Tuning in…
Tuning in…
Castaway
1 appearance
A leading forensic scientist known for solving cold cases, including the murders of Stephen Lawrence, Damalola Taylor, and Rachel Nickel.
On the island
Eight records
They were favourites of my father, and so therefore became favourites of the whole family, and I particularly like this track because it's a a sort of metaphor for what I've seen in life ever since then, the circularity of things and the way that they come round... it all makes work for the working man to do.
O thou that tellest good tidings to Zion (from Messiah)
Kathleen Ferrier, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Sir Adrian Boult
This is Kathleen Ferrier, because she was a great favourite of my mother's... I didn't like everything that Kathleen sang... but I did like it when she did something more classical, and so I've chosen a a track from the Messiah.
Keyboard Concerto in D major (arr. for trumpet and organ)
Bach, along with Handel, is one of my favourite composers... one of my favourite instruments is the trumpet, and another of my favourite instruments is the organ... they're having a competition about who can play the best... it's a wonderful piece of music.
I do like some forms of pop music, particularly sort of romantic songs, and I remember when I was with my second husband who introduced me to Doctor Hook, and I very much like Doctor Hook's songs and singing.
Da tempeste il legno infranto (from Giulio Cesare)
Danielle de Niese, Les Arts Florissants, William Christie
My fifth choice reflects the moment... when I discovered the joy of real opera for the first time... my partner... took me to see a new production of Julius Caesar Handel's Julius Caesar. And it was absolute magic... I've chosen a song sung by a great opera singer, Danielle Denise, and she is Cleopatra and she is celebrating her lover Caesar's return from war.
Cello Concerto No. 1 in C major
Yo-Yo Ma, English Chamber Orchestra, José Luis Garcia
Haydn's cello concerto... I lost one of my wonderful brothers. He died some years ago and Yo Yama was a friend of his and so he agreed to play at his memorial service... I just wanted to have something by Yo Yama and definitely some cello.
The Bell Anthem (Rejoice in the Lord alway)
Alfred Deller, The Deller Consort
This is to remind me of my son, who is very, very keen, to put it mildly, on church bells... I've chosen the Belle Anthem... the speed with which the piece is played is just perfect for what it's trying to show... you can hear the church bells in the background, and it's absolutely brilliant.
Voi che sapete (from Le nozze di Figaro)Favourite
Joyce DiDonato, Orchestre de l'Opéra National de Lyon, Kazushi Ōno
My final choice has to be the most wonderful opera singer that I've ever come across, Joyce Di Donato... A wonderful song from The Marriage of Figaro and it shows the strength of her voice across all the the full range that she has and the wonderful sound that she can make.
In conversation
Presenter asks
2:23How does creative thinking help you in what you do?
I think really if you're looking for something, searching for something and often you're not quite sure what it is you're looking for, then I think in order to give yourself the best opportunity of finding it, first of all you've got to understand the circumstances and that's why the crime scene is so important. But then you've got to be really imaginative about how you go about testing things, what you test and the order you test them in and all the rest of it. And that requires you to demonstrate a bit of flair... sometimes you have to be much more creative than that.
Presenter asks
6:55What do you remember about [your parents divorcing when you were eleven]?
The difficult thing is, I think, and it's probably true of a lot of people whose parents' marriage breaks up, but you blame yourself and you look at yourself, or you know, in my case it was probably me and my brothers, what had we done, that, you know, had been awful. And it takes a while to get over that. And in fact, it wasn't until I was twenty seven that I actually got my father and understood... why he did this. He was a wonderful man, absolutely charming, very nice man, but he had serial love affairs because he was always searching for that wonderful moment when you fall in love with someone and he was always looking for that.
Presenter asks
15:10The keepsakes
The luxury
Full-scale pipe organ and all the sheet music to accompany it
No, but I would learn to play it.
What can you remember about the first [crime scene] you attended?
It was one of the Yorkshire Ripper series, so again I mean I think it was the way it was though, but you were thrown in very much at the deep end... it was Helen Ritka who was killed in the woodyard in Huddersfield... I had to think about whether or not I was going to be able to cope with it constitutionally because you don't know until you're faced with something whether you can or not... I found for that crime scene and for every crime scene I've ever been to, it's that recognition that something truly terrible has happened and that I must do my very best... I was so consumed with that thought that it actually completely covered over any emotional problems that I might otherwise have had.
Presenter asks
16:41Did your work [after having a young son] make you feel fearful about the dark side of humanity?
I don't think I thought that everybody was a murderer or rapist or anything. The only th way in which I think it has damaged me a bit, not so much for my son, but for myself being a woman, is that I don't, and I haven't for almost ever, gone out for walks on my own in less than well populated areas. And I and I don't like being out late at night because I've seen bodies in all sorts of different environments, and so I can imagine them... that keeps my awareness of very unlikely, absolutely, that you're going to be attacked by anyone, but if you've got unlucky, you just might be, so why don't you not do that?
Presenter asks
20:51Why was [the Roberto Calvi case] very important to you?
I just had the clothing he was wearing... and the stones with which his body had been weighted down, and the rope from around his neck... I said, Yes, yes, I'll see what I can do... and then when the time came, I thought, my goodness, what am I going to do? I've hardly got anything. How can I answer this huge question about murder or suicide? ... I needed a space to erect [the scaffolding] in. And so that turned out to be our back garden... I persuaded my long-suffering husband... he put on a pair of a suit that the Calvy family had supplied... and he performed the various manoeuvres that he would have to... have done had he walked across the scaffolding... that's how I was able to say, Well, actually, if he'd done that you'd expect that, and it's not there and so he would have to have been murdered in some way and then attached to the scaffolding.
Presenter asks
31:48What did going to [Stephen Lawrence's memorial services] mean to you?
I think it just confirmed me in my view that things are not, or certainly weren't, fair... this case wasn't investigated as thoroughly as I would like to think it would be today... I felt very strongly about that... I also was struck by the eloquence, particularly with which Stephen's brother talked about this young lad who had so much to look forward to, and was clearly such a nice boy. It was just heart breaking, really.
“When I find that little shred, that tiny little bit of something, that's when I know I'm onto something. It's that light bulb moment, and it feels like the most exciting thing ever to have happened. That's why I do it.”
“I think I once took him [a Buzz Lightyear toy] to a lecture I was giving to a police force because you see he's got this wonderful phrase to infinity and beyond and that's just where we want to go. I mean obviously keeping it real but I just wanted to give that sense of determination and passion.”
“I owe my whole career, I think, to Mary Thompson [the botany teacher who made plants come alive].”
“I remember saying, Yes, yes, I'll see what I can do. I remember saying that. And then when the time came, I thought, my goodness, what am I going to do? I've hardly got anything. How can I answer this huge question about murder or suicide?”
“I think it was brought really firmly into focus when I met for the first time one of the Cardiff Five... John Actie, who has had a terrible time and seeing the dignity with which he's coped with the whole thing. It is awe inspiring, I think.”
“I would like to take a full church organ and all the sheet music that you could possibly think of to accompany it... Could you play it? No, but I would learn to play it.”