Humble Beginnings

Giovanni’s long battle for freedom looks to be (almost) over! The future looks bright for Michael and his dad. But before then, way before they walk off into the Italian sunset, there are some difficult questions that need answering. Is Michael’s hero really who he says he is? Swindler, Saviour, Mobster, Spy? is a What's The Story original podcast series. What's The Story are the leaders in premium true-crime podcasts and audio story-telling. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why has Giovanni done the things he’s done? His son Michael says it may just be his mile-wide ego. Maybe. That could explain the singing and the football. But the extraordinary heights and powerful circles he infiltrates, the fact he’s now a prisoner… to Michael those things are evidence there is something more secretive and sinister going on. Could he actually be a spy?Swindler, Saviour, Mobster, Spy? is a What's The Story original podcast series. What's The Story are the leaders in premium true-crime podcasts and audio story-telling. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s the mid 90s and Giovanni is, by now, a budding megalomaniac. He’s becoming a big player on the world stage. All rich and powerful men need a hobby and Giovanni chooses football. But not satisfied with watching on from the terraces, he goes football club shopping, with consistently calamitous results.Calum and Michael chart his career from Italy, to Scotland - and discover that where Giovanni went - trouble was usually not far behind.Swindler, Saviour, Mobster, Spy? is a What's The Story original podcast series. What's The Story are the leaders in premium true-crime podcasts and audio story-telling. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the midst of a bloody and violent war and supposedly on the run from powerful people, Giovanni calls on some unsavoury characters. What was he really doing in wartime Yugoslavia? Rumours circulate as his son, Michael, recalls joining his dad on a shady jaunt to Belgrade at the age of 17.Swindler, Saviour, Mobster, Spy? is a What's The Story original podcast series. What's The Story are the leaders in premium true-crime podcasts and audio story-telling. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Giovanni was a man making up for lost time!In this episode Calum charts his journey from rural Northamptonshire to the bright lights and celebrity filled streets of Hollywood. What WAS Giovanni doing there? And did he really launch the career of Brad Pitt? This episode deals with some extraordinary claims, and an extraordinary next move - as Giovanni arrives next in Yugoslavia - with big plans, and even bigger friends.Swindler, Saviour, Mobster, Spy? is a What's The Story original podcast series. What's The Story are the leaders in premium true-crime podcasts and audio story-telling. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Where did it all begin for Giovanni? What circumstances could possibly lead to the outrageous path he took?To find out, Calum visits the small Italian village of Petrella Tifernina in search of clues. Will he find them in the relationship with Giovanni's mother - the circumstances of his arrival in England - or in a more unlikely destination, wrapped up within the secret service?Swindler, Saviour, Mobster, Spy? is a What's The Story original podcast series. What's The Story are the leaders in premium true-crime podcasts and audio story-telling. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Giovanni Di Stefano has led an extraordinary life. But how much of it REALLY happened?In this first episode - journalist Calum McCrae meets Giovanni's son Michael - and together they begin a quest to find out the truth about the mysterious Di Stefano. Their journey begins with his most recent chapter - as a notorious lawyer to the likes of Saddam Hussein, Slobodan Milosevic, and Harold Shipman.Did Giovanni REALLY represent them? And what's he hiding behind his self-proclaimed title of The Devils Advocate?Swindler, Saviour, Mobster, Spy? is a What's The Story original podcast series. What's The Story are the leaders in premium true-crime podcasts and audio story-telling. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Who is Giovanni Di Stefano? That's a question which has been bothering his son Michael for some time!Across seven episodes, and with the help of producer Calum McCrae, he'll journey into Giovanni's extraordinary life-story, and try to separate the fact from the fiction. Was his dad really a big player in Hollywood, a general in the Serbian Army, a friend of master-criminals and warlords, a football club owner AND a recording artist? And how did he reach such dizzying heights after such humble beginnings?Listen, follow and subscribe.Swindler, Saviour, Mobster, Spy? is a What's The Story original podcast series. What's The Story are the leaders in premium true-crime podcasts and audio story-telling.The whole series is available to listen to on What's The Story? Crime - your new home for compelling true crime content. It's a subscription channel, where you'll get all episodes of Swindler, Saviour, Mobster, Spy ad-free, as well as access to the best true-crime series like Smoking Gun and The Missing, bonus episodes, early access and exclusive series you can't hear anywhere else.If you listen on Apple Podcasts, simply search for 'What's The Story? Crime'. Or if you're on Spotify, or any other platform, just click HERE, and set up What's The Story? Crime on your chosen platform.What's The Story? Crime costs less than a cup of coffee, and helps ensure we can make more series like this one. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.