Murder, Mystery and My Family

Original version

The BBC North East & Cumbria region started in 1959 (tbc) as part of the BBC Television Service, before becoming BBC One North East & Cumbria.

BBC One North East & Cumbria

Documentaries

Factual

Factual: Crime & Justice

Top criminal barristers Sasha Wass and Jeremy Dein reinvestigate historical cases.

Series 2

BBC Two

BBC Two is a TV channel that started broadcasting on the 20th April 1964.

BBC One London

London

Simulcast of network BBC One in high definition. From 03/11/2010

BBC One HD

BBC Northern Ireland region started on 19th April 1955 as part of the BBC Television Service, before becoming BBC One Northern Ireland.

BBC One Northern Ireland

Simulcast of BBC One Northern Ireland in high definition. From 24/10/2012

BBC One Northern Ireland HD

BBC One Wales

Wales

Simulcast of BBC One Wales in high definition. From 29/01/2013

BBC One Wales HD

BBC One Scotland

Scotland

Simulcast of BBC One Scotland in high definition. From 14/01/2013

BBC One Scotland HD

The BBC East region started on 1st May 1959 as part of the BBC Television Service, before becoming BBC One East.

BBC One East

BBC One Cambridgeshire

The BBC South West region started on 20th April 1961 as part of the BBC Television Service, before becoming BBC One South West.

BBC One South West

BBC One Channel Islands

The BBC South region started on 5th January 1961 as part of the BBC Television Service, before becoming BBC One South.

BBC One South

BBC One Oxfordshire

BBC One West Midlands

BBC One region covering Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire.

BBC One East Midlands

BBC One North West

Formerly part of a wider BBC One South East region that included London and part of the South region. Separated from BBC One London 2001-09-03 following reorganisation of the South East region.

BBC One South East

The BBC West region started on 1st September 1957 as part of the BBC Television Service, before becoming BBC One West.

BBC One West

BBC One Yorkshire

BBC One Yorks & Lincs

BBC Two England

England

Simulcast of network BBC Two in high definition.

BBC Two HD

Until 03/01/2009 BBC Two Wales (analogue) was known simply as BBC Two Wales. BBC Two Wales (digital) was BBC 2W. From 03/01/2009 BBC Two Wales schedules on both analogue and digital became identical

BBC Two Wales

Simulcast of BBC Two Wales in high definition

BBC Two Wales HD

BBC Two Northern Ireland

Simulcast of BBC Two Northern Ireland in high definition

BBC Two Northern Ireland HD

Sasha Wass

Jeremy Dein

Mike Benson

Michael Klokkos

Zlatina Rankova

Lorna Hartnett

Simon Cooper

Murder, Mystery and My Family: Series 2: Episode 3

Episode 3

BBC One - Murder, Mystery and My Family, Series 2, Episode 3Close menu

The barristers investigate a curious case of poisoning in Croydon in 1907.

The barristers investigate a curious case of poisoning in Croydon. It's a tale of deceit, suspected fraud and a murder that caused the demise of an innocent family in 1907.

Leading Criminal Barristers Sasha Wass and Jeremy Dein investigate a curious case of poisoning in Croydon in 1907 that caused the demise of an innocent family.

In South Croydon in 1907, a ghastly poisoning occured. The victims, husband and wife Richard and Elizabeth Beck, were discovered by police lying dead on their kitchen floor, with their daughter Daisy severely ill on the sofa. Officers noted a peculiar smell that hung in the air, found to emanate from a bottle of oatmeal stout left on the table and soon identified to have contained prussic acid, the cause of death. Police quickly tracked down and questioned the family’s lodger, Reginald Parker, who in turn pointed the finger at a visitor who had called earlier that evening.

That visitor was no stranger. Richard Brinkley, 53, was well known to Parker, who spun a tale of a deceitful man, a fraudster with murderous intent. He claimed that it was not the Becks but he, Parker, who Brinkley wanted dead. Despite vehemently denying all accusations, Brinkley stood trial, and with his friend Parker as the prosecution’s star witness, he was swiftly found guilty and sentenced to death.

More than a century later, Roly and Nigel, the great-great grandsons of Richard Brinkley, want to learn the truth about their ancestor. Could he have really committed such a heinous crime?

Jeremy and Sasha explore the motive at the centre of the case and discover that there may be more to the friendship of Brinkley and Parker. Can they unearth new evidence to convince a crown court judge that Brinkley’s conviction was unsafe?

Murder, Mystery and My Family: Series 2

BBC One

BBC One is a TV channel that started broadcasting on the 20th April 1964. It replaced BBC Television.

BBC 1

BBC1

Jeremy Dein and Sasha Wass re-examine historic murder cases 

Top criminal barristers, Jeremy Dein and Sasha Wass tackle potential miscarriages of justice as they re-examine historic murder cases on behalf of the family of those convicted.

Accessibility links

Programme Index

Murder, Mystery and My Family

Series 2

Episode 3

Contributors

Genres

Formats

Brand

Series

BBC One North East & Cumbria

About BBC One