Fairy Meadow

Nov 19 2023 10 ep. 1.7k
Fairy Meadow Podcast artwork

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?

  Society & Culture
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Jan 05 2022 2 mins  
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 g

1. When the Wind Changed

Jan 11 2022 27 mins  
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 s

2. A Ransom Note

Jan 11 2022 29 mins  
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

3. Somebody of Interest

Jan 18 2022 20 mins  
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

4. I Was Never There

Jan 18 2022 33 mins  
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: E

5. A Judgement

Jan 25 2022 24 mins  
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

6. The Walk Through

Jan 25 2022 26 mins  
Frank has left the police but can't let go of Cheryl's story. Jon Kay continues to investigate what happened to 3 year old Cheryl Grimmer, who vanished from a beach New South Wales, Australia more than 50 years ago.Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Chris Ledgard Music: Elizabeth Purnell Studio engineer: Jacques Sweeney Editor: James Cook

7. Mercury's Story

Jan 25 2022 25 mins  
Jon tries to approach Mercury to hear his side of the story.Producer: Chris Ledgard Music: Elizabeth Purnell Studio engineer: Jacques Sweeney Editor: James Cook

8. The Girl With Blonde Hair And Blue Eyes

Feb 01 2022 26 mins  
It's the 50th anniversary of Cheryl's disappearance and the police have an announcement to make.Fairy Meadow is presented by BBC News correspondent Jon Kay Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Chris Ledgard Music by Elizabeth Purnell Studio engineer, Jacques Sweeney Editor, James Cook

Bonus Episode: A New Lead

Nov 19 2023 34 mins  
Jon Kay updates his investigation into the disappearance of 3 year old Cheryl Grimmer from an Australian beach in 1970. Cheryl's family are determined to get her case back into court.Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Chris Ledgard