10 episodes
Fairy Meadow BBC Podcasts
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- Society & Culture
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4.8 • 313 Ratings
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In 1970, three-year-old Cheryl Grimmer was taken from an Australian beach. No-one knows what happened. Fifty years on - can the mystery be solved?
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Coming Soon
A summer's day, 1970, and a mum and her four kids are on a beach in Australia. They're migrants, newly arrived from the UK, part of the generation of "ten-pound poms" looking for a fresh start down under.
The oldest child, Ricki, takes his little sister, Cheryl, up to the changing blocks. Cheryl is never seen again.
This is the story of what really happens to a family after a child goes missing. It's the story of Ricki's guilt and how it changed his life. And it's the story of a mystery that won't go away. Because nearly half a century after Cheryl disappeared, the case is moving again...
Fairy Meadow is presented by BBC News correspondent Jon Kay and produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Chris Ledgard. -
1. When the Wind Changed
The Grimmer family moved from the UK to Australia in 1969. They were "ten pound poms" - part of a huge wave of migration down under.
Months later, Three-year-old Cheryl Grimmer disappeared from Fairy Meadow beach in New South Wales. She was never seen again. In the moments before she vanished, she was being looked after by her oldest brother, Ricki. He was just seven.
This is the story of that day, and of its impact in the months, years and decades that followed. It's Ricki's story - his desperate search for answers, and his battle with guilt.
And it's the story of an extraordinary police enquiry that was dramatically re-started almost 50 years after Cheryl was taken.
BBC News Correspondent Jon Kay has been investigating the case in Australia and in the UK since 2016. With exclusive access to the family and the investigating officers, he begins an eight-part exploration of this moving, gripping tale.
Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Chris Ledgard
Music: Elizabeth Purnell
Studio engineer: Jacques Sweeney
Editor: James Cook -
2. A Ransom Note
The Grimmer family are thousands of miles from home, and the Fairy Meadow migrant hostel is a lonely place in the days after Cheryl's disappearance. Then a note arrives from someone claiming to be the kidnapper. There's a rendezvous and a demand for cash...
BBC News Correspondent Jon Kay continues his investigation into the abduction of 3 year old Cheryl Grimmer from a beach in New South Wales, Australia in 1970.
Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Chris Ledgard
Music: Elizabeth Purnell
Studio engineer: Jacques Sweeney
Editor: James Cook -
3. Somebody of Interest
The Grimmer family have always hung on to the idea that somehow Cheryl might still be alive. Then, out of the blue, Ricki gets a call from the police which seems to put an end to their hopes.
BBC News Correspondent Jon Kay continues his investigation into the disappearance of 3 year old Cheryl Grimmer from an Australian beach in 1970. He meets one of the two detectives involved in a cold case review. There's someone the police want to talk to.
Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Chris Ledgard
Music: Elizabeth Purnell
Studio engineer: Jacques Sweeney
Editor: James Cook -
4. I Was Never There
Nearly half a century after 3 year old Cheryl Grimmer goes missing from an Australian beach, the police make an arrest. Meanwhile, Ricki heads to the other side of the world.
BBC News Correspondent Jon Kay meets him in Bristol, where he visits his old family home and catches up with his British relatives as the trial looms.
Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Chris Ledgard
Music: Elizabeth Purnell
Studio Engineer: Jacques Sweeney
Editor: James Cook -
5. A Judgement
Two years after he's arrested and charged with abducting Cheryl Grimmer, Mercury appears in court in Sydney.
BBC News Correspondent Jon Kay continues his investigation into Cheryl's story.
Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Chris Ledgard
Music is by Elizabeth Purnell
Jacques Sweeney is the studio engineer and the editor is James Cook
Customer Reviews
Well presented and fascinating
This series is very interesting and sad, and I just hope that the update leads to some progress. The more people who listen and share the more likely it is that more evidence will be uncovered, this latest witness’ account sounds very plausible. Listen to the whole thing if you haven’t.
Glued from the start.
I’ve been following from the start. I didnt think I would hear any more and delighted when a new episode popped up.
Such a sad story without an ending
First off - an incredibly sad story of a tragedy that befell and English family who’d moved Down Under. After I listened to all episodes, one couldn’t help but think that somebody, somewhere knows something and is keeping quiet to this day. If so, shame on them.
Another excellent documentary from the Beeb, expertly and compassionately narrated by John Kaye. We may all have a moan and groan about the BBC from time to time, but I think when it comes to their radio dramas and documentaries, in my opinion they continue to lead the way. Top class.