Who the Hell is Hamish? · The Australian

Bonus: Jane

·1 hr 33 min·5 clips

Hamish promised to cure Jane's dying sister, a cruel lie that drew her into his web.

Jane enters late. A few days before the series was supposed to end, the host says she called, ready to give the account he had only partly used before. Her name stays protected. The full interview changes the rhythm of the episode: one source, trying to explain Hamish and herself with a clarity that feels hard won. The host checks in on her. Beck and Jack Rosen are also in contact, and the whole thing has been emotional for them. Jane is tired, but there is relief in the telling. Her message says she was anxious to hear the interview played back and grateful the story was treated with respect and care. Then Princeton comes back into view. Hamish had sold it as a way into business, finance, scholarships, and people in the States who might help her get ahead. She believed him. Once they arrived, the grand opportunity shrank fast: a campus tour, no meetings, no introductions, no real path. He had given names before the trip. Afterwards, when she pushed him, she says he answered with excuses, reassurances, and more promises that something big was still coming. Her anger has no clean place to go. She is in the United States with him, taking in New York, and still being pulled along by it. The host asks carefully. Jane confirms the sexual relationship was part of the trip too, bound up with the same promises, travel, attention, and deception. By the end, she sounds steadier. She never wanted to relive that time, but listening, thinking, and refusing to deny it left her wanting to own what happened. That is the point: Jane wants to tell her story herself, not have someone else carry it for her.

As heard by us

Jane's account shows how grand promises shrink into a flatter reality.

A bonus installment gives Jane room to tell her story almost intact, and the strongest stretch comes when her account moves from Hamish's grand promises to the flatter reality underneath them.

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

You want Jane's full account, told plainly and with care.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

Listen to the show on

Apple Podcasts Spotify

Play clips from this episode More from Who the Hell is Hamish?