington Post. The British Transport Police even opened an inquiry in direct response.

Who are the Victims?

A justified complaint about the true crime genre is that victims tend to be a footnote in a story which sensationalises their demise, and reduces their life to a single horrific event. The Nobody Zone refuses to glorify Kelly and his atrocities, instead, it bolsters the narratives of his victims, often transient souls, living on the fringes of society - forgotten.

He strangled Edward Toal for sleeping on his preferred tombstone. Two witnesses verified the crime but they were "still tramps; still alcoholics, still on meth" and so deemed uncredible. Kelly murdered Mickey Dunn slowly using "a mix of surgical spirits, Dexedrine pills". Dunn died in hospital on August 28th, 1982. He was a homeless alcoholic and one of the witnesses to the murder of Toal. On his confession tape Kelly details his murder of Hector Fisher, "I cut him. I don't think there were stabs. I'm not sure. But I cut his bollix, right?". Fisher was not a "dosser like Kelly", but he was an alcoholic. However, Kelly was convicted for Fisher’s murder, even if it did take eight years.

Christy Smith is a name which features heavily throughout the podcast. An Irishman who immigrated to the UK he was Kelly’s first and arguably most unusual victim. Smith was no stranger to Kelly, in fact they were friends, and Kelly seemed genuinely perturbed by this crime. He confessed to it multiple times, but the police couldn’t even confirm that the crime took place, and he was never convicted.

Smith’s story was lost until journalist and documentary maker Nicoline Greer unearthed the case in episode five. Although the murder of Smith stands apart from Kelly’s other crimes, there is one similarity between his victims in the words of narrator Tim Hinman "he'd killed someone who didn't count, somebody who wasn't missed. As far as the victim's family knew, he'd just disappeared".

What exactly is a Nobody Zone?

Arguably the current state of my social life, but in terms of this podcast it gets to the crux of Kelly’s victimology. Serial killers come in different shapes; there are thrill-seekers, vigilantes and sexual sadists to name but a few. But Kelly’s crimes varied both in motivation and method, perhaps this made him a proficient killer... He may not have had the intellect of Jeffrey Dahmer or the skill of Israel Keyes, but Kelly was a free man for 30 years.

Kelly targeted people who were "nobodies" like himself - his victims tended to lead high-risk lifestyles which divorced them from society. They are emblematic of the vulnerable bodies lost in a societal vacuum, which ignores those facing addiction and homelessness. Kelly’s deeds are a reflection not only on his depravity but also on that of society’s.

The podcast is more than a salacious tale of murder and deceit, it is a thought-provoking critique on how we value societies most vulnerable, even Kelly.

How is this a cold case?

How can a murder story which opens with a confession be a cold case you ask? Aside from the fact that Kelly recants his confession (which we have on tape), he was only convicted for two crimes. But if his original statement is to be believed, there may be at least 13 cases that can be attributed to Kelly. There is also the minor detail of a "skull with a wire noose around the neck" found buried in the garden of Kelly’s childhood home. The authorities thought it might be a donkey… until they found a leather shoe. Although last season failed to resolve the Kelly enigma, all hope is not lost. In an interview last April, series producer for Documentary On One, Liam O'Brien teased that the creators had "four or five promising leads, some of which came in from listeners as the podcast unfolded". O’Brien also stated that they would only return if they had "substantive new information to bring to light".

So, have your electronic devices charged and luminal at the ready as we delve back into the world of The Nobody Zone.

Listen to the first six episodes of The Nobody Zone here and here. Episode 7 will be published on November 24th 2020.

The Nobody Zone - award-winning true crime podcast returns

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