

Assume Nothing
BBC Radio Ulster
The teams assume nothing as they examine events through fresh eyes.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Apr 1, 2023 • 14min
Episode 4: Tragedy
In the summer of 1969, weeks before the Troubles would ignite, children playing in the rubble of a demolition site struck gold! While searching for treasure hundreds, maybe thousands of gold sovereigns, hidden and forgotten years before, tumbled to the ground from a chimney stack. More than 50 years later, author Glenn Patterson visits the Lower Shankill Road to find out who the coins belonged to. Why were they hidden? And where are they now?Written and presented by Glenn Patterson
Sound by Bill Maul
Producer Sarah McGlinchey
Executive Editor Andy Martin
A BBC Northern Ireland Production for Radio 4

Jan 7, 2023 • 27min
Episode 4: A Murder Investigation
At Ryan’s funeral it is announced the police have opened a murder investigation into his death. The PSNI share information on some key aspects of the case – but will the police change their tactics? We discover the driver of the train has an unsettling flashback that has a bearing on the case. Produced and presented by Vinny Hurrell. Executive Editor: Andy Martin A BBC Northern Ireland Production.

Jan 7, 2023 • 18min
Episode 3: Attacked?
We know how Ryan died and that he allegedly ran from a nearby bar and got trapped on the tracks. But why? Serious allegations emerge about what happened before Ryan found himself in the path of an oncoming train. What will a witness from inside the bar reveal? And after a year of communication, will the PSNI finally agree to speak? Produced and presented by Vinny Hurrell. Executive Editor: Andy Martin A BBC Northern Ireland Production

Jan 7, 2023 • 27min
Episode 6: End of the Line?
A new twist brings a devastating blow for Ryan Quinn’s family. Was someone burning clothes on the street late at night? We hear of the ongoing impact of Ryan’s death on his family and friends, and we travel to Portrush to the scene of his death where we make a surprise discovery. Where is the investigation now? Produced and presented by Vinny Hurrell. Executive Editor: Andy Martin A BBC Northern Ireland Production.

Jan 7, 2023 • 21min
Episode 1: The Train
Heavy winds and rain batter the seaside town of Portrush in January 2009. A fourteen-year-old boy’s night out has gone badly wrong. He lies on the railway tracks in front of an oncoming train. Less than two miles away, his father becomes aware his son is in danger and starts running to the tracks on the other side of town. It soon becomes clear, what happened that night and afterwards – is not as it first appears. Produced and presented by Vinny Hurrell. Executive Editor: Andy Martin A BBC Northern Ireland Production.

Jan 7, 2023 • 20min
Episode 2: The Call
We retrace Ryan Quinn’s movements that day. Exactly where had he been and what brought him to the tracks? A breath-taking phone call strikes fear into the heart of a concerned father. Produced and presented by Vinny Hurrell. Executive Editor: Andy Martin A BBC Northern Ireland Production.

Jan 7, 2023 • 15min
Episode 5: Suspect in the house?
Questions are raised about the circumstances surrounding how some potential witnesses were interviewed. Who else was present and why? A family friend brings a shocking claim, and we hear from former solicitor Ernie Waterworth. The investigation takes sharp change in direction. Produced and presented by Vinny Hurrell. Executive Editor: Andy Martin A BBC Northern Ireland Production

Oct 22, 2022 • 23min
Episode 5: The Maid
Ireland, 1984. St Brides School for young ladies opens its doors in the quiet fishing village of Burtonport, county Donegal - but all is not as it seems.The headmistress discusses the philosophy behind the Silver Sisterhood’s computer games and explores their complicated relationship with physical discipline – which they feel was misunderstood by the outside world.A young student finds a strange book in her local bookshop and decides to visit the Silver Sisters in Donegal.Produced and presented by Conor McKayExecutive Editor: Andy Martin A BBC Northern Ireland Production

Oct 22, 2022 • 16min
Episode 2: The Flickering Candle
Ireland, 1984. St Brides School for young ladies opens its doors in the quiet fishing village of Burtonport, county Donegal - but all is not as it seems.A BBC crew attends the opening ceremony for the school, hosted by an enigmatic headmistress who appears to change her name regularly – but what is the real purpose of St Brides?A newspaper journalist visits the house and recalls a strange evening full of unexpected surprises, what can she reveal?Meanwhile, Conor tracks down a former resident of the house who helps him piece together more parts of puzzle – but is she prepared to tell her own story?Produced and presented by Conor McKay
Executive Editor: Andy Martin
A BBC Northern Ireland Production

Oct 22, 2022 • 20min
Episode 3: A Flash in the Dark
Ireland, 1984. St Brides School for young ladies opens its doors in the quiet fishing village of Burtonport, county Donegal - but all is not as it seems.Conor travels to Burtonport to find out what locals remember about the Silver Sisterhood. He hears strange tales of women running through the street at midnight wearing clogs, reports of a ‘padded room’ - and the retired postmaster recalls a dispute involving another group who lived in the house before the Silver Sisterhood arrived - a cult known as ‘The Screamers’.A local woman reveals why she had a unique reason to visit the house, an experience she has never forgotten – and Conor decides to make contact with the enigmatic former headmistress of St Brides, but she is known for being elusive. Will she respond?Produced and presented by Conor McKayExecutive Editor: Andy Martin
A BBC Northern Ireland Production


