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Irish Examiner
30-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Examiner
Podcast Corner: New series looks back on the tragic tale of Elizabeth Plunkett
It's summer 1976, one of the hottest in memory, and Irish people are heading to the beach every weekend. Among them: 23-year-old Dubliner Elizabeth Plunkett, her boyfriend Damian, and a group of friends bound for Brittas Bay, Co Wicklow, on the last weekend of August. Elizabeth could be a bit bossy - she read Cosmo and had notions, according to one of her sisters. At a nearby pub, she and Damian have a minor argument, a lovers' tiff. He recalled: 'I put my finger on her left cheek and said, 'Go away, don't be annoying me.' She said, 'If you do that again, I'll go home.' I said to her, 'Go home, then.' Stolen Sister narrator Roz Purcell says: 'No one could have imagined that what happened next would set in train a series of events that would see Elizabeth's life being savagely taken from her.' Later that night, she was abducted, raped, and murdered by Ireland's serial killers John Shaw and Geoffrey Evans, who had recently been released from prison. With extradition back to the UK looming over them, they had a savage plan: They were going to do exactly what they wanted to do while they were on the run in Ireland - kidnap, rape, and kill one woman a week for as long as they could get away with it. Stolen Sister is the latest podcast series from RTÉ Documentary on One (Where is Jón?, The Real Carrie Jade, Runaway Joe). Written and produced by Nicoline Greer, episodes clock in at under 30 minutes and the six-part series wraps on Friday, July 4. The series began with an email sent to the producers out of the blue by Elizabeth's sisters Bernie and Kathleen a couple years ago; it's the first time the family are speaking out about their sister's murder. Elizabeth Plunkett. Now in their sixties, they finish each other's sentences, painting a picture of working class family life in Ringsend, where apple pies were baked at the weekend. But when news of their sister's disappearance from Brittas Bay made it to their front door, it was like their mother just knew, they said. It upended everything. The series, with original music by Oscar-winning composer Stephen Warbeck (performed with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra) and sound design by Ciarán Dunne, is vivid, sucking the listener into a sad tale, with Garda statements by friends and the killers recounted by actors. The murder grips the nation and sees Shaw and Evans abscond to Tipperary and then Galway, in a car they've stolen, changed the number plates on, and repainted with regular paint. Stolen Sister tracks the manhunt for the pair — how it slowly tightens, but only after they strike again. Read More Culture That Made Me: Limerick broadcaster Lorcan Murray selects his touchstones
RTÉ News
30-05-2025
- RTÉ News
Stolen Sister
The story of Elizabeth Plunkett – a 23 year old woman from Dublin who was murdered by Ireland's first serial killers. On the last weekend of summer in 1976 Elizabeth Plunkett went on a night away with friends, to Brittas Bay in county Wicklow before she was abducted by John Shaw and Geoffrey Evans. Now, almost 50 years later, Elizabeth's family are finally trying to get their sister some justice. Previous series include Where is Jón?, The Real Carrie Jade, Runaway Joe, Finding Samantha, First Consignment, GunPlot, Tiger Roll and The Nobody Zone.
Irish Daily Mirror
11-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Daily Mirror
The 'bad nanny' who fooled families for years until TikTok sleuths took her down
A shocking new two-part documentary airing on RTE One and RTE Player from tomorrow exposes the decade-long deception of Samantha Cookes - a serial scammer who posed as a nanny, author and even a terminally ill patient to con families across Ireland and the UK. Bad Nanny, a co-production between RTE and BBC NI, traces how Cookes - using aliases like Carrie Jade Williams and Sadie Harris - manipulated her way into the lives of vulnerable families and online communities, leaving a trail of devastation in her wake. The first episode, airing Monday, May 12 at 9.35pm, reveals how she faked a terminal illness and claimed to be an award-winning author, all while hiding her true identity and intentions. The series features never-before-seen footage and exclusive interviews with her victims - many speaking out publicly for the first time. The second episode, airing Monday, May 19, follows the emotional fallout from her betrayal and the extraordinary grassroots investigation led by a group of determined TikTok sleuths. With help from these digital detectives and brave women who came together to share their stories, Cookes was finally exposed - leading to her conviction in 2025. Grainne McAleer, RTE's Head of Documentaries, called the series "a powerful reminder of the strength of ordinary people" and a cautionary tale for anyone trusting others with their loved ones. She said: "The shocking story of Samantha Cookes and her long list of scams and aliases is an intriguing story that needs to be told on screen. The two-part documentary series lays out this timeline of deceit brilliantly and captures the collective power of ordinary people. From the Tik Tok sleuths to the victims of Samantha's scams that came together to expose her story, Bad Nanny is a story of the power of ordinary people working together. It is also cautionary tale for anyone hiring someone to look after their nearest and dearest. " The story first came to public attention in the hit RTE podcast The Real Carrie Jade. Documentary maker Ronan Kelly returns in the TV adaptation, with an updated podcast episode also released earlier this month. Bad Nanny is produced by Alleycats TV and will be available on RTE Player and BBC iPlayer from Monday, May 12. For the latest news and breaking news visit Get all the big headlines, pictures, analysis, opinion and video on the stories that matter to you. Follow us on Twitter @IrishMirror - the official Irish Mirror Twitter account - real news in real time. We're also on Facebook/irishmirror - your must-see news, features, videos and pictures throughout the day from the Irish Daily Mirror, Irish Sunday Mirror and
Irish Independent
01-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
RTÉ to release documentary on serial scammer Samantha Cookes
Bad Nanny tells the story of Samantha Cookes who, for over a decade across Ireland and the UK, used a revolving door of aliases including Carrie Jade Williams and Sadie Harris to weave an intricate web of lies, deceiving the public, from vulnerable families to online communities. Her story was the subject of RTÉ podcast series The Real Carrie Jade, with documentary maker Ronan Kelly from the podcast featuring in the TV series and an update to the podcast series published today. Gráinne McAleer, head of socumentaries and series at RTÉ, said: 'The shocking story of Samantha Cookes and her long list of scams and aliases is an intriguing story that needs to be told on screen. The documentary series lays out this timeline of deceit brilliantly and captures the collective power of ordinary people. 'From the Tik Tok sleuths to the victims of Samantha's scams that came together to expose her story, Bad Nanny is a story of the power of ordinary people working together. It is also cautionary tale for anyone hiring someone to look after their nearest and dearest.' The documentary delves into Samantha's persona as Carrie Jade Williams, a supposedly terminally ill, award-winning author. Under that name in 2020, Cookes had won a prestigious Financial Times/Bodley Head £1,000 (€1,200) essay prize for writing about the difficulties she had being a writer with Huntington's disease. She has since admitted she does not have this terminal illness. The documentary also features the vulnerable families left emotionally shattered by Samantha's deceit. Viewers will watch exclusive interviews with victims of Samantha's scams who have never spoken publicly and includes unseen archive footage of Samantha. In her most recent conviction, Cookes pleaded guilty to deception and theft of €60,000 in social welfare payments over a four-year period up to 2024. During this time she was also able to obtain two Arts Council grants using a slight variation on her real name. Bad Nanny is co-production between RTÉ and BBC Northern Ireland produced by Alleycats TV. It will be available on RTÉ Player and BBC iPlayer from Monday, May 12.
