In Detail...
Exploring and explaining news stories from across England.
Episodes
8. The cost to Corby
A statement from an embattled Chief Executive shocks the nation's media.As George's investigation comes to an emotional conclusion, new information is revealed and an offer is made to the man at the centre of the storm.
21/04/25•36m 59s
7. The German Equation
Find out whether the Corby mums or the council is helped when a new witness speaks out.As experts seek to dismiss the families’ claims as 'fantastical', Des Collins and his team face a curveball that threatens to change everything.
14/04/25•33m 6s
6. Us vs Corby Council
A young George Taylor faces a harrowing decision that will shape his future.While emotional testimonies make clear the scale of suffering caused by the clean up, Des Collins realises he needs to do even more if he is to secure justice for the families.
07/04/25•32m 31s
5. The cluster and the clean-up
A second dead-dropped parcel threatens to expose the toxic waste scandal.Des Collins embarks upon a nationwide quest to try and prove that the clean up of Corby steelworks is the cause of the cluster of birth defects.
31/03/25•26m 37s
4. No cluster in Corby
Des Collins arrives in Corby and comes face-to-face with the case that will change his life.With a group of fearless mothers looking for the truth, Des is determined to find out once and for all whether Corby’s orange dust holds all the answers.
25/03/25•26m 6s
3. The Whistleblowers
A man with an axe to grind receives a provocative anonymous phone call.A dusty dossier ignites deep suspicions about safety violations and a chance conversation prompts a meeting with a newshound on the scent of something big.
18/03/25•20m 33s
2. She’ll never play the piano
As toxic waste spreads across Corby, the birth rate of babies with deformities rises. Simone is born with three fingers on each hand while, 500 miles away a baby George faces his own challenges. Also, at the site of the clean up, someone starts asking questions.
11/03/25•20m 1s
1. There’s something wrong with George
Exploring connections as orange dust blankets a town and a baby is born with a hand defect.George Taylor investigates what really happened when his hometown of Corby suddenly turned toxic.
04/03/25•34m 48s
Introducing... The Toxic Waste Scandal
Explore the shocking events that ripped through a steelworks community in Corby, told by the people whose lives were irreversibly changed.Hear about anonymous calls, secret packages and poisonous ponds as families try to find answers to why babies in the town were being born with defects.In 2010, Corby Borough Council admitted it had made mistakes in the clean-up of the Northamptonshire town's steelworks.Presenter: George Taylor.
Writer and Producer: Tim Wheeler.
Producer: Sarah-Jane Muddiman.
Story Consultant: Jack Kibble-White.
Additional scripting: Jack Kibble-White, George Taylor and Kirsty Williams.
Production Manager: Jenny Thomas.
Music and Sound Design: Julian Corrie.
Online Producer: Rachael Smith.
Executive Producer: Anna Bartlett.
Commissioning Editor: Alistair Miskin.
26/02/25•2m 59s
12. The Worst of Humanity, the Best of Humanity
Reflecting on the Birmingham bombings, the lack of justice and political influence and sharing how the victims are remembered.
11/11/24•24m 32s
11. The Search for the Bombers
Ed travels to Dublin and Belfast to try and speak to the people linked with the 1974 Birmingham bombings.
11/11/24•20m 22s
10. Conflict and Conspiracy
We visit Belfast to meet a former IRA prisoner Ricky who believes there could be more to the pub bombings in Birmingham.Discussing the case and whether the IRA spy Freddie Scappaticci, known as ‘Stakeknife’, could be a reason no-one has faced justice.
11/11/24•21m 56s
9. Blocked at Every Angle
Julie Hambleton's sister died in the bombings, she is intent on a public inquiry and explains what she thinks really happened that night. We also explore whether the government knew what was going to happen.
11/11/24•18m 20s
8. The Naming of the Bombers
Exploring some of the names linked with the Birmingham pub bombings.We also find out why Chris Mullin and Julie Hambleton disagree with each other.
11/11/24•20m 7s
7. Dance with the Devil
After a lot of frustration, Julie Hambleton, whose sister had died in the bombs, and the families of other victims secure an inquest with help from an unexpected source.
11/11/24•20m 26s
6. The Nightmare Begins Again
Exploring the impact of The Birmingham Six's release which opened up old wounds for some of the victims’ families. The investigation was reopened in 1991 and shut again in 1994 with no further movement until Julie Hambleton, whose sister had died in the bombs, started a campaign for justice.
03/11/24•17m 18s
5. The Real Bombers
The Birmingham Six had each been sentenced to 21 life sentences. They were writing letters for support but getting no reaction and all hope was lost that they would be freed.Their story reached journalist and former MP Chris Mullin who set out not just to prove their innocence, but to also find out who actually did.
03/11/24•35m 43s
4. The Birmingham Six (Their Version)
Paddy Hill and Billy Power, two of the Six, talk frankly about their treatment in police custody and court.The official side of story doesn’t match up with what the Birmingham Six experienced.
03/11/24•23m 42s
3. The Birmingham Six (Official Version)
Explore how the police tracked down and arrested the men who later became known at the Birmingham Six. BBC reporter Michael Buerk talks about covering their high-profile trial and convictions.We also hear how Birmingham’s sizeable Irish population were treated in the days and months following the bomb attacks.
03/11/24•23m 9s
2. Panic on the Streets
The story of the blasts told by those first on the scene.Emergency services crew and local reporters describe the aftermath of two city-centre pub bombings in Birmingham that killed 21 people.
03/11/24•23m 45s
1. A Night Like Any Other
Thursday 21 November 1974 was a normal night in Birmingham city centre until two city-centre pub bombs were detonated.We hear the story of the night from those who were there and the families of some of the 21 people killed.
03/11/24•23m 28s
Welcome to The Pub Bombings
Exploring the impact of two Birmingham pub bombs in a 50 year evolving story that's affected countless people. The series looks into who bombed Birmingham and asks why no one has been rightfully brought to justice. It also positions the bombings in the wider context of the Troubles in Northern Ireland and the Good Friday Agreement.On a journey from the streets of 1970s Birmingham to modern day Belfast and Dublin, we hear from family members of victims, the Birmingham Six, their families and the city at large. The series also features one of the men accused of the bombings.
01/11/24•2m 32s