Fool Me Twice

About Fool Me Twice

Fool Me Twice is a sharp, funny, and revealing podcast where deception takes centre stage. Former detective and human lie detector Stephen van Aperen joins forces with comedian Bradford Oakes to unpack the strange, serious, and sometimes hilarious ways lies shape our lives. Together, they explore real-life stories where truth and fiction blur, from notorious crimes to everyday fibs, blending sharp analysis with a sense of humour that cuts right through the B.S. Because let’s face it, lying touches everything. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

Publisher

The Rubber Chicken

Category

comedy · society & culture · true crime

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

4 Nov 2025

Latest episode

28 Sept 2026

Latest episodes

35 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   28 Sept 2026

   Episode 34: Joke Theft, Lies and the Comedy Business

   When does inspiration become imitation, and when does imitation become theft? In their longest episode yet, comedian and comedy coach Bradford Oakes and Steve Van Aperen tackle plagiarism, joke stealing and the awkward business of telling the truth. The conversation begins with a question every coach faces: how honest should you be with someone who wants to make people laugh? Bradford explains why he believes most people can become funnier, even when progress is slow. Sometimes a comedian needs clearer communication or a different coach, rather than a verdict that they simply are not funny. Steve brings his perspective on lies, honesty and the clues people leave when a story does not ring true. From there, they enter the murky world of borrowed material. Bradford describes the painstaking process of building a routine, often testing jokes over months, and why it stings when someone else delivers the finished work as their own. He recalls returning from a tour to discover that one of his signature jokes had appeared on The Footy Show. The audience had heard it on television first, making his own joke fall flat. He also recounts confronting other performers over material he recognised. The pair discuss Jordan Parris, the Australia’s Got Talent comedian whose routines were reported to closely resemble material by Lee Mack and Jeff Keith. Bradford and Steve examine his response to the controversy, including a later joke about “copy and paste” writers that was itself identified as an existing Jeffrey Ross line. For them, the issue is the impression a stand-up gives an audience when presenting someone else’s words as original material. But not every similarity is deliberate theft. Bradford explains parallel development, where people independently arrive at similar jokes about the same subject, and cryptomnesia, where a forgotten idea can feel new. They range beyond comedy to Men at Work’s “Down Under”, the children’s song “Kookaburra”, the origins of “Waltzing Matilda”, parody songs and bootleg cassette tapes. Along the way, expect detours, some spectacularly bad jokes, and a frank look at how creative work travels. Who owns a punchline? What happens when a writer is hired to create one? And how can comedians protect their livelihood while still sharing a stage? Bradford and Steve have more questions than easy answers, and they would love a copyright lawyer to join the conversation. Learn more about Fool Me Twice by visiting www.foolmetwice.com.au (https://foolmetwice.com.au/) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

2. 

   15 Sept 2026

   Episode 33: Red Flags, Micro-Expressions and $2,000 Cars

   What does a liar look like? Can a fleeting facial expression expose the truth, and are comedians better than most people at faking emotion? In Episode 33, comedian Bradford Oakes joins former police officer, behavioural expert and forensic interviewer Steve Van Aperen for a funny and fascinating exploration of facial expressions, deception, intuition and the signals we send without saying a word. Steve introduces the pioneering work of Professor Paul Ekman, whose research into universal facial expressions helped inspire the television series Lie to Me. He explains the Facial Action Coding System, the emotional states that appear across cultures and the micro-expressions that can flash across a person’s face in a fraction of a second. But can a micro-expression prove someone is lying? Steve separates popular mythology from behavioural science, explaining why a single gesture, facial movement or nervous habit means very little without context. Reliable assessment requires clusters of behaviour, a baseline and an understanding of what was happening before and after the moment in question. Even trained professionals, he notes, are often only slightly better than chance at detecting lies from behaviour alone. Brad brings the comedian’s perspective, revealing why performers must make their faces match their stories and how they recreate surprise after delivering the same joke hundreds of times. He also recalls being dismissed by his personal trainer for being “untrainable”, getting hypnotically close to buying an imaginary car and falling for a suspicious offer involving a near-new Ford Falcon for just $2,000. The conversation also examines genuine and fake smiles, cultural display rules, the body language that can signal an approaching pub fight, the sensory detail found in truthful memories and the reasons intelligent people can still be manipulated by convincing con artists. Naturally, it begins with Brad threatening to punch ChatGPT in the head after an exhausting attempt to build his new website, before admitting he has been secretly cheating on it with Google and Claude. Are you good at reading faces? What red flags or green flags do you notice when meeting someone for the first time? And can you tell when somebody is lying? LINKS Book Steve Van Aperen as your next keynote speaker: Click here (https://www.stevevanaperen.com/) Book Brad Oakes for your next event: Click here (https://bradoakes.com/) Learn stand-up comedy with Brad Oakes: Click here (https://hardknockknocks.com/) Learn more about Fool Me Twice by visiting www.foolmetwice.com.au (https://foolmetwice.com.au/) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

3. 

   7 Sept 2026

   Episode 32: Cheating, flirting and a model collision

   What happens when love, lies and betrayal collide? In this episode, Bradford Oakes and Steve Van Aperen explore the messy world of cheating, emotional affairs, secret finances, online flirting and the stories people tell when they are caught. Before getting into the serious stuff, Bradford reflects on teaching an MC training course and explains why an event without a host can quickly fall apart. That sparks two workplace confessions: Steve recalls causing a traffic accident while distracted by models during his days directing Melbourne traffic, while Bradford shares an unfortunate encounter with a runaway floor-polishing machine outside a nurses’ cafeteria. Then the conversation turns to deception in relationships. Drawing on his work conducting polygraph and eye-detection tests, Steve shares real cases involving affairs, gambling, drinking, escort agencies, suspicious messages and an uncomfortable love triangle. He explains why one lie often creates several more, how people reveal only what their partner can already prove, and why “trickle truth” can be more damaging than the original betrayal. Bradford and Steve debate whether flirting online counts as cheating, whether checking a partner’s phone is ever justified, and whether someone can love you while repeatedly lying to you. They also examine emotional cheating, financial secrecy and the difference between harmless social lies and deliberate deception designed to conceal damaging behaviour. Along the way, Steve identifies familiar warning signs: deflection instead of a direct denial, gaslighting, changing timelines, contradictions, secret calls, hidden messages and turning the accusation back on the person asking questions. But appearances can also be misleading, as one case involving an accused businessman and a vindictive personal assistant demonstrates. There are stories of a cheating golfer in Thailand, an Ashley Madison discovery, incriminating photos appearing during family dinner, a burglar who dropped his wallet at the crime scene, a comedian short-changed on tour, and a serial cheater whose guilt revealed itself through gifts of jewellery. It is a funny, frank and sobering discussion about trust, motive, privacy and the consequences of believing you will never be caught. Bradford Oakes and Steve Van Aperen bring humour, policing experience and behavioural insight to one of the most complicated subjects in any relationship. Have you caught a partner cheating, spotted a red flag or heard an unforgettable excuse? Share your story in the comments below. Learn more about Fool Me Twice by visiting www.foolmetwice.com.au (https://foolmetwice.com.au/) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

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Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Spotify

5.0 / 5

3 ratings

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Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

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