Tell You First

Sam's Alfresco Coffee Shop sounds like somewhere you'd order a flat white. But it's actually the innocent-looking front door to the Sammyboy forum, sharing commercial sex reviews, explicit erotica, and lewd photos. Click one link deeper, and you’ll enter the “Asian Commercial Sex Scene” forum, Sammyboy’s sex-focused arm with almost 250,000 members. It was allegedly founded in 1997 by a Singaporean man known only as Samuel Leong, whose real identity has never been confirmed. We trace how a list of brothel recommendations on Sammyboy curdled into a cesspool of hidden camera footage, incest-themed erotica, and an escort business run entirely off the forum's advice, before spilling over into a real-life wife-sharing ring.   Tell You First is an original podcast produced by Mediacorp and Ministry of Funny (@ministryoffunny).   Credits:   Hosted and Produced by Terence Chia (@tchia) and Haresh Tilani (@hareshtilani)Sound Engineering - Tristen Yeak (@yeakstreet)Production Manager - Z’en Peck (@peck.takes.photos)Commissioning Editor - Danny Koordi   If you're a fan of our work, you can follow the podcast on the meLISTEN app, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts. You can also watch selected video episodes of the podcast on YouTube through the Mediacorp Entertainment channel. Also, catch Tell You First Shorts on Mediacorp's socials.   Podcast artwork by Denise Nicole Yap, you can reach her on Instagram @deniseardeniseSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the 2000s, Malaysia became known for a very different kind of concert run. The Pussycat Dolls' outfits led to a fine against their organisers, Gwen Stefani changed costumes for every song just to stay covered up, Avril Lavigne was warned over her punk image despite barely showing skin, and Beyoncé cancelled her show rather than follow the guidelines. So what exactly were artists allowed to do on stage? As a radio DJ with her finger on the pulse of the region's pop scene, Sonia Chew joins us to unpack the strange history of concert censorship in Malaysia.   Tell You First is an original podcast produced by Mediacorp and Ministry of Funny (@ministryoffunny).   Credits:   Hosted and Produced by Terence Chia (@tchia) and Haresh Tilani (@hareshtilani)Guest - Sonia Chew (@soniachew)Sound Engineering - Tristen Yeak (@yeakstreet)Production Manager - Z’en Peck (@peck.takes.photos)Commissioning Editor - Danny Koordi   If you're a fan of our work, you can follow the podcast on the meLISTEN app, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts. You can also watch selected video episodes of the podcast on YouTube through the Mediacorp Entertainment channel. Also, catch Tell You First Shorts on Mediacorp's socials.   Podcast artwork by Denise Nicole Yap, you can reach her on Instagram @deniseardeniseSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Barings Bank was founded in 1762 and was Britain's oldest merchant bank, trusted even by Queen Elizabeth herself. But in 1995, a 28-year-old trader in Singapore brought the whole 233-year-old institution to its knees via a mysterious account numbered 88888, buried deep inside the bank's paperwork. Nick Leeson’s actions triggered a global manhunt, and brought forth a sweeping wave of regulatory changes in Singapore’s financial system. We trace how the rogue trader hid billions in losses from the financial and regulatory institutions that were supposed to spot the warning signs. Tell You First is an original podcast produced by Mediacorp and Ministry of Funny (@ministryoffunny).   Credits:   Hosted and Produced by Terence Chia (@tchia) and Haresh Tilani (@hareshtilani) Sound Engineering - Tristen Yeak (@yeakstreet) Production Manager - Z’en Peck (@peck.takes.photos) Commissioning Editor - Danny Koordi   If you're a fan of our work, you can follow the podcast on the meLISTEN app, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts. You can also watch selected video episodes of the podcast on YouTube through the Mediacorp Entertainment channel. Also, catch Tell You First Shorts on Mediacorp's socials.   Podcast artwork by Denise Nicole Yap, you can reach her on Instagram @deniseardeniseSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On 10 March 1965, two Indonesian Marine Commandos walked into MacDonald House and planted a bomb that killed three people and injured 33 others. But MacDonald House wasn't even their original target. What followed was a dramatic manhunt, a controversial trial, and an execution that nearly pushed Singapore and Indonesia back into conflict. We trace how it took eight years, and a Prime Minister scattering flowers over the graves of the men he'd ordered hanged, to bring the two countries back from the brink.   Tell You First is an original podcast produced by Mediacorp and Ministry of Funny (@ministryoffunny).   Credits:   Hosted and Produced by Terence Chia (@tchia) and Haresh Tilani (@hareshtilani)Sound Engineering - Tristen Yeak (@yeakstreet)Production Manager - Z’en Peck (@peck.takes.photos)Commissioning Editor - Danny Koordi   If you're a fan of our work, you can follow the podcast on the meLISTEN app, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts. You can also watch selected video episodes of the podcast on YouTube through the Mediacorp Entertainment channel. Also, catch Tell You First Shorts on Mediacorp's socials.   Podcast artwork by Denise Nicole Yap, you can reach her on Instagram @deniseardeniseSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Singapore Idol premiered in 2004 to a reported 1.2 million viewers, skyrocketing a local talent show into a national obsession. Dick Lee, sidelined into a desk job, found the show reigniting something he'd lost. He judged all three seasons, and watched Singaporeans become fiercely split over their favourite contestants. He also takes us behind the auditions, the infamous judging moments and the finale that saw 1.1 million votes cast. As one of the few Singaporean artists to break out of the Singapore market, he shares what it actually takes to become a Singapore Idol, and why there was never a Season 4.   Tell You First is an original podcast produced by Mediacorp and Ministry of Funny (@ministryoffunny).   Credits:   Hosted and Produced by Terence Chia (@tchia) and Haresh Tilani (@hareshtilani)Guest - Dick Lee (@dickleeparadise)Sound Engineering - Tristen Yeak (@yeakstreet)Production Manager - Z’en Peck (@peck.takes.photos)Commissioning Editor - Danny Koordi   If you're a fan of our work, you can follow the podcast on the meLISTEN app, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts. You can also watch selected video episodes of the podcast on YouTube through the Mediacorp Entertainment channel. Also, catch Tell You First Shorts on Mediacorp's socials.   Podcast artwork by Denise Nicole Yap, you can reach her on Instagram @deniseardeniseSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.