Shadow World

Episodes

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  Thief at the British Museum: 9. An Ending, a Beginning 27.05.2024 18m

  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 Commissioning Executive: Tracy Williams Commissioning Editor: Dan Clarke
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  The Willpower Detectives: 1. The Doorstep Stranger 09.12.2024 33m

  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 – is meant to come with a guarantee that they always act in your best interest. In this series, BBC investigative reporter Sue Mitchell explores a widespread business practice where some people are moved out of their homes and left with no idea what is happening to their money. It often involves people with little or no family to ask questions about where they are moved to, or to challenge the fees involved. It can be people who’ve accumulated wealth over a lifetime, whose assets are now helping to fund those who are taking decisions for them. The series looks at the loopholes that allow it to happen and the relationship between care homes, social workers and a business taking on a huge number of powers of attorney. It begins with the concerned friends and relatives who want to know what has happened to their neighbour or loved one; Where have they gone? And why has their home been emptied and sold? 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 shadows - BBC investigations from across the UK.Presented by Sue Mitchell Produced by Sue Mitchell, Joel Moors and Winifred Robinson
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  The Willpower Detectives: 2. A Trust Betrayed 09.12.2024 28m

  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 interest. In this series, BBC investigative reporter Sue Mitchell explores a widespread business practice where some people are moved out of their homes and left with no idea what is happening to their money. It often involves people with little or no family to ask questions about where they are moved to, or to challenge the fees involved. It can be people who’ve accumulated wealth over a lifetime, whose assets are now helping to fund those who are taking decisions for them.Shadow World: Gripping stories from the shadows - BBC investigations from across the UK. Presented by Sue Mitchell Produced by Sue Mitchell, Joel Moors and Winifred Robinson
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  The Willpower Detectives: 3. My Dying Wish 09.12.2024 31m

  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 national databases, Sue Mitchell meets friends and relatives of some of those who have died and examines concerns about the way that things were handled.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 shadows - BBC investigations from across the UKPresented by Sue Mitchell Produced by Sue Mitchell, Joel Moors and Winifred Robinson
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  The Willpower Detectives: 4. Undue Influence 09.12.2024 30m

  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. In this series, BBC investigative reporter Sue Mitchell explores a widespread business practice where some people are moved out of their homes and left with no idea what is happening to their money. 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 shadows - BBC investigations from across the UK. Presented by Sue Mitchell Produced by Sue Mitchell, Joel Moors and Winifred Robinson
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  The Willpower Detectives: 5. Rich Pickings 09.12.2024 30m

  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 shadows - BBC investigations from across the UK. Presented by Sue Mitchell Produced by Sue Mitchell, Joel Moors and Winifred Robinson
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  The Willpower Detectives: 6. Falling on Deaf Ears 09.12.2024 27m

  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 this series, BBC investigative reporter Sue Mitchell explores a widespread business practice where some people are moved out of their homes and left with no idea what is happening to their money.Shadow World: Gripping stories from the shadows - BBC investigations from across the UK. Presented by Sue Mitchell Produced by Sue Mitchell, Joel Moors and Winifred Robinson
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  The Willpower Detectives: 7. Rescue Me 12.12.2024 32m

  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 always act in your best interest. In this series, BBC investigative reporter Sue Mitchell explores a widespread business practice where some people are moved out of their homes and left with no idea what is happening to their money. It often involves people with little or no family to ask questions about where they are moved to, or to challenge the fees involved. It can be people who’ve accumulated wealth over a lifetime, whose assets are now helping to fund those who are taking decisions for them. The series looks at the loopholes that allow it to happen and the relationship between care homes, social workers and a business taking on a huge number of powers of attorney. It begins with the concerned friends and relatives who want to know what has happened to their neighbour or loved one; Where have they gone? And why has their home been emptied and sold? 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 shadows - BBC investigations from across the UK. Presented by Sue Mitchell Produced by Sue Mitchell, Joel Moors and Winifred Robinson
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  The Willpower Detectives: 8. Nearest and Dearest 29.03.2025 37m

  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 gone.In many of the stories from listeners, it was family members - siblings, partners, and grandchildren - who were taking control of assets and in some instances, overseeing the drafting of new wills. This additional episode relates one extraordinary story among those hundreds. A wealthy businessman gifted each of his grandchildren a property. Sue Mitchell discovers what happened when one grandchild used power of attorney to take more.The programme exposes the difficulties involved when assessing mental capacity, especially when it comes to deciding who has financial control.Presented by Sue Mitchell Produced by Sue Mitchell, Joel Moors and Winifred Robinson. Sound design by Tom Bignell
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  The Smuggler: 1. The Passport 24.05.2025 14m

  British builder Nick is struggling after the 2008 financial crash. He receives an offer from an Albanian people smuggling gang that’s too good to refuse.Presenter - Annabel Deas Producer - Hayley Mortimer Sound design - Neil Churchill Editor - Matt Willis Commissioning Executive - Tracy Williams Commissioning Editor - Dan Clarke Series music - Ambit Sound
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  The Smuggler: 2. Nick’s First Time 24.05.2025 14m

  Nick is desperate to provide for his new family. He travels to Dunkirk to smuggle an illegal migrant into the UK. Meanwhile, a police operation swings into action.
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  The Smuggler: 3. The Mistake 24.05.2025 14m

  Nick is growing in confidence, smuggling migrants across the channel on ferries. But human error is impossible to avoid.
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  The Smuggler: 4. The Final Border 24.05.2025 14m

  After serving time in prison for people smuggling, Nick becomes an informant, providing information about the Albanian gang.
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  The Smuggler: 5. The Crossing 24.05.2025 14m

  Nick buys a boat and searches for a new smuggling route across the English Channel.
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  The Smuggler: 6. The Vietnamese Connection 24.05.2025 14m

  Nick is paid thousands of pounds to bring Vietnamese migrants into the UK. But at what cost?
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  The Smuggler: 7. A Dangerous Journey 24.05.2025 14m

  Nick evades the police in France. But his boat is broken and taking on water. Meanwhile, journalist Annabel Deas hears about the dangerous journeys taken by Vietnamese migrants.Presenter - Annabel Deas Producer - Hayley Mortimer Sound design - Neil Churchill Researcher - Isabel Kimbrey Editor - Matt Willis Commissioning Executive - Tracy Williams Commissioning Editor - Dan Clarke Series music - Ambit Sound
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  The Smuggler: 8. The Boat Theory 24.05.2025 14m

  After a near escape, Nick vows to never smuggle again. Meanwhile, police build a theory that Nick is smuggling Vietnamese migrants to work on cannabis farms.
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  The Smuggler: 9. The Arrest 24.05.2025 14m

  Nick arrives in Kent with four Vietnamese migrants on his boat. But he’s met by police who arrest him for people smuggling.
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  The Smuggler: 10. A Hidden Network 24.05.2025 14m

  Journalist Annabel Deas speaks to experts who fear Nick’s routes and methods are a back door for other people smugglers
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  The Grave Robbers: 1. My Dear Friend 05.07.2025 34m

  Two sisters, set to receive a surprise life-changing inheritance, have it snatched away by a stranger. As Sue Mitchell investigates, she reveals how fake wills are being used to strip the estates of the dead and deny rightful heirs what is rightfully theirs.This new narrative podcast from multi award winning investigative reporter Sue Mitchell (Intrigue: To Catch a Scorpion, Million Dollar Lover) reveals a crime that’s gone unreported until now and a system that is struggling to stop it.