Sport's Strangest Crimes

Trailer 01.06.2021

This is the story of the world’s most high-profile kidnap...of a horse. Welcome to Epsom, the year is 1981 and Shergar, a prized stallion, has just won the 202nd Derby by ten lengths - the longest winning margin in the race’s history. Owned by the Aga Khan, the millionaire community leader, the champion horse gained international prominence and was regarded as a national hero during a difficult period in Irish history. On a cold winter night in 1983, a group of armed men entered the Ballymany Stud in balaclavas and stole the stallion declaring: "We have come for Shergar. We want £2 million for him." The codeword for future negotiations was to be King Neptune. While the facts of this case have been widely reported, this series unpicks the theories about the disappearance. We’ll revisit all the bizarre events that took place after the kidnap, from psychics to horse skulls to negotiations led by English journalists. We unpick the police case and the comedy character leading it, trilby-wearing superintendent James Murphy and meet the sport’s journalist Derek “Tommo” Thompson who was flown to Belfast to negotiate the release. Using archives, news reports and new interviews, we go along on a ride that has some strange turns, oddball characters and juicy conspiracies. Almost 40 years on from his kidnap, we look back at a story that gripped the world to try and understand why the horse’s legacy still lives on. Told by the Texan tones of Vanilla Ice, we’ll reveal some of the strange theories that made this Irish story go global.

1. And They're Off! 01.06.2021 27min

A horse is kidnapped in the middle of the night. His name was Shergar.He’s not just any horse, he's a prize-winning racehorse owned by an enigmatic spiritual leader, made famous for winning the 1981 Epsom Derby by 10 lengths.A celebrity, a symbol of hope for Ireland, but mostly a real money earner. He was retired and ready to produce more prize-winning offspring, when suddenly he was taken.Vanilla Ice has become fascinated with the story and sets the scene...

2. Thieves in the Night 01.06.2021 25min

A cold and stormy night in Ireland is made even more terrifying by the presence of armed and masked men.“We’ve come to take Shergar, we want £2,000,000”Kidnappings were not unusual in Ireland at this time, except most of the time it was humans that were taken... some never came back.Who would want a horse? A stallion that no longer raced?

3. A Kidnap is Announced 01.06.2021 26min

The international press had a field day, filling the front pages and the lead item on the news. The world was now watching the case develop. A horse kidnap dominated our screens.Gossip, rumours, lies, confusion. The papers get tip offs, false calls and leads that sound legitimate.Then suddenly the kidnappers have one weird request: they're ready to negotiate, but want to speak to three English journalists.

4. Send in the Cavalry 01.06.2021 30min

The Europa 3, unsuspecting sports journalists get flown to Belfast, over 100 miles from the crime scene to a farm belonging to horse trainers the Maxwells.Phone calls ensue, back and forth, details change, voices get more menacing. The police are on hand to try and trace the calls, but for some reason, they can’t find them.Suddenly negotiations stop, there is a pause, then one final phone call.

5. The Decoy 01.06.2021 26min

Questions emerge about the validity of the calls outside Belfast and attention is drawn elsewhere where parallel secret negotiations seem to be happening with the mysterious leader and main owner of Shergar, the Aga Khan.But nothing can stop the rumour mill from churning and there are reports Shergar is in Libya with Gadaffi and also that he has been taken by the New Orleans mafia.It becomes impossible to separate fact from fiction.

6. Proof of Life 01.06.2021 27min

Whilst the horse wasn’t just owned by the Aga Khan, but in fact a syndicate of many shareholders, this episode focuses on one shareholder that had a lot to lose. Stan Cosgrove. The Vet.He was keen to get his insurance payout, but the only way to do so was to prove that Shergar was in fact dead. Coordinating with the kidnappers he organised to get a polaroid to prove the horse was still alive.

7. The Final Furlong 01.06.2021 35min

The police used many methods to locate Shergar and most interestingly they sought help from psychics, diviners and the mysterious Mobius group. They claimed to be able to locate Shergar and used parts of his saddle to sniff him out.A supergrass emerges claiming he knows the identity of the masked men. Is this the end?Not for Shergar’s legacy, his sporting achievements are still adored and his name used widely today to symbolise something we may never see again.

Introducing…Bloodgate 10.03.2025 1min

Rugby union was rocked to its core by an episode that involved deception, cover-ups, recriminations and life-changing consequences for those involved.  Hosted by actor and award-winning documentary maker Ross Kemp, with reporting by BBC rugby union correspondent Chris Jones, this series uncovers new details and untold stories about the infamous ‘Bloodgate’ scandal.Kemp takes listeners on an intense journey into how a simple blood capsule triggered a series of events that shook the sport. At the heart of this story is Tom Williams, the young Harlequins player who found himself caught up in a scheme to cheat during a critical match. He opens up about his role in the cover-ups and the decision to blow the whistle on the whole operation, revealing the conspiracies, secret deals, and the aftermath.  The podcast not only features interviews with rugby icons like Brian O’Driscoll, Shane Horgan, Ugo Monye, Nick Easter and referee Nigel Owens, who were on the pitch on that fateful day, but also esteemed journalists and investigators, who reveal how they exposed the plot and covered the messy consequences.

1. Dandies to Dark Arts 15.03.2025 27min

Ross Kemp visits the Clapham joke shop at the origin of the Bloodgate cheating scandal that brought rugby union to its knees.We learn how the advent of professionalism in the 1990s brought a new win-at-all-costs mentality to the sport.And Harlequins players Tom Williams, Ugo Monye and Nick Easter explain how new coach Dean Richards transformed the club from entertaining also-rans into ruthless winners who began to push the rules to their limits and beyond.Could a loophole in the laws around blood injuries boost their chances of European silverware?Narrator: Ross Kemp Reporter/Interviewer: Chris Jones Writer/Producer: Sam Sheringham Story editor: Tom Fuller Sound design/production: Jesse Howard Digital Producers: Sam Huxley and Stephen Trenchard Assistant producers: Metin Yilmaz, Jack Wood, Mujtaba Ali and Victoria Turner BBC 5 Live Sport podcast editor: Matt Smith Commissioner: Stevie Middleton

2. It’s Not Real Blood 22.03.2025 24min

The story of one rugby's most notorious matches, told by those who were there.A European Cup quarter-final between Harlequins and Leinster was always going to be big - but nobody knew how big.Players from both sides including Ugo Monye and Brian O’Driscoll, commentators, coaches and referee Nigel Owens recall how events unfolded before, during and after the moment that Tom Williams staggered from the field with fake blood dripping from his mouth.The Leinster officials see through the plot straight away - but can they expose the wrongdoing?Narrator: Ross Kemp Reporter/Interviewer: Chris Jones Writer/Producer: Sam Sheringham Story editor: Tom Fuller Sound design/production: Jesse Howard Digital Producers: Sam Huxley and Stephen Trenchard Assistant producers: Metin Yilmaz, Jack Wood, Mujtaba Ali and Victoria Turner BBC 5 Live Sport podcast editor: Matt Smith Commissioner: Stevie Middleton

3. The Cover-ups 29.03.2025 28min

Gripping testimony from the Harlequins dressing-room as Tom Williams persuades club doctor Wendy Chapman to help cover up his act of cheating.But when new footage emerges of Tom appearing to chew on a fake blood capsule, European Rugby prosecutors decide to press charges against the player, his coach and the club.Quins agree a cover story - but will it hold water when matters come to a head at a Bloodgate hearing in central London?Narrator: Ross Kemp Reporter/Interviewer: Chris Jones Writer/Producer: Sam Sheringham Story editor: Tom Fuller Sound design/production: Jesse Howard Digital Producers: Sam Huxley and Stephen Trenchard Assistant producers: Metin Yilmaz, Jack Wood, Mujtaba Ali and Victoria Turner BBC 5 Live Sport podcast editor: Matt Smith Commissioner: Stevie Middleton

4. Downfall 05.04.2025 26min

After receiving his 12-month ban, Tom Williams faces pressure from the club and his team-mates as he considers blowing the whistle on the Bloodgate plot. We hear about secret meetings between Tom and the club’s board and horse-trading over what level of financial incentive might persuade him not to reveal the truth.It leads to a showdown at a board member’s house in Cobham, a decisive intervention from Tom’s girlfriend Alex and a shock resignation.Narrator: Ross Kemp Reporter/Interviewer: Chris Jones Writer/Producer: Sam Sheringham Story editor: Tom Fuller Sound design/production: Jesse Howard Digital Producers: Sam Huxley and Stephen Trenchard Assistant producers: Metin Yilmaz, Jack Wood, Mujtaba Ali and Victoria Turner BBC 5 Live Sport podcast editor: Matt Smith Commissioner: Stevie Middleton

5. The Biggest Beast in The Jungle 12.04.2025 25min

Bloodgate is big news - and it’s about to get even bigger…Dean Richards’ resignation has thrust Bloodgate onto the front and back pages - but details of the cover-ups remain outside the public domain.That’s until Paul Kelso, sports news correspondent for the Daily Telegraph, arrives on the scene. While Kelso, now a Sky news correspondent, starts to release details of the murky aftermath to the cheating plot, Tom Williams prepares to reveal all.Everything comes to a head at a hearing in Glasgow, with life-changing consequences for some of the key figures in the Bloodgate plot.Narrator: Ross Kemp Reporter/Interviewer: Chris Jones Writer/Producer: Sam Sheringham Story editor: Tom Fuller Sound design/production: Jesse Howard Digital Producers: Sam Huxley and Stephen Trenchard Assistant producers: Metin Yilmaz, Jack Wood, Mujtaba Ali and Victoria Turner BBC 5 Live Sport podcast editor: Matt Smith Commissioner: Stevie Middleton

6. Rugby’s Reckoning 19.04.2025 26min

With the full Bloodgate scandal now exposed, rugby enters a period of soul-searching.Fallen Harlequins coach Dean Richards makes allegations that blood cheating goes to the very top of the game, while Ugo Monye adds his weight to the argument that other teams are culpable.And when Tom Williams returns to the rugby pitch, he’s given a less than warm welcome by opponent Chris Ashton.Narrator: Ross Kemp Reporter/Interviewer: Chris Jones Writer/Producer: Sam Sheringham Story editor: Tom Fuller Sound design/production: Jesse Howard Digital Producers: Sam Huxley and Stephen Trenchard Assistant producers: Metin Yilmaz, Jack Wood, Mujtaba Ali and Victoria Turner BBC 5 Live Sport podcast editor: Matt Smith Commissioner: Stevie Middleton

7. Redemption and Beyond 26.04.2025 29min

New coach Conor O’Shea sets about transforming Harlequins’ fortunes and restoring their reputation.Tom Williams rediscovers his form and helps the club to the Premiership final - the ultimate opportunity for redemption.Dean Richards returns to rugby with Newcastle and reflects on the Bloodgate episode, while some of the key figures in the series offer opinions on the legacy of the scandal.Narrator: Ross Kemp Reporter/Interviewer: Chris Jones Writer/Producer: Sam Sheringham Story editor: Tom Fuller Sound design/production: Jesse Howard Assistant producers: Metin Yilmaz, Jack Wood, Mujtaba Ali and Victoria Turner BBC 5 Live Sport podcast editor: Matt Smith Commissioner: Stevie Middleton

Introducing... Hansie Cronje: Fall From Grace 25.07.2025 2min

Hansie Cronje had it all — captain of South Africa, adored by a nation, trusted by Nelson Mandela. A symbol of hope in the post-apartheid era. Then came the Centurion Test: a rain-ruined match is suddenly back on, thanks to a strange decision by Hansie. At first, it looks like good sportsmanship — until a wiretap in India catches something shocking. What unfolds next will change cricket forever. In Sport’s Strangest Crimes - Hansie Cronje: Fall From Grace, former England cricketer Mark Butcher traces the rise and collapse of a national hero — from quiet warning signs and secret phone calls to a dramatic confession and a televised inquiry. But even as Hansie admits to more than just Centurion, many believe the investigation didn’t go far enough. Sixty-three offshore bank accounts are discovered. Links to other players emerge. And just as pressure builds for a deeper probe — Hansie dies in a plane crash. Some say pilot error. Others aren’t so sure. Was Hansie manipulated by a powerful network of fixers? Or was he the one pulling the strings? With testimony from teammates, journalists, investigators and those who knew him best, Mark unpacks a story of power, money, and the dark side of sport. More than two decades on, people are still asking: who was the real Hansie Cronje?

1. Bigger than Becks 30.07.2025 26min

In the mid-90s, Hansie Cronje was South Africa’s golden boy, the God-fearing captain backed by Nelson Mandela and worshipped by a nation. More than just a cricketer, he was a symbol of hope. But were the cracks there all along? In the first episode of Sport’s Strangest Crimes - Hansie Cronje: Fall From Grace, former England cricketer, Mark Butcher revisits the rise of a man who seemed too good to be true and maybe was. Teammates, journalists and friends paint a picture of a leader everyone trusted… until they didn’t. Because before you fall from grace, you’ve got to be on a pedestal.

2. England and the Infamous Forfeits 06.08.2025 26min

It’s the final Test of a five-match series, and everyone’s already packed their bags. Three days of rain, no result, nothing to play for. Then out of nowhere, Hansie Cronje makes an offer, and the game is back on. In Episode 2, Mark Butcher takes us inside one of the weirdest days he’s ever seen on a cricket field. At the time, it looked like a stroke of sportsmanship. But in hindsight? Let’s just say not everything is as it seems.

3. Brown Envelopes 13.08.2025 27min

The Centurion Test is over. Hansie’s praised for “saving” the match. But rewind 24 hours and the real story starts to unfold. In Episode 3, we go behind the scenes of a game that never should’ve happened - cryptic calls, hotel whispers, and a captain running his own playbook. Then, by pure chance, someone’s listening. And suddenly, Hansie’s house of cards starts to wobble.