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Introducing: The Real Carrie Jade, a podcast about uncovering the truth, getting justice for victims and the chaos left in the wake of a serial scammer. In other words, it' s a podcast within a podcast, a modern audio meta-drama....

Samantha Cookes is a young woman who has spent much of her life pretending to be someone she's not. We're just one of many people she's fooled. She finds her victims right across Ireland and the UK. And, despite several convictions and being unmasked many times, she shows no sign of stopping...

Trailer

Long before anyone ever heard of this story, 3yrs ago, in 2021, a 32-year-old English woman approached us with a heartbreaking story. She was dying from a terminal illness. But she thought she might have a lifeline through life saving brain surgery, and she'd like us to record her final hope. What followed was an unraveling of the most unusual of stories, of a life where nothing is as it seems. With exclusive access to those involved and to victims who continue to be scammed to the present day, if you think you know this story, think again...

Episode 1

When we first went to meet Carrie Jade Williams in 2021, we were blown away by her strength, her vision, her determination and her untold story. She was a young woman on a pioneering journey, not only to help herself, but to help others. We wanted to help her tell her story, from the inside out. But then we slowly began to realise that all was not as it seems and we were becoming a pawn in her game… (Ep1/6)

Episode 2

Having found out that Carrie Jade Williams never existed, we go in search of the real person behind it all, Samantha Cookes and go right to where this story all began, in the West of England. Following Samantha's life story takes us all over the UK and across the Irish sea as we begin to get inside a much bigger story than we thought possible… (Ep2/6)

Episode 3

Samantha Cookes is now living as Lucy Fitzwilliams. She's moved to Dublin and begins to settle into a new community in the affluent south side, quickly becoming a friendly face. Lucy begins working with children. But then things start to unravel when two local women begin to question who they’ve left into their lives. And they’re not going to give up until they find out… (Ep3/6)

Episode 4

Knowing she's been rumbled in Dublin, 'Lucy' (aka Samantha Cookes) disappears before showing up on the opposite side of the country, at a small village on the West Coast of Ireland. She begins work as an au pair and moves into the home and lives of another unsuspecting family, caring for their children. It’s only when she leaves that the family begin to find out the truth about who they've really had staying in their house. But by then Samantha has morphed from 'Lucy' into 'child psychologist, Rebecca Fitzgerald' and is moving on to her next set of victims… (Ep4/6)

Episode 5

By 2020, Samantha Cookes has spent the last 6 years of her life moving around Ireland from coast to coast, pretending to be someone she's not, before being rumbled and moving on. But now, she’s about to take things to a whole different level with a new identity that she wants the whole world to know about. What could possibly go wrong?... (Ep 5/6)

Episode 6

In our final episode, TikTok bites back! Carrie Jade's online supporters find out they've been played. And they're angry. They dig into Samantha's past and discover more victims. As her most famous alias is finally exposed, Samantha Cookes disappears, leaving behind thousands in unpaid rent. And then Sadie Harris shows up... As our series concludes, we also reveal new tips that have come in since we began - and we hand this story over to film producers we’ve been working with. (Ep 6/6)

The Real Carrie Jade: Bonus - BREAKING: Irish Gardaí arrest Samantha Cookes!

Just as we thought this series was complete, Irish Police confirm that yesterday, Friday, 12th July 2024 in County Kerry, "Gardaí arrested a woman in her 30s as part of an ongoing investigation into alleged welfare fraud in Tralee. She is currently detained at a Garda station in the Southern Region under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act, 1984. Investigations are ongoing." This woman has since been identified as Samantha Cookes and remains in police custody as of Saturday morning, July 13th, 2024...

  • Watch out for an upcoming TV documentary on Samantha Cookes on RTÉ One!

Series Credits: The Real Carrie Jade is written, reported and produced by Ronan Kelly. Narrated by Justine Stafford. Original music soundtrack by Fergal O'Connor. Sound designer is Ruth Kennington and the executive producer is Liam O'Brien. Production assistance by Nicoline Greer. Legal advice from Darren Lynch and Deirdre Ann Kelly. Marketing and promotions are by Maria Buckley, Amy O'Driscoll and Fiona Burke. Press and Publicity by Jilly McDonough. The designer is Niamh McKeown. Audio Product Support by Nigel Wheatley. Additional online editorial content by Anna Joyce.

Previous series from DocOnOne include Runaway Joe, Finding Samantha, GunPlot, Tiger Roll and The Nobody Zone.