Episodes

  • S4 Ep5: Body Farms - Part 1

    S4 Ep5: Body Farms - Part 1
    Aug 5 2025
    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 and why bodies decompose in certain conditions. It’s a hugely complex subject which brings in factors like climate, soil, insects, scavengers, diet among other things.

    This week Lynda and Cass meet Dr Daniel J. Wescott, Professor of Anthropology and Director of the Forensic Anthropology Center at Texas State University. The Texas Body Farm where Danny works is largest in the world and has helped to further the knowledge of scientists and law enforcement around the world.

    This is the first in a two-part mini series on Body Farms. Next week we’re looking at the picture in the UK.

    To learn more about the Texas Forensic Anthropology Center visit: https://www.txst.edu/anthropology/facts.html

    IG: @factxstate

    FB: @forensicanthcenterTXST

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    Lynda La Plante's new book The Scene of the Crime, featuring a team of forensic scientists, is out on the 31st July 2025 in all formats.

    To find out more about upcoming episodes of Listening to the Dead and Lynda's other books, visit www.lyndalaplante.com


    Credits:
    This podcast was made by Bonnier Books UK
    Hosts: Lynda La Plante, Cass Sutherland and Jon Watt
    Director: Jon Watt
    Producer: Laura Makela
    Theme Music: Game Over by Magic in the Other

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    1 hr and 2 mins
  • S4 Ep4: Forensic Geology – Part 2

    S4 Ep4: Forensic Geology – Part 2
    Jul 29 2025
    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 smuggling of precious metals and gems. Geology has been used by police and law enforcement since the middle part of the 19th century, however it's only recently that it's become more widely used across the world - and Laurance Donnelly has been at the forefront of that evolution.

    In this mini series, Laurance takes Lynda on journey around the world as he explains his extraordinarily varied career and the cases he has worked on.

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    Lynda La Plante's new book The Scene of the Crime, featuring a team of forensic scientists, is out on the 31st July 2025 in all formats.

    To find out more about upcoming episodes of Listening to the Dead and Lynda's other books, visit www.lyndalaplante.com


    Credits:
    This podcast was made by Bonnier Books UK
    Hosts: Lynda La Plante, Cass Sutherland and Jon Watt
    Director: Jon Watt
    Producer: Laura Makela
    Theme Music: Game Over by Magic in the Other

    Show More Show Less
    24 mins
  • S4 Ep3: Forensic Geology – Part 1

    S4 Ep3: Forensic Geology – Part 1
    Jul 22 2025
    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 smuggling of precious metals and gems. Geology has been used by police and law enforcement since the middle part of the 19th century, however it's only recently that it's become more widely used across the world - and Laurance Donnelly has been at the forefront of that evolution.

    In this mini series, Laurance takes Lynda on journey around the world as he explains his extraordinarily varied career and the cases he has worked on.

    ------

    Lynda La Plante's new book The Scene of the Crime, featuring a team of forensic scientists, is out on the 31st July 2025 in all formats.

    To find out more about upcoming episodes of Listening to the Dead and Lynda's other books, visit www.lyndalaplante.com


    Credits:
    This podcast was made by Bonnier Books UK
    Hosts: Lynda La Plante, Cass Sutherland and Jon Watt
    Director: Jon Watt
    Producer: Laura Makela
    Theme Music: Game Over by Magic in the Other



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    33 mins
  • S4 Ep2: Fraud Forensics with Tony Sales

    S4 Ep2: Fraud Forensics with Tony Sales
    Mar 18 2024
    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 investigating it has evolved, the current threats, the impact on victims and the devastating iSpoof case of 2023.

    As a fraudster, Sales could make people believe whatever he wanted them to. As analogue crime turned digital, Sales adapted his skills and became a prolific online fraudster, quickly identifying and exploiting loopholes and weaknesses in the system. And so he continued until one day a mistake on a job in Sheffield saw him arrested. While serving time, Sales decided to turn his life around. As Frank Abagnale Jr. had done in the US, Sales went from poacher to game-keeper and set up We Fight Fraud, a company dedicated to helping governments and financial institutions to prevent fraud.

    And it was well timed. Fraud has become bigger than ever in the UK. Scammers were responsible for nearly 1.4m cases of fraud in the UK during the first half of 2023.
    Overall, criminals stole £580m in the first six months of the year, suggesting households are likely to have lost more than £1bn to fraudsters in the year.

    How do we stop fraudsters? What investigative and forensic tools do the police have? Join Lynda and Cass as they explore the most prolific crime in the world.


    Lynda La Plante's final Jane Tennison thriller Whole Life Sentence is available to pre-order now in all formats. To find out more about upcoming episodes of Listening to the Dead and Lynda's other books, visit www.lyndalaplante.com

    Tony Sales’ memoir The Big Con is out now in audiobook.

    Credits:
    This podcast was made by Bonnier Books UK
    Hosts: Lynda La Plante, Cass Sutherland and Jon Watt
    Director: Jon Watt
    Producer: Laura Makela
    Theme Music: Game Over by Magic in the Other
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    48 mins
  • S4 Ep1: Live at Crime Con 2023

    S4 Ep1: Live at Crime Con 2023
    Jun 30 2023
    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 gait is mentioned time and again. But how much can you really tell from a person's gait? More than you might think! 
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    39 mins
  • S3 Ep7: Forensic searches and the murder of April Jones

    S3 Ep7: Forensic searches and the murder of April Jones
    Mar 23 2022
    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 episode we reunite two forensic search experts who worked in different capacities on this harrowing and challenging case.
    Julie Roberts is a hugely experienced forensic anthropologist and archaeologist with some 20 years of practitioner experience in the location, recovery and identification of human remains from scenes of crime, war zones and mass fatality incidents. She and her team examined bone fragments that were suspected to be April’s, recovered from Mark Bridger’s house. Julie is currently Scientific Advisor at Alecto Forensic Services: https://alectoforensics.com/  
    Peter Faulding is a world-leading confined space rescue and forensic search specialist. Peter has worked on many high-profile missing person and ‘no body’ murder investigations including the serial killer Peter Tobin and the mysterious death of MI6 officer Gareth Williams. In 2012 he helped to coordinate the search of the woods around Mark Bridger’s house. https://www.specialistgroupinternational.com/
    Lynda's new novel Vanished is out on March 31st 2022 in hardback, ebook and audiobook. 
    Discover more at: www.lyndalaplante.com/listening-to-the-dead/
    Credits
          This podcast was made by Bonnier Books UK
      Host & Director: Jon Watt
      Producer: Laura Makela
      Sound Engineer: Chris Attaway
      Theme music: Game Over by Magic in the Other
      End music: Sweeney by Mike Relm 
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    47 mins
  • S3 Ep6: Fibre analysis and Operation Airlines

    S3 Ep6: Fibre analysis and Operation Airlines
    Mar 16 2022
    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 Priston joins Lynda and Cass to discuss her memories of analysing the evidence that linked the prime suspects to the bombs they had built. 
    Dr Priston is currently working with the charity Inside Justice, investigating alleged miscarriages of justice. You can learn more about their work here:
    https://www.insidejustice.co.uk 

    Lynda's new novel Vanished is out on March 31st 2022 in hardback, ebook and audiobook. 
    Discover more at: www.lyndalaplante.com/listening-to-the-dead/
    Credits
         This podcast was made by Bonnier Books UK
     Host & Director: Jon Watt
     Producer: Laura Makela
     Sound Engineer: Chris Attaway
     Theme music: Game Over by Magic in the Other
     End music: Sweeney by Mike Relm 

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    39 mins
  • S3 Ep5: DNA and the cases of Colin Pitchfork & Colette Aram

    S3 Ep5: DNA and the cases of Colin Pitchfork & Colette Aram
    Mar 9 2022
    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 programme, its limitations and how it was refined into the crucial investigative tool it is today. 
    Dr Timothy Clayton has close to 30 years of criminal casework experience in both the public sector, and after the closure of the FSS, in the private sector. He is an authority in the field of forensic biology and has an extensive research history as you’ll hear in this episode. In 2013, his work was recognized in the Queen’s New Year Honour’s List when he received an MBE for his contribution to forensic science and the administration of Criminal Justice. Tim is currently Senior Forensic Scientist at Eurofins Forensic Services, one of the largest private providers of forensic services in the UK: https://www.eurofins.co.uk/forensic-services/

    Lynda's new novel Vanished is out on March 31st 2022 in hardback, ebook and audiobook. 
    Discover more at: www.lyndalaplante.com/listening-to-the-dead/
    Credits
         This podcast was made by Bonnier Books UK
     Host & Director: Jon Watt
     Producer: Laura Makela
     Sound Engineer: Chris Attaway
     Theme music: Game Over by Magic in the Other
     End music: Sweeney by Mike Relm 
    Show More Show Less
    50 mins