Top of the podcasts

First there was Dr Duntsch, a doctor who killed or maimed 33 patients in Texas.

Then there was Dr Fata. He was a medic who poisoned more than 500 of his patients in Michigan.

And now there is a new Dr Death for the third series in Wondery’s hit podcast about some terrifying medical malpractice.

Dr Paolo Macchiarini, also known as The Miracle Man, is the latest to be exposed in a typically forensic investigation and a shocking story of trust, betrayal and miracles.

Paolo is a smart and handsome surgeon, renowned for his ability to perform surgeries that transform his patients’ lives.when television producer Benita covers him for a story, he’ll transform her life too, but not in the ways she expects.

As Benita crosses professional lines to be with him, she learns how far Paolo will go to protect his secrets. Meanwhile, halfway around the world, four doctors at a prestigious medical institute make shocking discoveries of their own that call everything into question.

It sounds like a thriller but Laura Beil, an independent journalist in Dallas, has created another gripping slice of real-life drama. She was the recipient of the Victor Cohn Prize for Medical Science Reporting in 2018, in part for her investigations in men’s mental health, and her work has appeared in The New York Times, Cosmopolitan and Science News; in short she knows what she’s talking about.

Dr Death, which has been downloaded 80 million times worldwide, has also been made into a television series.

Much of her investigations look at physicians who are guilty of something; often you’re left with the impression America’s broken health system is what is really on trial.