This is a fantastic podcast. I am shocked my the negative reviews. In my opinion they are from family/friends of the accused arrogant and lying murderer. In my opinion, anyone with an ounce of common sense can see that Michael did it…TWO women that ‘fell down the stairs’ and died in his company? Come on….

5/5 for Staircase. Very informative. Much more detail than Netflix - Netflix and the French left A LOT out - this podcast covers so much more. That Peterson is a jerk - that’s one thing this podcast, Netflix and HBO fully captured.

Goes down a rabbit hole and never gets out.

Fantastic deep dive into the world wide search for suspected gangsta killer..Don’t understand low rating. 5/5 in my opinion..Different strokes… Have a grateful day.

This is one of the worst podcasts I've ever listened to, and I've listened to a lot. It's bloated, repetitive and aimless, and seems to be a vanity project for the self-absorbed host Peter. He evidently used to be in a tv show, and seems to miss the attention. Peter's favorite word by far is "I." Don't waste your time investing in too many episodes that lead to a deeply unsatisfying end.

The podcast sets out to discredit The Stairway, implying that they bent the truth in favor of Peterson. Sadly, I’m 5 episodes in and this podcast has done nothing to present actual facts that demonstrate Peterson’s guilt. First, Kathleen’s blood alcohol level was .08, which makes her legally DRUNK. The podcaster, instead, concludes that “So, Kathleen was not drunk.” Oh, really? In addition, she had Valium in her system which has synergistic effects with alcohol, same receptor site, and therefore, exponentially compounds motor impairment, feelings of euphoria, impaired vision, speech, etc. The fact that he simply left out this CRITICAL detail, not even acknowledging the presence of Valium, makes this super hokey from the get. Why not present all of the facts and let the listener decide? Yuck. I’ll keep listening, but I’m already side-eyeing the “facts” presented here.

Both the ‘Staircase’ and ‘Kevin Parle.’ Needs better writing, critical thinking, summaries of witness statements, sequencing of facts / events ... and ... Needs A LOT of audio ‘clean-up.’ Phone interviews are scratchy, mumbling, veer off tract and just plain annoying. I’ve listened to other ‘5 live’ podcasts and they were pretty good, but not this one. Nana, PC Junkie

After watching the documentary and reading into the case myself, this podcast is incredibly biased and doesn’t give the full facts on both sides. Too much time is given to Kathleen’s sister, who I don’t find credible at all. Not saying he is 100% innocent, just saying way too much reasonable doubt even in the first trial for a conviction. Home cooking.

This podcast offers insights not captured in the Netflix documentary, “The Staircase”. The additional research and interviews helped inform my opinion on this fascinating case. That being said, the production of the podcast was clunky at times. It felt like someone who doesn’t understand what a podcast is produced this podcast. It’s like my Dad made this podcast. The constant reminders of what you’re listening to in the beginning, middle and end of a 30 minutes nearly every episode was excessive. I didn’t understand why 3 different people with varying American accents had to say, “Five Live”. The repetitious recaps were completely unnecessary. I’d still recommend it if you’re interesting in learning more about this entrancing case.

This podcast is the definition of mediocre. Some parts are well done. The pacing is terrible. There is a lot of repetition. The case has been covered much better elsewhere.

I am shocked how jaded this podcast is. As someone who knew all those involved in this overblown drama, and a long time resident of Durham, NC as well as having attended and watched the trial, rumor and innuendo has ruled the day in this podcast. Shame on the BBC. Where do I start? You do realize that the prosecution are the same folks who were involved in the whole Duke Lacrosse debacle? You do realize that Mike Peterson had been involved in local politics and had been highly critical of both the police department and the Durham prosecutors? You do realize that it was several attorneys (who collectively) sued the State of NC because of Duane Deavers incompetence? Funny how even now Jim Hardin doesn’t acknowledge that. Recommend you check up on what has happened to Freda Black and Deavers in recent years. That should be your first clue.

I thought this was a well done narrative of the Peterson trial. I appreciated that Kathleen was highlighted and that Catherine was portrayed as a grieving sister not just the one out to get her brother-in-law’. For those who say this was biased against, I feel Mr. Peterson had plenty of air-time proclaiming his view in The Staircase. I actually watched it a while back and had originally sided with the defense but all the while feeling manipulated. This podcast, along with some other info I have found, gave a better picture of the crime that was committed. The evidence clearly points to more than a fall and since her husband emphatically denied anyone else being there, there was no other suspect. I felt the BBC pursued different angles and let the crime speak, and put the focus back on who it was all about. Well done!

The podcast presented some interesting facts that didn’t come up in the staircase, however a large portion of the content is interviews with people who never met Michael, Kathleen, or the family, and give their opinions on what happened and how Kathleen would react to Michael’s lifestyle despite not knowing anything for sure. They assume guilt and mostly interview people who think he’s guilty. It’s not a good representation of the facts of the case or how the justice system operated in this case. I expected much better from BBC.

I was looking forward to listening to this podcast upon finishing the documentary to hear more from the prosecution. However, I found the documentary to be painfully biased, heavy on personal opinions that were not based in facts and solely on feelings and emotion. I kept waiting for a new aha moment in which new physical evidence was introduced that was left out of the documentary, but that was left unfulfilled.

I’d heard this was less biased than the Staircase but I found it biased toward the prosecution. Relies heavily on interviews with Diane Fanning or Aphrodite Jones who fall strongly on the side of guilty. The highlight is the explanation of the Owl theory which the Staircase completely neglects. Also a decent interview with Kathleen’s sister. The sound quality of episode 12 is awful! The Staircase directors need to be turned to full volume while the questions would blast my ears at that level.

I followed this story before it became a pretty big hit and the pace is way too slow and they paint with such a broad brush . Very poor approach For BBC this was extremely amateur, and please do not have your crew your say “ BBC, Five Live” every other minute. You are reputable, not just starting out. We know who we are listening too.

Why do the episodes keep pausing themselves?? Please fix!

I never review podcasts, this is my first one. The episodes keep pausing themselves. I have to keep hitting play. It’s driving me insane! I’ve restarted my iPhone 6s and none of my other podcasts are exhibiting this issue. Fix the podcast or just take it down.

I really enjoyed hearing from Casandra, it was beautiful and heartbreaking - if nothing else listen to Episode 13 A Sister’s Story. There is a lot of information and details overall. Not sure why there are so many negative comments... unless, perhaps they’re on Michael’s side! If you’re brand new to the case and simply want a “play by play,” then start with another show. Knowing the story and timeline will help to place all of the details in order.

They cover quite a bit with such a short amount of time but instead of doing independent research, they rely on true crime writers to fill in the majority of the gaps in the case. They also show a lot of contempt for the defense, while treating the prosecution like gods. It's also rather stunning that they gloss over the actions of Duane Deaver. While I don't doubt that anyone who goes into this type of reporting has a specific angle, it was frustrating that they attempted to create a feeling of credibility while doing very little research themselves.

Finally we know a little about Kathleen! The interview with her sister made her real. So tired of hearing about Micheal. Well done!

The BBC finally gets around to stepping into this genre of podcast. Sadly many podcasts have been made similar to this one in the three years since Serial launched so this BBC effort is just another below average one.

I'm somewhat familiar with this story and inhale true crime. The pacing of this podcast is shameful. 16 minutes per week, with no characterization or thoughtful narration, but many audio clips to substitute for background and context. This would be such an interesting story for a podcast had they done it right.