What do you know today that you didn't know yesterday?

[Rev. Rye]

Now, another weird new thing I learned from Last Podcast on the Left, during the long and frustratingly incompetent investigation of the Yorkshire Ripper, one fake confessor managed to derail the whole thing, by writing sufficiently creepy letters and a tape.

Transcript of the tape:

I'm Jack. I see you are still having no luck catching me. I have the greatest respect for you, George, but Lord, you are no nearer catching me now than four years ago when I started. I reckon your boys are lettin' you down, George. They can't be much good, can they? The only time they came near catching me was a few months back in Chapeltown, when I was disturbed. Even then it was a uniformed copper, not a detective.

I warned you in March that I'd strike again. Sorry it wasn't Bradford. I did promise you that, but I couldn't get there. I'm not quite sure when I'll strike again, but it will definitely be sometime this year, maybe September, October or even sooner if I get the chance. I'm not sure where, maybe Manchester; I like it there, there's plenty of them knocking about. They never learn, do they, George? I bet you've warned them. But they never listen.

At the rate I'm goin', I should be in the book of records. I think it's eleven up to now, isn't it? Well, I'll keep on going for quite a while yet. I can't see myself being nicked just yet. Even if you do get near, I'll probably top myself first.

Well, it's been nice chatting to you, George.

Yours, Jack the Ripper.

No good looking for fingerprints, you should know by now it's as clean as a whistle. See you soon. 'Bye. Hope you like the catchy tune at the end. Ha-ha.

That song?



Yes, the Golden Girls somehow managed to play a crucial part in this investigation before the show even premiered. Okay, it was the original Andrew Ross version, but listening to Marcus play the tape and warning us that they did not manipulate the content of the tape in any way and hearing this song threw me for a loop.

And, of course, this guy was not the actual Ripper, just a sad fucker who decided to confess because he thought it was the only way he could give his life some significance. And apparently, the Yorkshire Police sent the tape to the FBI, and they immediately told them it was a blatant hoaxster. They did not listen until the actual killer confessed over two years (and nine victims, five of whom died) later.