The cost of confidence: The death of Charlotte Brown

A first date. A December night. A man who looked confident, capable, and in control.

In this episode, we tell the story of Charlotte Brown, a thoughtful, ambitious young woman who went out for dinner in London and never came home. What followed was years of delay, denial, and a justice system playing catch-up, as her family fought to prove that what happened on the Thames was not a tragic accident, but the result of sustained negligence and arrogance. We unpack the culture of confidence without consequence, the dangerous gap between appearance and reality, and how risk can be dressed up as charm until someone else pays the price.

Along the way, we also get distracted by decluttering woes, charity shop politics, teenagers with no chargers, anxiety-fuelled travel prep, book recommendations, and why neither of us should ever be trusted near a speedboat.

Sources used in this episode include:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cq5j3xe8p99o

https://www.itv.com/news/london/2025-09-18/speedboat-killer-jack-shepard-back-in-prison-after-breaching-licence-conditions

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-68083296

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/36767851/speedboat-killer-jack-shepherd-jail-assaulting-new-girlfriend/

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/speedboat-killer-jack-shepherd-could-36161482

https://news.sky.com/story/speedboat-killer-jack-shepherd-released-from-prison-13055144

https://news.sky.com/story/charlotte-brown-father-urges-daughters-killer-jack-shepherd-to-reveal-truth-about-speedboat-death-ahead-of-prison-release-13038792

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/speedboat-killer-jack-shepherds-twisted-31948232

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-44924244

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tG--eUOWk1o

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XV2dSvxe6Wg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-C1Uuyxdls

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Produced and hosted by Hannah Williams & Rachel Baines
Mixed & edited by Purple Waves Sound (A.K.A Will)