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Listening to the Dead - Forensics uncoveredAuthor: Lynda La Plante and Cass Sutherland
If you want to know what criminal investigation is like in real life, then get ready for a podcast that puts YOU at the crime scene. This series will look at the latest developments, the famous cases and how the forensic scientists are meeting the challenge laid down by a criminal who is forensically aware. Lynda La Plante has always been fascinated by criminality and the people that solve crime. Her books are celebrated for their authentic depictions of crime scenes and police procedures something she achieves through meticulous research with her colleague, CSI Cass Sutherland. Over six episodes, Lynda and Cass will investigate six branches of forensics: discussing their own experiences, talking with experts, hearing how real life crime scenes are worked, exploring the latest innovations and demonstrating how CSI fact is even more thrilling than CSI fiction. Episodes will reveal how plant regrowth can be used to track a killers path months after a crime was committed; how a fly on the wall can be more than an observer; why the sibling defence can unravel DNA evidence; and why a dogs nose can sniff out cases of arson that the scientists miss. A murderer is 20% more likely to be convicted if forensic evidence can be presented in court by the prosecution. Yet fingerprints are currently recovered from only 40% of crime scenes, and DNA at a mere 10%. Now more than ever, forensic scientists are under pressure to improve their success rate their challenge is to advance their crafts and uncover the hidden clues that are left at every crime scene. Join author Lynda La Plante and former detective Cass Sutherland for a series that reveals the real secrets of CSI. Language: en Genres: Science, True Crime Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it Trailer: |
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S4 Ep6: Body Farms – Part 2
Episode 6
Monday, 11 August, 2025
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 episode we look at the reasons why Anna has found it so challenging to establish a UK body farm and what value it might bring to our forensic sciences. 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 and many more. To learn more about Anna’s work on Forensic Taphonomy in the UK, visit: https://htf4uk.blogspot.com and http://www.forensicanna.com —— 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
