Shadow World
Gripping stories from the shadows - BBC investigations from across the UK It should be impossible to steal a home, but Sue Mitchell reveals it's all too easy. The multi-award winning investigative journalist (Intrigue: To Catch a Scorpion, Million Dollar Lover) is on the trail of an East European crime group using forged wills to 'take' the homes of the dead , stealing millions from rightful heirs and denying the Government valuable tax revenue. Sue Mitchell starts her original investigation when two sisters are denied their rightful inheritance following the death of their estranged aunt, but soon finds herself tracking a gang that are not only conning people out of property but also linked to cannabis farms, money laundering and the sale of UK work visas. Over five episodes, she goes in search of the gang members behind this elaborate scam and web of false companies, exposing the shortfalls of a creaking system which places countless others at risk.
Episodes
The inside story of how ancient treasures disappeared from one of the world’s most famous museums. And how one man believes he uncovered a thief. BBC Culture Editor Katie Razzall reveals how a Danish gem dealer almost single-handedly identified a man he believes had been stealing precious artefacts from inside the British Museum. She looks at why thefts went unnoticed for so long.
What begins as a whodunnit turns into a global tr...
People have called Dr Ittai Gradel a kind of Sherlock Holmes, if Holmes were Danish and obsessed with gems. He’s an antiquities dealer with an eye for stolen goods who will help unlock the mystery at the heart of this story.
When Katie meets him in London, he’s got something to show her - two ancient gemstones he believes belong to the British Museum.
But this whodunnit begins more than a decade ago as a man with a cardboard box wan...
A mysterious seller appears with a seemingly endless supply of ancient, precious gems at bargain prices. Collector and dealer Ittai Gradel snaps them up. But then a strange series of events starts to unfold.
From his home in rural Denmark, Ittai becomes suspicious about what is happening hundreds of miles away at the heart of the British Museum.
Presenter: Katie Razzall Producers: Darin Graham, Ben Henderson and Larissa Kennelly P...
For Ittai, the clues finally fall into place. Has he identified the thief?
Ittai Gradel long suspected someone was selling ancient gems that once belonged to the British Museum. But he had no idea when they were stolen or by whom.
Now a startling discovery leads him to believe the thefts are recent and that the thief is someone in a position of trust.
Presenter: Katie Razzall Producers: Darin Graham, Ben Henderson and Larissa Kenne...
Ittai is convinced he’s found his thief, but not everyone is so sure. “I mean, to me, it just sounds like a setup. It sounds like he’s being framed”, one former museum insider tells us.
Peter Higgs is a well respected curator, highly regarded for his expertise on the ancient world and known for helping to return stolen antiquities, not selling them on eBay.
When Ittai shares his evidence with the British Museum, laying out why he th...
The inside story of how ancient treasures were stolen from one of the world’s most renowned institutions. And how one man believes he caught a thief. Omnibus edition part one of two.
Presenter: Katie Razzall Producers: Darin Graham, Ben Henderson and Larissa Kennelly Production Coordinator: Gemma Ashman Mix and sound design : James Beard Composer: Jenny Plant Exec-producer: Joe Kent Investigations Editor: Ed Campbell Series Ed...
As news of the thefts breaks around the world, the boss of the British Museum turns on Ittai. Now he has to fight to clear his name.
And what of the thief? The museum shares details about how they think the thief covered their tracks. Peter Higgs is sacked and when Katie tries to learn more about him she discovers something unexpected.
Presenter: Katie Razzall Producers: Darin Graham, Ben Henderson and Larissa Kennelly Production C...
Ittai Gradel says he sold on some of the gems he thinks came from the British Museum.
A mission to hunt them down leads the team through the backstreets of Paris and to a small town in Germany.
Presenter: Katie Razzall Producers: Darin Graham, Ben Henderson and Larissa Kennelly Production Coordinator: Gemma Ashman Mix and sound design : James Beard Composer: Jenny Plant Exec-producer: Joe Kent Investigations Editor: Ed Campbell...
Katie receives a tip-off that sultan1966 has been selling gems in the US.
After speaking to a buyer in New Orleans, she learns about an even bigger collection of gems offered by the same seller that have ended up in the Washington DC area.
Presenter: Katie Razzall Producers: Darin Graham, Ben Henderson and Larissa Kennelly Production Coordinator: Gemma Ashman Mix and sound design : James Beard Composer: Jenny Plant Exec-produce...
Ittai hands over his gems and the Museum launches a recovery process to try and find more of the missing items. But will it ever get back what has been lost?
Presenter: Katie Razzall Producers: Darin Graham, Ben Henderson and Larissa Kennelly Production Coordinator: Gemma Ashman Mix and sound design : James Beard Composer: Jenny Plant Exec-producer: Joe Kent Investigations Editor: Ed Campbell Series Editor: Matt Willis Commi...
The hidden scandal of Power of Attorney - how one man controls the finances of scores of vulnerable people.
Concerned neighbours ask Sue Mitchell for help in finding out how one man has taken control of the finances of scores of vulnerable people.
This is the hidden scandal of Power of Attorney.
In Hertfordshire towns, people who live alone are disappearing. Their neighbours are wondering why they’ve not seen them, or if they might have died.
Giving someone else control of your finances and decisions – through Lasting Power of Attorney – ...
Maisie was struggling to cope and thought giving someone control of her finances would help: she later regretted signing that Power of Attorney order and tells Sue Mitchell why.
The hidden scandal of Power of Attorney - Concerned neighbours ask Sue Mitchell for help.
Giving someone else control of your finances and decisions – through Lasting Power of Attorney – is meant to come with a guarantee that they always act in your best inte...
Sue Mitchell tracks what happens when a rock and roll roadie leaves his estate to his closest friends. They become increasingly concerned that things aren't being properly handled.
The hidden scandal of Power of Attorney - concerned neighbours ask Sue for help.
This series examines how one man has taken control of the finances of scores of vulnerable people and also acts as executor on many wills. By tracking recent cases through nat...
Pam and Sylvie ask for help finding their friend and warn of the pressure felt to sign Power of Attorney orders. Sue Mitchell helps them search and investigates what has happened.
The hidden scandal of Power of Attorney - concerned neighbours ask Sue for help.
Giving someone else control of your finances and decisions – through Lasting Power of Attorney – is meant to come with a guarantee that they always act in your best interest. I...
Who do people turn to if they fear that vulnerable neighbours need help, especially when relatives live far away? Sue Mitchell follows cases, hearing from some of those involved.
The hidden scandal of Power of Attorney - concerned neighbours ask Sue for help.
This is an original investigation, with recordings in real time, exploring how power of attorney orders can be used for better or worse.
Shadow World: Gripping stories from the s...
A man receives compensation after abuse in a Catholic boarding school and wants to know what has happened to some of his money. He asks Sue Mitchell to help him find out more.
The hidden scandal of Power of Attorney - concerned neighbours ask Sue for help.
Giving someone else control of your finances and decisions – through Lasting Power of Attorney – is meant to come with a guarantee that they always act in your best interest. In th...
The hidden scandal of Power of Attorney – how one man controls the finances of scores of vulnerable people. Sue Mitchell holds those responsible to account and ends with the story of one woman, now on the brink of a new life. She is taking back control of her finances and is on the move.
Giving someone else control of your finances and decisions – through Lasting Power of Attorney – is meant to come with a guarantee that they alway...
When The Willpower Detectives aired on BBC Radio 4, just before Christmas 2024, hundreds of listeners contacted the BBC with their own stories about power of attorney and the way it can be abused. The series revealed how a partner at an Essex based law firm – Ron Hiller – was taking over the finances of vulnerable clients, clearing and selling their homes and leaving them without access to information about where their money had go...
NEW in Shadow World: The Smuggler tells the story of a former British soldier who became an international people smuggler.
In this intimate portrait of a British people smuggler, we hear from the perpetrator directly, to uncover his motivations, methods and the consequences of risking the lives of desperate people. The investigation exposes how the smuggling techniques used are still possible today and details the ease with which sm...
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