Murder, Mystery and My Family

Original version

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

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.

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

BBC One HD

BBC One London

London

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

BBC One Northern Ireland 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

BBC One Wales

Wales

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

BBC One Wales 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

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

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

BBC One North West

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

BBC One 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

BBC One Yorkshire

BBC One Yorks & Lincs

BBC One Scotland

Scotland

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

BBC One Scotland HD

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

Jeremy Dein

Sasha Wass

Mike Benson

Michael Klokkos

Zlatina Rankova

Lorna Hartnett

Simon Cooper

Chalkboard TV

Murder, Mystery and My Family: Series 2: Episode 8

Episode 8

BBC One - Murder, Mystery and My Family, Series 2, Episode 8

The barristers review the case of a mother prosecuted for poisoning her family.

The barristers investigate the case of a mother accused of murdering her family at the height of a 'poison panic' in Victorian Britain.

Leading barristers Jeremy Dein and Sasha Wass investigate whether a young mother accused of poisoning her family in 1850 was hanged as a result of hearsay and gossip.

In the mid-19th century, a 'poison panic' gripped Victorian Britain when a slew of murders, many perpetrated by women, caused national hysteria. Their weapon of choice was an easily available powdered poison called arsenic. So, in May 1850, when 43-year-old farm labourer Richard Chesham died after a long illness in a small Essex village, rumour was rife that his wife, 42-year-old Sarah Chesham, was somehow responsible for his death.

Sarah had gained a reputation as a serial poisoner three years earlier when she was accused of killing three local boys using poison. She was acquitted on all charges, but the shadow of these grisly events hung over her.

Ordered to stand trial for the attempted murder of her husband despite little evidence against her, Sarah, with no lawyer acting in her defence, was swiftly found guilty and sentenced to hang. Now, more than 160 years and four generations later, Sarah’s cousin Roz Powell has become engrossed in her ancestor’s sensational story and is determined to prove her innocence.

Jeremy and Sasha help Roz uncover new evidence as they delve deep into the historic records, reviewing the medical evidence, analysing the impact of the controversial media coverage and unpicking the legal process of the time. But can they convince a modern-day judge that Sarah Chesham was the victim of a miscarriage of justice?

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 8

Contributors

Genres

Formats

Brand

Series

BBC One South West

About BBC One