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Shadow World

How did a former British soldier become an international people smuggler? Annabel Deas investigates, taking us deep into the UK's hidden criminal landscape.

Radio 4,30 episodes

Episodes

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The Smuggler
Trailer
How did a former British soldier become an international people smuggler?
19 May 2025,4 mins
The Smuggler
1. The port
British builder Nick s an Albanian people smuggling gang.
26 May 2025,14 mins
The Smuggler
2. Nick’s First Time
Nick smuggles an illegal migrant into the UK.
27 May 2025,14 mins
The Smuggler
3. The Mistake
Nick is growing in confidence, but human error is impossible to avoid.
28 May 2025,14 mins
The Smuggler
4. The Final Border
Nick becomes an informant, providing information about the Albanian gang
29 May 2025,14 mins
The Smuggler
5. The Crossing
Nick buys a boat and searches for a new smuggling route.
30 May 2025,14 mins
The Smuggler
6. The Vietnamese Connection
Nick is paid thousands of pounds to bring Vietnamese migrants into the UK.
02 Jun 2025,14 mins
The Smuggler
7. A Dangerous Journey
Nick makes a narrow escape after police turn up at a beach in .
03 Jun 2025,14 mins
The Smuggler
8. The Boat Theory
Police build a theory that Nick is smuggling Vietnamese migrants to work on cannabis farms
04 Jun 2025,14 mins
The Smuggler
9. The Arrest
Nick is arrested on a beach in Kent, with four Vietnamese migrants on his boat
05 Jun 2025,14 mins
The Smuggler
10. A Hidden Network
Nick is sentenced, but are his routes still wide open to other people smugglers?
06 Jun 2025,14 mins
The Willpower Detectives
Trailer
Power of Attorney: what can go wrong? Concerned neighbours ask Sue Mitchell for help.
05 Dec 2024,3 mins
The Willpower Detectives
1. The Doorstep Stranger
The story of a missing woman and neighbours who ask for help to find where she has gone.
09 Dec 2024,33 mins
The Willpower Detectives
2. A Trust Betrayed
Sue Mitchell continues her investigation into how Power of Attorney orders are being used.
10 Dec 2024,28 mins
The Willpower Detectives
3. My Dying Wish
The story of the rock and roll roadie who left everything he owned to his best friends.
11 Dec 2024,31 mins
The Willpower Detectives
4. Undue Influence
Pam and Sylvie are worried and ask journalist Sue Mitchell for help finding their friend.
12 Dec 2024,30 mins
The Willpower Detectives
5. Rich Pickings
Sue Mitchell investigates who people turn to when they fear vulnerable friends need help.
13 Dec 2024,30 mins
The Willpower Detectives
6. Falling on Deaf Ears
A man compensated for abuse asks Sue Mitchell for help in tracking some of the money.
16 Dec 2024,27 mins
The Willpower Detectives
7. Rescue Me
Sue Mitchell holds those responsible to and finds out what more authorities can do
17 Dec 2024,32 mins
The Willpower Detectives
8. Nearest and Dearest
Sue Mitchell reports on a battle within one family over a wealthy grandfather’s finances.
31 Mar 2025,37 mins
Thief at the British Museum
Trailer
A story of history disregarded, beauty destroyed, and trust betrayed.
20 May 2024,2 mins
Thief at the British Museum
1. The Man with the Cardboard Box
People have called him Sherlock Holmes, if Holmes were Danish and obsessed with gems.
27 May 2024,14 mins
Thief at the British Museum
2. White Paper Dots
Ittai Gradel discovers a seemingly endless supply of precious gemstones.
27 May 2024,16 mins
Thief at the British Museum
3. Lightbulb Moment
For Ittai, the clues finally fall into place. Has he identified the thief?
27 May 2024,14 mins
Thief at the British Museum
4. Seeds of Doubt
Ittai is convinced he has found his thief, but not everyone is so sure.
27 May 2024,15 mins
Thief at the British Museum
5. Secret Missions
A story of history disregarded, beauty destroyed, and trust betrayed.
27 May 2024,17 mins
Thief at the British Museum
6. Lone Wolf or Scapegoat?
Peter Higgs is sacked, but the British Museum’s director turns on Ittai.
27 May 2024,18 mins
Thief at the British Museum
7. Treasure Hunt
Katie and Ittai’s hunt for gems leads them across Europe
27 May 2024,15 mins
Thief at the British Museum
8. Stateside
Katie discovers the eBay seller has customers in the US - one with hundreds of gems.
27 May 2024,16 mins
Thief at the British Museum
9. An Ending, a Beginning
Ittai hands over his gems. But will we ever know what else the Museum has lost?
27 May 2024,18 mins