Advertise on podcast: Calls From a Killer

Rating

★★★★★

from

9 reviews

Description

What does a reporter do when they receive a cold call from one of the most horrific serial killers in Canadian history? The killer: Clifford Olson, who murdered at least eleven children in the 1980s. The reporter: Arlene Bynon, who recorded her jailhouse calls with Olson for years. Alongside legendary journalist Peter Worthington, Arlene spent hundreds of hours on the phone with Olson. It was kept secret from his prison guards; he wasn't allowed to speak to the media. In Calls From a Killer, from CBC’s Uncover, Arlene unearths secrets that have been buried for decades. Secrets about Olson's crimes, about how police failed his young victims and their families — and why law enforcement paid a psychopathic serial killer $100,000. With Nathaniel Frum — Peter's grandson — Arlene exposes hard truths about a forgotten tragedy, a bungled investigation, the loved ones left behind, and the mind of a killer.

Podcast episodes

Check latest episodes from Calls From a Killer podcast

The Olson Tapes

2025/08/01

Arlene Bynon answers a collect call. On the other end of the line is Clifford Olson: a man convicted of killing eleven children and teenagers in the 1980s. The oldest of them, eighteen. The youngest of them, nine. During years of secret phone calls from his prison cell, he tells this young journalist things he hasn’t told anyone else. Decades later, Nathaniel Frum dusts off a box of old tapes inherited from his late grandfather. When he hears Arlene’s voice, he knows he needs to find her. And they both know that this forgotten story needs to be told.

Something Monstrous

2025/08/02

‘They called him the Candyman.’ In British Columbia’s lower mainland, children are disappearing. Families are terrified as the local RCMP attempts to find out who is preying on vulnerable kids. At a time when both the public and the police don’t know how to deal with a serial killer, Clifford Olson slips through the cracks.

The Mounties Always Get Their Man

2025/08/03

It’s the summer of 1981 and the RCMP have their sights set on Clifford Olson, who is well known to them as a career criminal and informant. As police investigate, kids continue to be taken. Kids like Judy Kozma, a 14-year-old who never made it home from her shift at McDonald’s. By the time he’s finally arrested, Olson has murdered at least eleven young people. The RCMP’s case against him is weak - until Olson proposes a deal. In the present day, Arlene speaks to family members of those he killed.

Cash For Bodies

2025/08/04

The country is shocked to learn that a serial killer has been paid by the police - $100,000 in return for the locations of his murder victims. Even as decades have passed, opinions are split on this controversial deal. Was Clifford Olson rewarded for his heinous crimes, or was this necessary to stop the killing? And what do the architects of the deal think about it today?

Joan

2025/08/05

After months speaking to Clifford Olson, Arlene is still searching for answers. So she turns her attention to his mysterious wife: the woman who received the ‘cash for bodies’ payout. She’s been attacked by the media and faces the scorn of the public - but Arlene knows there is more to Joan Olson than meets the eye.

The Others

2025/08/06

Clifford Olson is serving eleven life sentences for killing eleven children. By now, Arlene has been speaking to him for years and is starting to understand this serial killer - and starting to suspect he’s guilty of more murders. Now, she just needs to get him to confess.

The Escape

2025/08/07

Arlene’s patience with Clifford Olson is wearing thin until he says something truly shocking: he’s stolen a handcuff key and plans to escape. And that’s just one of many ways he’s twisted the justice system to his advantage. In the present day, Arlene and Nathaniel grapple with the devastation Olson has left in his wake. Alongside the families and loved ones of his victims, they consider why it’s important to shine light on this difficult story.

Trailer | Calls From a Killer

2025/08/26

The voice of a killer. The truth uncovered. For years, journalist Arlene Bynon took forbidden jailhouse calls from notorious murderer Clifford Olson. Hundreds of hours of secret recordings — hidden from prison guards and the public — are now being revealed. In Uncover: Calls From a Killer, Arlene, joined by Nathaniel Frum, will expose what Olson told her, what police got wrong, and why authorities paid a serial killer $100,000.