Smoking Gun
In every murder investigation, there's one key item that could bring a killer to justice.
But finding it....and knowing what evidence it contains....well that's the challenge. Because the smoking gun could be anything. A bouquet of flowers...a Chinese meal...a mosquito.
In this series we tell the remarkable true stories of how everyday items such as these have been the key to unlocking a criminal case. And we unpack the science - revealing the cutting edge techniques and the disciplines mastered over decades, which allow specialist forensic scientists to find this evidence.
Hosted by actor Romola Garai, and the UK's most prominent forensic scientist Tracy Alexander.
Episodes
Episode 20: The Billboard
In the late 80s in picturesque Tampa bay, the bodies of three women were discovered floating in the water. The case gripped the nation; and the hunt for their killer reached fever pitch. In the ultimate cautionary tale, a detective refuses to give up, and turns to the help of the public, and a giant billboard, in a bid to catch the culprit.
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20/10/22·31m 15s
An update, and a brand new show!
Series 2 of Smoking Gun is coming to a close - but we've got good news about more content.
And we want to tell you about a brand new show, called Con Juan, made by the people behind Smoking Gun, which launches today!
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19/10/22·3m 25s
Episode 19: The Cat Hair
After a body was discovered on Southsea Beach in Hampshire, it became a race against time to establish who it belonged to, and how they’d died. But as so many of the body parts were missing, this was no easy feat. This is the heart-breaking story of friends turned enemies, mental health issues, and the perils of owning a cat if you’re a murderer.
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13/10/22·31m 4s
Episode 18: The Toilet Tissue
When Colette Aram went missing after setting off on the short walk to her boyfriends house there was immediate alarm. Detectives and her family searched through the night. But when morning came, and a body was discovered a short distance away, it was immediately obvious that there was a killer in the community. For decades, detectives searched for that man - spurred on by a DNA profile which they thought could belong to the killer. But it would take an extraordinary sequence of events to finally provide the clue which identified the most unlikely of murderers.
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06/10/22·31m 53s
Episode 17: The Korean Rope
Our Smoking Gun in this episode could have been a rope swing in Canada. It could have been used on a trawler in the china sea. Or on a building site in France. Instead, it became a crucial piece of evidence – used to convict a serial killer, who was hiding in plain sight.
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29/09/22·35m 29s
Episode 16: The Vacuum
A rancher’s son spotted the body of a young woman lying by the banks of a river in remote Utah. Police could identify 17-year-old Krystal Lynn Beslanowitch, but what had happened to her – and how her body had ended up there - was a mystery. Follow us as we walk through the leads detective followed, experience the breakthroughs of this surprising case, and learn how a pioneering invention designed to stop food poisoning eventually convicted the killer.
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22/09/22·30m 24s
Episode 15: The Ornamental Frog
Solving crime is all about considering every possibility. Gut instincts are part of a detectives DNA, but so is methodical processing of facts, and blue sky thinking.
In this case - police had to use both, to identify human remains - understand how they'd arrived in a small communal garden, and then to conclude if a crime had been committed. The clue to unlock of all of this, was the most unexpected of items... an ornament, of a frog on a lillypad.
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15/09/22·32m 20s
Episode 14: The Coke Can
In a suburban town in Colorado, the body of Sylvia Qualye was discovered by her father, lying on the floor of her living room. Her brutal murder sparked an investigation which would span 40 years, and rely on the incredible forensic progression of that time - as well as the diligent detective work which preserved a key and unlikely piece of evidence... a coke can.
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08/09/22·33m 32s
Episode 13: The Rolex Watch
When a murder investigation begins by trying to identify the victim - detectives know the case will be long and complex. But this story takes that to the extreme. A case which began with the discovery of a body in the waters around Britain, took police on the trail of a con man originally from Canada... but who was who? Who was dead? And who was responsible?
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01/09/22·41m 59s
Episode 12: The Concrete Block
When a man began confessing to police about a murder - you could be forgiven for thinking the case would quickly be solved. But in reality - the confession would spark one of the most complex and intricate investigations these detectives had ever been involved in. This is a case which would only get resolved after evidence was extracted from a concrete block, and the true sequence of events, and he people behind them, were revealed.
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25/08/22·34m 41s
Episode 11: The Postage Stamp
The opening episode of Season Two unpicks the story of Yara Gambriasio, and the investigation into her murder. This is a story of how DNA was thought to lead to a suspect, but time and time again what appeared to be a promising lead, turned into false hope. But with methodical deductions and a steadfast determination, a killer was finally identified, thanks to the existence of a 10-year-old postage stamp.
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18/08/22·40m 44s
Episode 10: The Lego Brick
When Lucille Johnson was found murdered in her own home, it wasn't the murder weapon, or the method of entry which would provide the clue as to what had happened. In this episode, we tell the story of how Lego bricks provided answers in a case which threatened to go unsolved, and unmasked a killer who had tragically already gone on to kill again. In the final episode of the season we tell one of the most tragic and shocking cases of a double killer who twice thought he had evaded capture - but couldn't stay ahead of the law.
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14/07/22·34m 11s
Episode 9: The Pyjamas
Arriving at a house with three dead bodies, and one seriously injured witness, detectives faced an uphill battle to make sense of the scene, and identify the offenders. And they didn't expect that a pair of pyjamas would contain the vital clues which could explain the events and bring the case to a dramatic conclusion.
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07/07/22·35m 54s
Episode 8: The Potato
Detectives have many tools at their disposal. And when a suspect is in their sights, they'll explore them all - in the hope they can provide the evidence they need. But it's rare that something as simple as a potato can confirm their suspicions. In this episode we explore a baffling disappearance, which evolved into a murder enquiry. But while the suspect was under investigation, it would take an incredibly detailed forensic hunt to finally prove the case against him.
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30/06/22·34m 36s
Episode 7: The Nail File
When police investigated a potential serial killer, on the streets of Manchester, England, they feared they had an even bigger problem. The evidence pointed to TWO killers, operating at the same time, in the same city.
This episode tells the story of one of the UK's lesser known, but most dangerous murderers, and how he used a nail file to avoid detection and continue his killing spree - fooling forensic officers until the horrific truth finally came to light.
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23/06/22·34m 7s
Episode 6: The Human Brain
A detective will know that fingerprints, strands of hair, and spatters of blood can be vital clues when investigating a murder. But in this episode we tell the story of how a human brain - donated to medical science - would provide the smoking gun in one of the most extraordinary murder cases ever seen in the UK.
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16/06/22·42m 14s
Episode 5: The Dog Collar
Faced with a complex crime scene, and no suspects - police officers had the painstaking task of trawling hundreds of potential clues in the hope of a breakthrough. In this episode we tell the story of how detectives who refused to give in, combined with cutting edge science, to first identify a suspect, and then prove the case against him.
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09/06/22·38m 33s
Episode 4: The Chinese Takeaway
When officers visit the scene of a murder - they don't often know where the smoking gun of evidence will be found. In this story - we tell the story of Cassandra McDermott - whose death initially proved to be a mystery - until detectives found clues from a Chinese Takeaway which pointed to who had to be responsible.
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02/06/22·43m 19s
Episode 3: The Ladder
The kidnap of a baby in 1930's America prompted one of the most thorough and complex police investigations of its time. But it would take more than a year before the evidence contained in a wooden ladder would help to reveal the person responsible.
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26/05/22·50m 8s
Episode 2: The Bathing Shorts
For years, one person tormented the Pembrokeshire community - and for more than two decades - he evaded capture.
But this episode reveals how a pair of ordinary bathing shorts would eventually prove his identity - and ensure he could never kill again.
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19/05/22·40m 23s
Episode 1: The House Brick
Killers and criminals can be identified in many different ways. In this episode, we find out how a regular house brick carried the evidence which would prove a man's guilt in a complex murder enquiry. Narrated by Romola Garai, and with expert insight from forensic specialist Tracy Alexander, we tell the story of a long-running murder case, a desperate hunt for clues, and the sequence of events that led to a killer being identified from the clues contained on a brick.
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19/05/22·34m 53s
Episode 0: Introducing Smoking Gun
In this brand new series, actor Romola Garai and forensic scientist Tracy Alexander tell the remarkable stories of how every-day items can often be the smoking gun that catches a killer.
Series launches on May 20th, with new episodes every week.
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11/05/22·1m 32s
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Heart UK