5. The Bodies Pile Up
Assume Nothing10 Mar 2025

5. The Bodies Pile Up

A woman types an anonymous letter. She’ll never know - but it will trigger a battle from red brick England, to the skyscrapers of Manhattan.

In this series, casually scanning old newspaper archives, Ophelia Byrne comes across an odd headline: “Hush hush process in Ballyclare firm.”

The newspaper was printed in 1967. “Strictly no photographs” was the order issued at the opening of the new factory.

All workers “will have to sign an oath of secrecy.”

What, she wonders, is this factory making?

Ophelia doesn’t know it when she starts out, but her subsequent investigation into this company, Turner and Newall, will take her from a small town in Northern Ireland across the Irish Sea to places like Rochdale, Leeds and London.

It will bring her to one million documents released for a transatlantic trial – papers which show cover-ups and even corporate espionage.

The product, of course, is asbestos. You may think you know the story – it’s a dangerous substance.

But Ophelia marries previous journalistic investigations to new documents which reveal what government agencies knew about its risks, and when.

She combs through company correspondence which the manufacturers claimed did not exist, and clearly never imagined would become public. This is the story of Killer Dust, from mountains of the material in mines still operating in countries today, to the skyscrapers of Manhattan, and the terraced streets of the north of England.

It is the story too of the people who fought and died for the truth to expose the reckless pursuit of profit in the making of one of the most dangerous building materials on the planet.

Presenter/ Producer: Ophelia Byrne Studio Engineer: Gary Bawden Executive Editor: Andy Martin

Episoder(197)

Episode 8

Episode 8

Vinny Hurrell is joined by a panel of experts and an audience to discuss Doctor John Bodkin Adams and series. Who may have had a lucky escape? Why were those files sealed? We delve into the mind of a ...

4 Jan 20251h 3min

Episode 10: Justice Denied

Episode 10: Justice Denied

Katie will never get justice, but the fight for her legacy beginsThe inside story of a crime that rocked Northern Ireland’s equestrian community. When a promising showjumper Katie Simpson is found han...

7 Des 202430min

Episode 9: The Trial

Episode 9: The Trial

Now the jury finds out why…The inside story of a crime that rocked Northern Ireland’s equestrian community. When a promising showjumper Katie Simpson is found hanged at her Lettershadoney home – all i...

7 Des 202422min

Episode 8: New Team

Episode 8: New Team

This day might never have come, if not for a call…The inside story of a crime that rocked Northern Ireland’s equestrian community. When a promising showjumper Katie Simpson is found hanged at her Lett...

5 Des 202413min

Episode 7: Getting away with it

Episode 7: Getting away with it

Creswell is managing the narrative – his future freedom depends on it.The inside story of a crime that rocked Northern Ireland’s equestrian community. When a promising showjumper Katie Simpson is foun...

5 Des 202417min

Episode 6: The Unravelling

Episode 6: The Unravelling

The mask slips when the red mist descends.The inside story of a crime that rocked Northern Ireland’s equestrian community. When a promising showjumper Katie Simpson is found hanged at her Lettershadon...

30 Nov 202412min

Episode 5: The Women

Episode 5: The Women

The women are told a story.The inside story of a crime that rocked Northern Ireland’s equestrian community. When a promising showjumper Katie Simpson is found hanged at her Lettershadoney home – all i...

30 Nov 202427min

Episode 4: Red Flags

Episode 4: Red Flags

Jonathan Creswell misleads police… others try to warn them.The inside story of a crime that rocked Northern Ireland’s equestrian community. When a promising showjumper Katie Simpson is found hanged at...

23 Nov 202419min

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