7. The Absent Smile: Chapter One
For Carla Valentine, the mortuary has always been her place of sanctuary. The constant cold, the passing through of bodies, it can be a predictably ordered place.
But sometimes, something a little different happens.
A human jawbone, washed up on a shore near Dundee, has the locals in a state of confusion and concern. And the mortician eager to know more.
Whose jawbone was it? And where was the rest of them? While forensic dentist Scheila Manica examines the jawbone for clues, the police call in forensic entomologist Clive Warsop to help them with another gruesome discovery.
This episode includes references to death, decay and dissection, which some listeners may find distressing. Our victim is fictional, but the science and the scientists are very real.
A Whistledown production for BBC Sounds.
Presenter: Carla Valentine
George the Pathologist: Matt Addis
The Voice: Jude Akuwudike
Liam: Jamie Quinn
Producer: Nina Kruse
Co-Producer and Sound Designer: Steve Bond
Executive Producer: Deborah Dudgeon
Writer: Nina Millns
Script Editor: David K. Barnes
Original Music: Aaron May
Vocals: Alyssa
Production Team: Kate Holland, Mend Mariwany
mortem
A curious mortician. Determined forensic scientists. And one suspicious death.
Welcome to Carla Valentine’s mortuary. A chilled, white, windowless room, where you cross the threshold into the world of the dead. From the first cut, to the final stitch, Carla examines how each body got to her slab. But it’s forensic science that joins the dots, as we venture to the scene of the crime and join the scientists on the frontline.
Each case, told over three episodes, tells the story of one body, through the sciences you may have never heard in detail before.
The victim is fictional. But the science is real. Based on true crime investigations.
A Whistledown production for BBC Sounds.
- No. of episodes: 10
- Latest episode: 2020-03-24
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