Muscle Men: 2. The Guru

Historian, podcaster and fitness expert Natalia Mehlman Petrzela lifts the lid on the steroid underground - a world of risk-taking and experimentation that lies beneath the glamorous surface of life in the 1980s LA gym scene. It’s all about making it big, at any cost.

This is the scene that young bodybuilder William Dillon is initiated into, now that he’s settled into the California lifting community. He meets ‘The Steroid Guru’ aka Dan Duchaine, a maverick anabolic enthusiast with a chemical fascination, who isn’t afraid to experiment on himself - or anyone else. Duchaine is a cult figure in this world - his book The Underground Steroid Handbook spread the secrets of juicing to gym rats all over the USA and beyond.

From that meeting with Duchaine, Dillon spots a big opportunity that marries his two favourite things - strength and wealth.

Featuring William Dillon, Joe Troccoli, Sandra Blackie, Dr Jeff Golini, and former bodybuilder and co-author of The Underground Steroid Handbook, Mike Zumpano.

Presenter and Executive Producer: Natalia Mehlman Petrzela

Producer: Caroline Thornham

Assistant Producer: Mohamed Ahmed

Editor: Katherine Godfrey

Production Manager: Cheree Houston

Sound Design and Mix by Nicholas Alexander

Original Music by SilverHawk, aka Cyrille Poirier

Executive Producer: Max O’Brien

Commissioning Editor: Dan Clarke

A Novel production for BBC Radio 4