Last updated September 5, 2024 – 1:07pm
BBC Sounds' new true crime documentary series, Crime Next Door: Death on the Farm, has premiered.
Narrated by actress Betrice Jones, the BBC Cymru Wales podcast explores the aftermath of a community still grieving the discovery of two bodies in a remote farmhouse almost 50 years ago.
A dark shadow has hung over the residents of Llangorman, Pembrokeshire, since the body was discovered in December 1976.
Someone had entered the village and used extreme violence to kill the elderly couple, leaving many fearing they were under attack.
The victims were discovered by a mailman on his morning delivery: Griff and Patty Thomas, a close brother and sister couple. No one could understand why someone would want to harm them.
Within a matter of days, fear of outsiders had morphed into something entirely different, with theories blaming someone closer to home.
The series seeks to understand why this case matters to so many people nearly half a century later, to ask whether the police got it right or were mistreated at the time, and what can be done in the absence of the closure that so many are seeking.
The series re-evaluates the evidence and pieces together the facts with the help of first-hand witnesses, local residents and contemporary experts, as well as access to original documents.
Producer Darrell Brown said: “It's rare for a case to remain so talked about in a community, but this is one that Llangormans will never forget.”
“It has been a real honour to tell their story and shed light on a case that still casts a shadow over the village. We look forward to seeing audience reactions and how the case develops in the coming weeks and months.”
Bridget Curnow, commissioner of BBC Radio Wales, said: “We have been touched to hear first-hand from the Llangorman community and their dedication to trying to get the closure they so desperately want and need. That the community remains committed 50 years on shows just how extraordinary this story is.”
Episode 1 of Crime Next Door: Death on the Farm is available to watch now on BBC Sounds, with new episodes releasing weekly thereafter.
