Murder, Mystery and My Family

Original version

BBC Two

Knowledge, drama, comedy and the arts for a broad adult audience.

BBC Two is a lively channel of depth and substance, carrying a range of knowledge-building programming complemented by great drama, comedy and arts.

BBC Two Northern Ireland

Documentaries

Factual

Factual: Crime & Justice

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

Series 5

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

BBC One HD

BBC One London

London

BBC One Channel Islands

BBC One North West

BBC One region covering Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire.

BBC One East Midlands

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

BBC One East

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

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

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 Cambridgeshire

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 Oxfordshire

BBC One Yorkshire

BBC One Yorks & Lincs

BBC One West Midlands

BBC One Wales

Wales

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

BBC One Wales 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 Scotland

Scotland

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

BBC One Scotland HD

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

BBC One Northern Ireland 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

Simulcast of BBC Two Northern Ireland in high definition

BBC Two Northern Ireland HD

Sasha Wass

Jeremy Dein

James Pearson

Jonathan Levy

Mike Benson

Simon Cooper

Johanna Scammell

Michael Klokkos

Chalkboard TV

Murder, Mystery and My Family: Series 5: Poff/Barrett

Poff/Barrett

BBC One - Murder, Mystery and My Family, Series 5, Poff/Barrett

Sasha and Jeremy investigate the murder of a landowning farmer in rural Ireland in 1882.

The barristers investigate the mysterious shooting of a landowning farmer in rural Ireland in 1882. Could dubious eyewitness testimony have sent two innocent men to the gallows?

Leading criminal barristers Jeremy Dein QC and Sasha Wass QC investigate the mysterious shooting of a landowning farmer in rural Ireland. After two trials, two men were executed for the crime.  

County Kerry, Ireland, 1882. On an autumnal afternoon in the small village of Dromulton, two boys making their way home from school witnessed a shocking crime. Farmer and landowner Thomas Browne was tending his fields when he was approached by two men in distinctive long black coats. After a short conversation, Browne turned to flee but was shot by the men multiple times at close range. He died instantly. 

Despite no murder weapon being recovered, unemployed tenant farmer Sylvester Poff and his cousin James Barrett were arrested within days and charged with Browne’s murder. An eyewitness claimed she had seen the two men that day, walking near Browne’s field just before his murder. Poff and Barrett stood trial twice, and despite vehemently protesting their innocence, at the second trial they were found guilty and sentenced to death. On 23 January 1883, at Tralee jail, both Sylvester Poff and James Barrett were hanged.   

Today, Sylvester Poff’s great-grandsons Tomo and Michael are determined to prove that their great-grandfather was innocent and the case was a miscarriage of justice. They have enlisted the help of the barristers to re-examine the case. Exploring questions around the reliability of the eyewitness evidence and looking at the turbulent social and political backdrop, Sasha and Jeremy hope to present compelling arguments to Judge Radford that the two convictions were unsafe.

Murder, Mystery and My Family: Series 5

BBC One

Barristers Jeremy Dein and Sasha Wass re-examine historic murder cases.

Accessibility links

Programme Index

Murder, Mystery and My Family

Series 5

Poff/Barrett

Contributors

Genres

Formats

Brand

Series

BBC Two Northern Ireland

About BBC Two