Episode 28 of Fool Me Twice features Bradford Oakes and Steve van Aperen discussing lying, deception, false confessions, false memories and common mistakes people make when trying to read others.

The conversation begins with Brad describing his frustration with artificial intelligence after spending hours using large language models that appeared to ignore instructions, apologise repeatedly and provide unreliable information. This leads into a broader discussion about misleading information, misplaced confidence and the difficulty of determining whether something is accurate.

Steve draws on his experience as a detective to challenge common assumptions about deception. Nervousness, fidgeting, looking away, blinking, over-explaining or appearing uncomfortable do not automatically indicate guilt. An innocent person may be anxious because they fear not being believed, have never dealt with police, come from a background where authorities are distrusted, or simply feel uncomfortable in an interview setting.

Brad and Steve discuss how context can change the meaning of behaviour. Their main point is that stress is not proof of deception and that no single behavioural indicator should be treated as evidence of lying.

The discussion then turns to false confessions and unreliable memory. Steve explains that people can confess to crimes they did not commit for a range of reasons, including coercion, threats, exhaustion, a desire to end an interrogation, protecting someone else, seeking attention, or because of cognitive and intellectual vulnerabilities.

They also examine the limitations of eyewitness memory and how trauma, neurodivergence and other factors can affect recall. A truthful account may change over time without necessarily indicating deception.

Steve emphasises that effective interviewing should focus on establishing what happened rather than forcing an admission or relying on intuition. Statements need to be assessed alongside available evidence and the broader context.

Episode 28 also covers bias, profiling, authority and the risk of tunnel vision when interpreting behaviour. Bradford Oakes and Steve van Aperen argue that truthful people can appear nervous, confused or inconsistent, and that detecting deception requires evidence, context and careful questioning rather than stereotypes or assumptions about body language.

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