In The Dark: The Runaway Princesses
4.8/5
Critic Rating
The wives and daughters of Dubai’s ruler live in unbelievable luxury. So why do the women in Sheikh Mohammed’s family keep trying to run away? The New Yorker staff writer Heidi Blake joins In the Dark’s Madeleine Baran to tell the story of the royal women who risked everything to flee the brutality of one of the world’s most powerful men. In four episodes, drawing on thousands of pages of secret correspondence and never-before-heard audio recordings, “The Runaway Princesses” takes listeners behind palace walls, revealing a story of astonishing courage and cruelty."The Runaway Princesses" is a four-part narrative series from In the Dark and The New Yorker.
Critic Reviews
Score: 4
Samantha Hodder • Bingeworthy • Jun 26, 2024
"As the series began, I found the two-host interesting, but also, a bit quite jarring. They borrowed the well-used technique from The Daily...In this story, the double format, one host invested in the story, and the other there as emcee, took away the shine of the piece as a whole. For me, it was an interesting experiment, but to my mind, not a successful one. It felt cold and left a distance between both hosts."
Score: 5
Patricia Nicol • The Times UK • Mar 17, 2024
"...this podcast features many accounts of female abuse. It is obvious it was not originally conceived as a podcast, and there is a stilted feel."
Score: 5
Rebecca Lavoie, Kevin Flynn, Lara Bricker & Toby Ball • Crime Writers On • Feb 8, 2024
"It asks great questions on whether they continue to be held against their will by a leader comfortable with abusing his diplomatic privileges. Well told, captivating, and suspenseful. The "In The Dark" brand seems to be in good hands."
Score: 5
Lauren Passell • Podcast The Newsletter • Feb 5, 2024
"...fascinating, compelling, and expertly produced start..."
