Late in 2019, I was introduced to Shelagh Fogarty, a radio presenter on LBC (Global) who had been stalked for more than 2 years. Working with Executive Producer Megan Wastell and Producer Chris Janes, I was brought on to write scripts for a five-part true crime podcast and to help Shelagh tell her story.
The pandemic delayed our progress but allowed time for us to develop the podcast’s potential to go beyond telling a disturbing account of Shelagh’s experience. We soon saw the series had a chance to inform listeners, signpost help for victims of stalking, and become a resource for anyone that suspects they may have become the target of fixated behaviour.
“The power of this series is in how it creeps up on you incrementally, just as the impact of Fogarty’s stalker did on her… The Followers is a ringing call to action as well as a painfully illuminating case study.”
– Gerard O’Donovan, The Telegraph
Working with Shelagh, Megan, and James, we created a series that explores the psychology of stalkers, impact on victims, charities lobbying for better laws to aid prosecution. Following interviews conducted by Shelagh and James, I crafted scripts that distilled the most pertinent insights from contributors, plotted a story with cliff-hangers, and created reconstructions where Shelagh narrates chilling accounts of her ordeal.
“Her telling of it is riveting… I must admit I gave a little whoop when she stood up to her stalker and told him to stop. Except… he didn’t.”
– Miranda Sawyer, The Guardian
In summer 2022, Global released The Followers, which received numerous positive reviews. Gerard O’Donovan of The Telegraph called the series ‘exemplary and deeply disturbing’, and described it as ‘a podcast that demands to be listened to – and demands change.’
“Fogarty’s experience and her broader understanding of stalking is enlightening… That she relates her experiences in the present tense gives the proceedings a discomfiting immediacy.”
– Fiona Sturges, Financial Times
Listen to The Followers on the Global player and on all major podcast platforms.
Discover more about fixated behaviour, warning signs, and how to report stalking here.
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