Listening to the Dead - Forensics uncovered

This is the second in a two-part mini series on forensic taphonomy centres or body farms. This week Lynda and Cass are meeting Dr Anna Williams, Professor of Forensic Science at the University of Central Lancashire.  At present there are only a dozen body farms established around the world and none in the UK, but Anna has been advocating for establishing one in the UK for over a decade. In this ep...

Forensic taphonomy is the study of what happens to a body between death and discovery. It’s one of the oldest forensic disciplines and one of the most controversial. Why? Because to properly study forensic taphonomy you need bodies. The Victorians took them from graveyards, these days we have Body Farms.  Body Farms have proved to be a vital resource for forensic scientists to learn more about how...

This is the second of a two-part mini series discussing the extraordinary science of Forensic Geology with leading expert Dr Laurance Donnelly. Forensic geology is the application of geology to aid the investigation of crime – and it's arguably the broadest of all the forensic sciences, covering everything from crime scene examination and searches for burials, to investigating art fraud and the sm...

This is the first of a two-part mini series discussing the extraordinary science of Forensic Geology with leading expert Dr Laurance Donnelly. Forensic geology is the application of geology to aid the investigation of crime – and it's arguably the broadest of all the forensic sciences, covering everything from crime scene examination and searches for burials, to investigating art fraud and the smu...

For twenty years, Tony Sales was Britain's biggest fraudster. From cloning credit cards and identities to emptying cash machines and being a confidence trickster, Tony knew how to make money.  In this first episode of the new series of Listening to the Dead, Lynda and Cass are joined by Tony and his colleague, former Head of the Fraud Squad Andy McDonald about fraud, to discuss fraud: how investig...

The Listening to the Dead crew return to Crime Con in London for another live recording. In this episode the team are joined by renowned forensic podiatrist Haydn Kelly to discuss his remarkable career and the first use of forensic gait analysis as expert evidence in criminal law at The Old Bailey in the trial of jewellery thief John Saunders. From Shakespeare to the Usual Suspects, a person's gai...

In this final episode we’re discussing forensic searches: searches for bodies, searches for evidence, searches for criminals. Lynda and Cass focus on the tragic case of April Jones, the 5-year-old who went missing in Wales in 2012. The police search was one of the largest ever mounted. It lasted six months, and though an arrest was made, of Mark Bridger, April’s body was never found. In this episo...

In 1996 the IRA were planning a major bombing campaign. Their targets were the electrical substations around Greater London. Had they been successful it would have crippled the electricity supply of south-east England. Fortunately, the police launched Operation Airlines, a covert investigation to foil the campaign and gather evidence to prosecute those planning it.   Forensic fibres expert Dr Ann...

The investigation into the murderer Colin Pitchfork is referenced in forensic courses around the world. Why? Because it was the first case where DNA screening was used. From the team responsible for this remarkable break-through, Lynda and Cass welcome Dr Tim Clayton. Tim discusses the cases of Colin Pitchfork, and later that of Colette Aram, and explains how they developed the DNA screening progr...

Lynda and Cass are joined by Pippa Gregory – Behavioural Investigative Advisor – and one of only three criminal profilers working in the UK today. She discusses the infamous cases of Yvonne Killian and Rachel Nickell - two investigations where criminal profiling was testing and found wanting. The fallout from these two cases led to the practice of criminal profiling being questioned and mistrusted...

We start Season 3 with an absolute cracker as Lynda, Cass and Jon discuss the forensics behind the Great Train Robbery with some of those who were involved. In a world first, Listening to the Dead brings together the son of the robbery's mastermind, Bruce Reynolds, with a fingerprint expert who worked on the case back in 1963. Sit back and enjoy a lively discussion about planted evidence, bungling...

In October 1975, Peter Sutcliffe committed his first murder. Over the next five years he went on to become one of the UK’s worst serial killers. One of the main reasons the police took so long to find him was because they were sent off in the wrong direction by a series of hoax letters and a tape purporting to be from the killer.  Nicknamed Weirside Jack, the perpetrator was never identified at th...

Here we go then - let's kick off Season 3 of Listening to the Dead as we once more peel back the curtain of crime and reveal the forensics that cracked some of Britain's most famous cases. From the Great Train Robbery to the Yorkshire Ripper, we speak to some of those involved and hear astonishing revelations about the crimes, investigations forensics and protagonists.  Join Lynda and Cass and get...

 CORRECTION! 2nd Dec 2021. Apologies listeners, we previously uploaded a part-edited version of this episode in error. This one is now the real deal. We hope you enjoy it.  Bonus episode recorded live at CrimeCon 2021 in London. Lynda and Cass look back at two seasons of Listening to the Dead and share more stories about the forensic experts and cases that have fascinated us most. 

**We apologise for the variable sound quality on some of the season two episodes which were recorded during the 2020 lockdown. Please don't judge us too harshly - we're back in studio in season 3!** A bumper episode to end the season!  In 15% of homicide cases involving a female victim, the cause of death is unknown. Despite the huge advances in post-mortem sciences, pathologists are still faced w...

**We apologise for the variable sound quality on some of the season two episodes which were recorded during the 2020 lockdown. Please don't judge us too harshly - we're back in studio in season 3!** A rarely seen method of murder today (outside of novels and state-sponsored assassination) but one of the most fascinating and challenging to investigate. A favourite of authors for generations, poison...

**We apologise for the variable sound quality on some of the season two episodes which were recorded during the 2020 lockdown. Please don't judge us too harshly - we're back in studio in season 3!** In this episode the team are joined by pathologist Dr Brett Lockyer, part of the experienced team at Forensic Access ( www.forensic-access.co.uk ), as he reveals how to tell the difference between stra...

**We apologise for the variable sound quality on some of the season two episodes which were recorded during the 2020 lockdown. Please don't judge us too harshly - we're back in studio in season 3!** Unlike in America, there is little debate between pro-gun control and pro-gun ownership lobbies in the UK. There is general public consensus against ownership of handguns, which is enforced under stric...

**We apologise for the variable sound quality on some of the season two episodes which were recorded during the 2020 lockdown. Please don't judge us too harshly - we're back in studio in season 3!** From terrorist attacks to war zones, from earthquakes to floods, mass disasters are some of the most difficult and harrowing cases for police and forensic teams to investigate. Whether it’s identifying...

**We apologise for the variable sound quality on some of the season two episodes which were recorded during the 2020 lockdown. Please don't judge us too harshly - we're back in studio in season 3!** The Listening to the Dead team are back for a new season looking at causes of death and the investigative techniques that surround them. This episode we welcome back pathologist Dr Stuart Hamilton to d...

Get ready for Listening to the Dead Season 2: Cause of Death! More crimes, more forensics, more revelations. Subscribe now and don't miss episode one on 24th February 2021. 

Fibre analysis is one most important resources in forensic science. The discovery of fibres evidence is essential when determining what an attacker or killer was wearing at the time of an incident.  In this bonus episode, Lynda and Cass are joined by former President of the Chartered Society of Forensic Sciences, Dr Ann Priston. A leading expert in forensic fibre analysis, Dr Priston visits Lynda...

Perhaps the most well-known of all the forensic sciences, portrayed in books and films for years, it's the pathologists job to establish cause of death. But what is the real-life experience of a pathologist like: can they really give time of death so quickly; what can they really tell about cause of death from a body at the scene and in the mortuary; and are they really on first name terms with de...

One of the newest and fastest evolving forensic disciplines, this science of extracting evidence from digital devices has become a central part of police investigations. From phones to Fitbits, from laptops to smart speakers, digital devices are ubiquitous in our lives and that means that we all leave a trail – a digital footprint – that forensics can follow.   Join Lynda, Cass and industry expert...

In this episode, Lynda and Cass explore the science of forensic entomology – the study of how insects and bugs interact with a cadaver. At times it sounds like something out of a horror movie, but it’s a vital part of many police investigations, giving clues as to time of death and whether a body might have been moved.   As Cass meets Dr Martin Hall in his lab at the Natural History Museum and get...