Larger Than Life

Larger Than Life

Host: Los Angeles Times

In 1960s Los Angeles, after the catastrophic Watts riots, an outsized character emerged — one who found an unexpected way to unite people across race and class. Odds are you’ve never heard of him. From L.A. Times Studios, the team behind “Dirty John” and “Man in the Window,” comes “Larger Than Life,” a docu-series about Big Willie Robinson, a 6-foot-6, muscle-bound street racer who preached peace a quarter-mile at a time. Cops and criminals, movie stars and miscreants, even Crips and Bloods — out at the drag strip, Big Willie could get them all to see eye to eye, easing tensions and makin...

Episodes

Introducing: Pandora’s Box: The Fall of L.A.’s Sheriff
01September 09, 2025 12:42pm

Introducing: Pandora’s Box: The Fall of L.A.’s Sheriff

Pandora’s Box: The Fall of L.A.’s Sheriff is a six-part true crime investigation from the Los Angeles Times about one of the biggest law enforcement scandals in U.S. history.Follow Pulitzer Prize–winning reporter Christopher Goffard as he u…

Introducing: L.A. Crimes
02May 21, 2025 5:00am

Introducing: L.A. Crimes

Please enjoy a featured clip of L.A. Times Studio's latest production, L.A. Crimes. On this episode, Madison McGhee is joined by legendary Dateline host Josh Mankiewicz and esteemed L.A. Times Reporter Richard Winton as the three of them di…

Introducing, Boiling Point: Climate Change Is No Joke. Or Is It?
03March 19, 2025 5:00pm

Introducing, Boiling Point: Climate Change Is No Joke. Or Is It?

Introducing a new podcast from LA Times Studios and award-winning L.A. Times columnist Sammy Roth, Boiling Point, where Sammy breaks down the many complexities of today's climate challenges and solutions with top experts in the field. In th…

Introducing: Crimes of the Times
04January 28, 2025 5:00am

Introducing: Crimes of the Times

L.A. Times reporter Christopher Goffard of “Dirty John” is back with another riveting podcast from L.A. Times Studios. In “Crimes of the Times,” Goffard goes deep behind the scenes of a new story each week, cutting through common myths and …

Introducing: Boiling Point
05January 16, 2025 5:00am

Introducing: Boiling Point

Climate change is battering California. Can the state find a way forward? Listen every Thursday as award-winning L.A. Times columnist Sammy Roth breaks down the many complexities of today's climate challenges and solutions with top experts …

Moscow
06January 11, 2024 2:05am

Moscow

Reporting dire news out of America and at home, Russian news anchor Viktor Antonov attempts to guide his audience through what may be the beginning of the end. Everywhere is a battlefield. ‘SIGN OFF’ is a branded podcast from LA Times Studi…

Minot
07January 11, 2024 2:00am

Minot

Following a wave of cyber attacks against the U.S., news anchor Maria Mason finds herself at the center of an escalating crisis where the International Space Station emerges as a strategic foothold. ‘SIGN OFF’ is a scripted, branded podcast…

Introducing 'Foretold'
08May 18, 2023 7:00am

Introducing 'Foretold'

"Foretold" is the newest podcast from the L.A. Times, and we're sharing a preview of the first episode with you here today. In the fall of 2019, reporter Faith E. Pinho received a tip from a woman named Paulina Stevens. Paulina claimed she …

L.A. Times presents The Trials of Frank Carson
09May 25, 2021 4:00am

L.A. Times presents The Trials of Frank Carson

One lawyer saw a broken system. But the system saw a vigilante killer. From Christopher Goffard, the Los Angeles Times reporter and host behind the hit podcasts Dirty John and Detective Trapp, comes a new eight-episode true crime podcast, T…

The Last Race | 7
10August 06, 2019 2:00am

The Last Race | 7

Episode 7: Big Willie Robinson’s decision to make himself into a myth ends in tragedy. An effort to understand his legacy leads to a harrowing street race in Compton, and, ultimately, a question: What does it really mean to be larger than l…

Shut Down | 6
11July 30, 2019 2:00amExplicit

Shut Down | 6

Episode 6: As the drug trade and gang violence of the 1980s engulf South Los Angeles, Big Willie Robinson finds himself without a racetrack and sees his influence waning. But after the city burns again, he seizes a chance to start anew. Lea…

The Lie | 5
12July 23, 2019 2:00am

The Lie | 5

Episode 5: A startling revelation about Big Willie Robinson leads to a reappraisal of the street racer and his mission. As members of the Brotherhood of Street Racers try to make sense of his secret, a new truth emerges. Learn more about th…

Fast and Famous | 4
13July 16, 2019 2:00am

Fast and Famous | 4

Episode 4: Big Willie Robinson has a surprising career turn in the entertainment industry, working as an actor, rubbing shoulders with A-listers and appearing in some iconic 1970s films. He even has connections to the “The Fast and the Furi…

Run Whatcha Brung | 3
14July 11, 2019 2:00amExplicit

Run Whatcha Brung | 3

Episode 3: Banned from street racing in L.A. in the early 1970s, Big Willie Robinson becomes fixated with building a racetrack for the Brotherhood of Street Racers. He wants a place where all are welcome — even cops and criminals — but can …

Becoming Big Willie | 2
15July 09, 2019 2:30am

Becoming Big Willie | 2

Episode 2: In the five years after the 1965 Watts riots, Big Willie Robinson meets the love of his life, gets the car of his dreams, forges ties with the LAPD and starts the Brotherhood of Street Racers. Learn more about the story, sign up …

King of the Street | 1
16July 09, 2019 2:00am

King of the Street | 1

Episode 1: L.A. street racing legend Big Willie Robinson uses cars to heal a city torn apart by racial violence. His larger-than-life exploits touch Hollywood, the Southland’s most notorious gangs and even the Los Angeles Times. Learn more …

Introducing Larger Than Life
17July 01, 2019 5:05pm

Introducing Larger Than Life

This is the true story of a street racer who united Los Angeles — but left behind a tangle of questions. Reported, written and hosted by Daniel Miller from the Los Angeles Times. Premieres July 9.