Strong language, adult themes, and a thick Scottish accent
In an endearing and lively Scottish brogue, Barry Henderson (“Baz”) broadcasts from his home in Glasgow on matters of true crime, lies, deceit, sex, mysteries, survival “and all that lies in between”. “A good story, an extraordinary story, gets me really excited and at that point, I just want to share it. I have a naturally curious nature and there is always something I am personally trying to understand. The stories help me do that.”
Don’t be under the misapprehension that Barry likes to ‘wave the Scottish flag’ though, he doesn’t. ESP comprises of stories from all corners of the globe. “ESP appeals to a range of people and the listeners are from all around the world and include every race, gender, sexuality and age range I can think of. Listeners range from 18 year olds in Australia to 70 year olds in France. The type of people who find it often come for the crime stories but then stay for the journey.”
The first thing that leaps out to listeners of ESP is how down to earth Barry is. It is literally like one of your friends is at a dimly lit bar with you, telling you an anecdote about something interesting. He asks you questions (making you search yourself), offers his own strong (and yet fiercely fair) opinions and often veers off on delightful tangents, usually giggling at whatever memory he is sharing. It is true to say that he ‘lives’ each story he tells, experiencing and expressing real emotions throughout.
Episode 45 “A Mistake” deals with the terrible miscarriage of justice of James Joseph Richardson, an African American man wrongfully convicted of the death of his seven children in the late sixties. Barry becomes so incensed by the sheer unfairness of what he is speaking about that he has to take time out from the microphone and cross the room to let out a combination string of expletives interspersed with some noises which make the listener wonder if he is transforming into The Incredible Hulk. You have to love his sheer passion.
In 1900, three experienced lighthouse keepers mysteriously disappeared from their post at Eilean Mor, a tiny and remote Scottish island. They just vanished! This is explored in Episode 37 “Simply Don’t Vanish”.
There is a lack of pretension about Barry and therefore the way the stories he selects to tell are conveyed. In “Teresita, Is That You?” Barry pronounces Teresita’s killer “a fully-fledged dickhead”. Not many could get away with this, but here, it just works. We, as his audience, share his sentiments.
The listener is regularly invited and encouraged to get in touch with Barry by Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or email and one senses that this is a very genuine offer. Indeed, the ESP Facebook group has become something of a community, with a warm collective of people (over 1,100 members) sharing thoughts, jokes, reflections and memories in a supportive and like-minded atmosphere with Barry’s presence and humour very evident.
For those normally captivated by the true crime genre of podcasts, ESP is a departure from the usual ‘no nonsense’ style offered by other favourites such as Casefile, Court Junkie or Canadian True Crime. While always delivered with empathy and sensitivity, ESP’s tales are less about the detail and more about settling in and having a story told to you by someone you come to feel familiar with and who knows his stuff. While often dealing with very serious subject matter, there is a chance you might have a good chuckle by the time any given episode is finished…not at the issue itself, but at one of the digressions you will be lead along.
Stick around. Pull up a beanbag, pour yourself a wee dram and let Barry into your living room. You’ll be friends before you know it. I’m daring you not to be hooked after just an episode or two…
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