Podcasts · True Crime

The Storyteller: Narcissist's Playbook

Isla Traquair

111 episodes

OUT NOW: The fourth instalment in The Storyteller series, sees award-winning investigative journalist Isla Traquair uncover the truth behind the shocking exposé featured in the new documentary Narcissist's Playbook. An internationally respected professor of psychology, who claims to help people recover from narcissistic abuse, is unmasked as a wolf in saviour's clothing who is complete fraud with no qualifications. Experience the investigation as it unfolds following every twist, setback and breakthrough alongside Isla, from the very first contact to the killer confrontation.

More about the show

The Scottish crime journalist does it again weaving the narrative with compassion and honest observation. Real interviews with those at the heart of the case, plus international experts, narcissistic abuse survivors and four diagnosed narcissists.

The latest series follows on from three No1 true crime series - The Storyteller: Naked Villainy which made history broadcasting a full murder trial for the first time in the UK. It tells the story of two scientists - two lovers - one killer, one victim and a 45 year journey to justice. The Storyteller: Violent Delights - from a Royal castle to a courtroom, when love and passion turned into cruelty and coercion and ended in murder. And the break out first series The Storyteller: Murder Most Foul, Isla reinvestigates a murder case twenty years on, to seek answers in a case that shocked a country.

Bonus content for The Storyteller: Naked Villainy on Patreon. Link below.

https://patreon.com/thestorytellerpod?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=join_link

Episodes page 1 of 3

  1. S4 Ep33: EP 33 - The Storyteller: Narcissist's Playbook

    · 51 min · S4 E33

    The Sock-puppet Master Part 1 - Fake accounts and fraud, Sam Vaknin who has falsely presented himself as a Professor of Psychology to gain access to women through therapy, has used the internet to maintain his lies for…

  2. S4 Ep32: EP 32 - The Storyteller: Narcissist's Playbook

    · 1 h 21 min · S4 E32

    The Professor's verdict - From the absurd to the abhorrent, Psychology Professor Inna Kanevsky examines the impossibilities of Sam Vaknin's academic claims. There is no paper trail, there is no proof he has any…

  3. S4 Ep31: EP 31 - The Storyteller: Narcissist's Playbook

    · 1 h 06 min · S4 E31

    Part 2 - HG Tudor gives his perspective as a diagnosed narcissistic psychopath on the behaviour of another diagnosed narcissistic psychopath, Sam Vaknin. Following on from Part 1 in which we listened back to the key…

  4. S4 Ep30: EP 30 - The Storyteller: Narcissist's Playbook

    · 1 h 12 min · S4 E30

    EP 30 - Psychopath on Psychopath Part 1. There are two big names who are both diagnosed narcissistic psychopaths serving a niche on the internet offering insights into their pathology. One is Sam Vaknin, who is accused…

  5. S4 Ep29: EP 29 - The Storyteller: Narcissist's Playbook

    · 1 h 10 min · S4 E29

    Being seen - British healthcare worker "Rachel" tagged along with a friend to watch author Sam Vaknin do a seminar on narcissism in London in November 2018. He was yet to name himself the made-up title of Dr Professor.…

  6. S4 Ep28: EP 28 - The Storyteller: Narcissist's Playbook

    · 1 h 16 min · S4 E28

    Sam Vaknin was her idol - Grace is a second year PhD Philosophy student and for years she has admired the man she believed to be a professor. He wasn't just someone she watched from afar, he became a mentor and was…

  7. S4 Ep27: EP 27 - The Storyteller: Narcissist's Playbook

    · 58 min · S4 E27

    The mystery woman - an alarming incident at one of Sam Vaknin's seminars in Macedonia last year was recorded by one of the attendees who herself believes she was being targeted. The director of CIAPS, Anthony Kila, who…

  8. S4 Ep26: EP 26 - The Storyteller: Narcissist's Playbook

    · 1 h 58 min · S4 E26

    Monsters do exist - An introduction to HG Tudor, the faceless diagnosed psychopath who keeps his identity a secret but tells Isla Traquair that one day he will reveal himself, even if it's at his funeral. In this…

  9. S4 Ep25: EP 25 - The Storyteller: Narcissist's Playbook

    · 1 h 04 min · S4 E25

    Analysis Part 2 - In the second part of this special analysis episode Sam's former collaborator Richard Grannon, Director Mark Vicente and investigative journalist Isla Traquair continue to assess the dog whistling…

  10. S4 Ep24: EP 24 - The Storyteller: Narcissist's Playbook

    · 1 h 01 min · S4 E24

    Analysis Part 1 - In April 2026, Isla Traquair, Richard Grannon and Mark Vicente met up in London ahead of the BAFTA screening of the documentary. The social media campaign had been running for two months and Sam…

  11. S4 Ep23: EP 23 - The Storyteller: Narcissist's Playbook

    · 43 min · S4 E23

    How many victims? - Criminologist Dr Graham Hill gives an estimate of the likely number of potential victims of fake professor and serial sex predator Sam Vaknin. Following a successful career in the police as a Senior…

  12. S4 Ep22: EP 22 - The Storyteller: Narcissist's Playbook

    · 1 h 08 min · S4 E22

    TRIGGER SA - When "yes" means "no" - This was the title of Joyce Short's famous TEDx Talk in which she details her personal experience of SA. As the founder of the Consent Awareness Network, Joyce and colleague Nina…

  13. S4 Ep21: EP 21 - The Storyteller: Narcissist's Playbook

    · 1 h 01 min · S4 E21

    Claire's Story Part 3 - In the final episode of Claire's story, she explains how Sam Vaknin knew which buttons to push to further destroy her mental health. Everything she had told him when she first approached him in…

  14. S4 Ep20: EP 20 - The Storyteller: Narcissist's Playbook

    · 51 min · S4 E20

    Claire's Story Part 2 - In Sam's own words and explicitly stating he is speaking about himself, he tells his audience that "only severely mentally ill, broken, damaged traumatised women will succumb" to his psychology…

  15. S4 Ep19: EP 19 - The Storyteller: Narcissist's Playbook

    · 1 h 20 min · S4 E19

    Claires's Story Part 1 - Two weeks into the podcast's release, the victim who had reached out to Ann and brought the women together, sent a text to investigative journalist Isla Traquair offering to take part. Sam…

  16. S4 Ep18: EP 18 - The Storyteller: Narcissist's Playbook

    · 1 h 13 min · S4 E18

    Old wounds - Australian director Ian Walker had to leave a hotel in the middle of the night and fly home from Europe due to the abuse he suffered while filming Sam Vaknin for the documentary I, Psychopath in the late…

  17. S4 Ep17: EP 17 - The Storyteller: Narcissist's Playbook

    · 1 h 05 min · S4 E17

    The Wolf - there's no coming back from this explosive episode as the fake professor Sam Vaknin damns himself with his own words. For a man who claims to have an IQ higher than Einstein, he's been incredibly careless.…

  18. S4 Ep16: EP 16 - The Storyteller: Narcissist's Playbook

    · 1 h 07 min · S4 E16

    Herculean Task - Sam Vaknin appealed to the filmmakers to focus their documentary on differentiating between the credentialed and the non-credentialed and goes as far to say it should be a crime to talk about…

  19. S4 Ep15: EP 15 - The Storyteller: Narcissist's Playbook

    · 29 min · S4 E15

    The horrors come to light - Richard Grannon was left grappling with his new reality after learning the details of the allegations of abuse against his former business partner. He's also shown written proof that Sam…

  20. S4 Ep14: EP 14 - The Storyteller: Narcissist's Playbook

    · 46 min · S4 E14

    Collateral - having returned to Sam Vanknin's sphere, Richard Grannon found himself detaching again from the chaos of the malignant narcissistic following further professional challenges. But not before Sam obtained…

  21. S4 Ep13: EP 13 - The Storyteller: Narcissist's Playbook

    · 56 min · S4 E13

    Betrayal - Richard Grannon describes how his world fell apart when he discovered the man he'd been working with for seven years had been accused of sexually abusing therapy patients and had been accessing women through…

  22. S4 Ep12: EP 12 - The Storyteller: Narcissist's Playbook

    · 41 min · S4 E12

    The Destruction Package - "There is an infinite power in eradicating another person. A God-like power." This was Sam Vaknin's intention with every target he set his sights on. In this episode former patient Ann…

  23. S4 Ep11: EP 11 -The Storyteller: Narcissist's Playbook

    · 46 min · S4 E11

    The lure - Sam Vaknin tells tall tales and it's these fantastical stories about his life which create intrigue and admiration for his victims. Triumph over adversity, branded a genius as a child but then abused, going…

  24. S4 Ep10: EP 10 - The Storyteller: Narcissist's Playbook

    · 44 min · S4 E10

    Ann's story - in a moment of crisis, she reached out for advice to a psychologist recommended by her own therapist as an expert in Cluster B personalities. She sought a deeper understanding of narcissism to come to…

  25. S4 Ep9: EP 9 - The Storyteller: Narcissist's Playbook

    · 57 min · S4 E9

    Vindication - A former therapy patient of Sam Vaknin witnesses her abuser being held accountable. Emotions spill out on both sides of the video call with journalist Isla Traquair. And filmmaker Mark Vicente shares his…

  26. S4 Ep8: Ep 8 - The Storyteller: Narcissist's Playbook

    · 36 min · S4 E8

    An unexpected video call - investigative journalist Isla Traquair talks to a former therapy patient of Sam Vaknin and explains what happened when she confronted her abuser on camera. The woman knew nothing of the…

  27. S4 Ep7: EP 7 - The Storyteller: Narcissist's Playbook

    · 33 min · S4 E7

    The aftermath - With the adrenaline still pumping and the crew in shock at the bizarre reaction of Sam Vaknin, investigative journalist Isla Traquair calls the film producers to give them the news they've been waiting…

  28. S4 Ep6: EP 6 - The Storyteller: Narcissist's Playbook

    · 57 min · S4 E6

    The confrontation - Deep into the interview with a renowned psychologist, investigative journalist Isla Traquair finally reveals the list of accusations that have been made against him by multiple patients who claim he…

  29. S4 Ep5: EP 5 - The Storyteller: Narcissist's Playbook

    · 55 min · S4 E5

    Part one of the interview begins. After nearly a year of planning, investigative journalist Isla Traquair finally meets the predatory professor. Her mask is on as she delves deep into the topic of Narcissistic…

  30. S4 Ep4: EP 4 - The Storyteller: Narcissist's Playbook

    · 31 min · S4 E4

    "The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry" - this could not be more true when making plans with a diagnosed narcissist. Investigative journalist Isla Traquair encounters multiple hurdles while trying to secure…

  31. S4 Ep3: EP 3 - The Storyteller: Narcissist's Playbook

    · 44 min · S4 E3

    Episode 3 - The investigation begins - crime journalist Isla Traquair meets with documentary producers Mark Vicente and Scott Altomare to discuss how to approach the man they can no longer interview after being…

  32. S4 Ep2: EP 2 - The Storyteller: Narcissist's Playbook

    · 54 min · S4 E2

    Episode 2 - Narcissist's Playbook companion podcast delves into the genesis of the documentary and what led award-winning journalist Isla Traquair to investigate a serial predator and public figure. In this episode she…

  33. S4 Ep1: EP 1 - The Storyteller: Narcissist's Playbook

    · 49 min · S4 E1

    Episode 1 - companion podcast to Narcissist's Playbook, Empathy Not Included documentary - join award-winning investigative journalist Isla Traquair as she introduces the start of her investigation into a serial…

  34. S4: TRAILER - The Storyteller: Narcissist's Playbook

    · 1:27 · Trailer

    Coming soon - following on from three number one true crimes series, The Storyteller's brand new investigation reveals what really happened when an educational documentary film turned into a real-life thriller.…

  35. S3 Ep38: Naked Villainy Bonus Brian McConnachie KC

    · 17 min · S3 E38

    In part one of my interview with Defence KC Brian McConnachie we learn about how he landed one of the biggest cases of his career unexpectedly. Part two, which is considerably longer and more detailed is available on…

  36. S3 Ep37: Naked Villainy Bonus Gary Winter

    · 59 min · S3 E37

    This is part one of a three part interview with now retired Detective Inspector Gary Winter - the man responsible for getting the case to court. He reveals the huge effort it took to get the Crown and Procurator Fiscal…

  37. S3 Ep36: Special Episode - Eric Jensen Part 2

    · 37 min · S3 E36

    In the second part of this in-depth interview with retired forensic officer Eric Jensen, he reveals his encounter with Kit Harrisson in the police station in 1978 following his arrest. To see the video version of this…

  38. S3 Ep35: Special Episode - Eric Jensen Part 1

    · 48 min · S3 E35

    Retired forensic officer Eric Jensen gives an in-depth interview revealing parts of evidence found at the scene which weren't mentioned during the trial. To see the video version of this interview along with 40 plus…

  39. S3 Ep34: Naked Villainy Ep 34

    · 30 min · S3 E34

    Following the high emotions at the end of the trial, I reflect on the hopes of those who didn't live to see justice and I visit Brenda's sister in Ipswich. Unfortunately she couldn't face a recorded interview but I…

  40. S3: Naked Villainy - Kit's Sister Tease

    · 8:05 · Trailer

    A teaser of the explosive in-depth interview with the sister of convicted killer Kit Harrisson. It is available now on the Patreon. Click on the link below to access this and forty plus bonus episodes plus photos,…

  41. S3 Ep33: Naked Villainy Ep 33

    · 43 min · S3 E33

    With the verdict delivered, all that is left to do is sentence the 82-year-old man who the jury decided was guilty of killing his ex-wife 45 years prior. Judge Lord Richardson does not hold back in addressing Dr Kit…

  42. S3 Ep32: Naked Villainy Ep 32

    · 51 min · S3 E32

    The verdict - 45 years after the brutal murder of Dr Brenda Page, a jury must decide the fate of her accused killer. The judge gives the jury his final directions and instructs them that eight or more of them must be…

  43. S3: Naked Villainy Bonus Tease

    · 19 min · Bonus

    Ahead of the verdict, listen to an extended teaser from the Patreon with excerpts from some of the in-depth interviews. You can listen to the full interviews plus analysis of the evidence, photos of the people and…

  44. S3 Ep31: Naked Villainy Ep 31

    · 1 h 03 min · S3 E31

    Defence KC Brian McConnachie accuses the Crown of presenting a case that amounts to fake news and urges the jury to acquit Dr Kit Harrisson on the charge of murder. For exclusive extra content, including full…

  45. S3: Naked Villainy Alison Shaw tease

    · 2:00 · Trailer

    Here's a taster of my interview with veteran journalist Alison Shaw. The full interview with her analysis of the evidence and background knowledge from covering the case over four decades is on the Patreon. Click on…

  46. S3 Ep30: Naked Villainy Ep 30

    · 58 min · S3 E30

    Defence KC Brian McConnachie accuses "dangerous" witnesses of lying in his closing speech.

  47. S3 Ep29: Naked Villainy Ep 29

    · 42 min · S3 E29

    Advocate Depute Alex Prentice takes his final opportunity to persuade the jury that there is only one person who has lied to the court.

  48. S3 Ep28: Naked Villainy Ep 28

    · 43 min · S3 E28

    The closing speeches begin with Advocate Depute Alex Prentice repeating Dr Brenda Page's chilling words written in a letter. He weaves together the threads of the Crown case to create a strong cord. For exclusive extra…

  49. 27: Naked Villainy Ep 27

    · 24 min · Episode 27

    More of the shocking contents of Dr Brenda Page's final letter to Kit Harrisson are revealed as the murder accused is reexamined and the defence case concludes.

  50. S3 Ep26: Naked Villainy Ep 26

    · 37 min · S3 E26

    Difficult questions are put to Kit Harrisson during cross examination by Advocate Depute Alex Prentice right from the start. And a letter from him to Brenda Page reveals she was afraid of him.

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