Long Story Short
Long Story Short is a podcast from New Zealand journalists Eugene Bingham and Adam Dudding. Each episode unravels a sensational case—a crime, scandal, catastrophe, or something just plain weird—and pieces it back together. Expect strange tales, surprising twists, and deep dives into mysteries from New Zealand and beyond.
Episodes
Troy Story: An obsessed Kiwi gamer's doomed kidnap mission
In June 2018, a man dressed in black was shot in the neck and left bleeding on a manicured lawn in the quiet town of Goochland, Virginia. His passport revealed he had travelled almost 18,000km from Auckland, New Zealand.Why did gamer Troy Skinner fly across the globe armed with a hunting knife, pepper spray, and duct tape? And what was he planning once he got there?Adam Dudding and Eugene Bingham
Mikaere Oketopa: The "killer" who was never there (Part 2)
Michael October, aka Mikaere Oketopa, has been in jail for years for a crime that he swears he didn't commit. Then one night, in a whirlwind of bomb threats, pizza deliveries and rioting skinheads, a group of inmates make demands that will change the trajectory of Oketopa's life.In part two of this two-part series, Adam Dudding and Eugene Bingham trace the long and frustrating campaign of Mikaere
Mikaere Oketopa: The "killer" who was never there (Part 1)
After a 22-year-old woman is found murdered in the grounds of a school, police swiftly ID three key suspects.There’s just one problem: one of them says he was fast asleep on the other side of town at the time of the killing. And his co-accused swear they never met him. So why was Michael October (also known as Mikaere Oketopa) jailed all the same?In part one of this two-part series, Adam Dudding a
This Is Not a Mayday: How a Russian ship sank in NZ waters
In 1986, the Russian cruise liner Mikhail Lermontov sank in the Marlborough Sounds.Decades later, questions still float around. Why was the ship sailing through dangerous waters? Why did the captain resist help to save it? And did Vladimir Putin really attend the inquiry?Adam Dudding and Eugene Bingham dive into a strange maritime mystery – a tale of tragedy, intrigue and Cold War paranoia.If you
Introducing: Long Story Short
Crimes and catastrophes, scandals and scammers, secrets and lies.Long Story Short is the latest project from multi-award-winning podcasters Eugene Bingham and Adam Dudding. In each episode, the two journalists take apart a sensational case – a crime, scandal, catastrophe or something just plain weird – then piece it back together again.Expect strange tales you’ve never heard before, surprising twi
