Assume Nothing

In June 1989, a family in West Belfast claimed they were being tormented by a violent presence that seemed hellbent on driving them from their home – what really happened?When Reggie learns that a local priest visited the house on a number of occasions, he visits a nearby monastery to try to learn more, but will anyone agree to speak to him? Meanwhile, it’s documented that another religious group travelled from County Waterford to offer assistance to the family – what did they discover?

In June 1989, a family in West Belfast claimed they were being tormented by a violent presence that seemed hellbent on driving them from their home – what really happened?Reggie recalls a shocking event outside the bedroom window of his childhood home and wonders if violence and fear in the area led to an upsurge in ghost stories.When an old friend tells Reggie a frightening ghost story of her own, it provides an unexpected breakthrough – a chance to reach out to the family.

June 1989. A family in West Belfast claim they are being tormented by a violent presence that seems determined to drive them from their home. The local press cover it extensively, neighbours gather outside to say prayers in the street – and the father tells the BBC that he was attacked and thrown down the stairs by a woman only he can see. Reggie Chamberlain-King grew up in nearby Andersonstown. He was terrified by rumours of the haunting, which became the talk of West Belfast – an area in the midst of a bitter and violent conflict. Alongside the real-life horrors taking place outside his house, stories of witchcraft, ghosts and devil worshipping were rife – but the story of a family apparently driven from their home by a violent spirit has never left him. Can Reggie uncover the truth of what really happened?

In June 1989, a family in West Belfast claimed they were being tormented by a violent presence that seemed hellbent on driving them from their home – what really happened?Reggie has discovered that the father of the house wrote a book documenting his family’s traumatic experience – but it’s out of print and copies are very rare. Over 30 years after the events it describes, internet forums and chat rooms are still abuzz with discussions about the haunting and the book - and full of endless speculation. Finally, Reggie discovers a copy in the special collection of a Belfast library, a copy so rare and delicate it’s kept in a protective sleeve and must be handled under supervision – a copy signed by the author. What’s inside?

Journalist Gordon Adair is waiting on a call from a contact – a former IRA prisoner who has spent nearly 30 years trying to locate the remains of Captain Robert Nairac. The Army officer was abducted from a pub in South Armagh in 1977 and murdered. Captain Nairac moved within the shadowy world of intelligence gathering, and it is believed he was working undercover at the time of his abduction. His remains have never been found. Now – Gordon Adair’s contact believes he has finally discovered the burial site and he is waiting on confirmation from the Independent Commission for the Location of Victims' Remains, who will visit the site and tell him if they also believe Captain Nairac is buried there. If they do – the Commission will soon move machinery in and dig for the remains. Recorded across one week, this special edition of Assume Nothing captures in real time what happens as one of the most enduring mysteries of the Troubles appears to be drawing to a close. Presented by Gordon Adair Produced by Conor McKay Editor Andy Martin A BBC Northern Ireland Production

Journalist Gordon Adair has had a secret contact for a long time, a former Republican prisoner who ended his involvement with paramilitaries in the late 1970s. Now – the contact has agreed to go on record for the first time, telling a remarkable story of how a close brush with death inspired him to try to solve one of the most enduring mysteries of the conflict known as the ‘Troubles’

When Belfast-born sound mixer Peter Devlin leaves a recorder running overnight while working on a movie in Greystone Mansion, Beverly Hills – he captures a bizarre, unexplained sound. After hours of silence, there is a sudden crash, two loud bangs and then …. silence. As the cast and crew take turns to listen, Peter begins to learn more about the dark history of Greystone Mansion – and discovers that two men died in the house in mysterious circumstances on the 16th February, 1929. At the time of their deaths, the men were embroiled in a huge corruption and bribery scandal that went to the very top of the United States government. A scandal that stretched from the Wild West to the Whitehouse, involving a multimillionaire oil tycoon whose father fled the famine in Ireland, a corrupt Senator - and a black bag stuffed with $100,000 in cash. In this eight part series, Peter Devlin and producer Conor McKay trace the extraordinary rags to riches story of Edward L Doheny – a penniless prospector who built a vast oil empire – to try and uncover the story of what really happened on that fateful night in Greystone mansion. Cast: Edward Doheny – Michael Patrick Reporter – Aoibhéann McCann Presented by Peter Devlin and Conor McKay Produced by Conor McKay Executive editor Andy Martin A BBC Northern Ireland production

The police close their investigation into the deaths of Ned Doheny and his secretary Hugh Plunkett, deciding it is a clear case of murder-suicide, but not everyone is convinced. A rookie detective with the district attorney’s office thinks the evidence does not match the official story, but will anyone listen? Meanwhile, Peter sets out to uncover the origins of the Doheny family’s colossal wealth – starting in the dangerous Wild West town of Kingston New Mexico, where silver and gold prospectors rub shoulders with gunslingers in saloons and bordellos, and future oil tycoon Edward Doheny meets two men who will change the course of his life. In this eight part series, Peter Devlin and producer Conor McKay trace the extraordinary rags to riches story of Edward L Doheny – a penniless prospector who built a vast oil empire – to try and uncover the story of what really happened on 16th February 1929, when two men died in mysterious circumstances in Greystone mansion, Beverly Hills Cast District Attorney Burton Fitts – Michael Patrick Reporter - Aoibheann McCann Presented by Peter Devlin and Conor McKay Produced by Conor McKay Executive editor Andy Martin A BBC Northern Ireland production

Sent south by a railway company in search of oil, Doheny and Canfield head into the jungles west of Tampico on horseback and soon discover vast tracts of untapped land. They quickly build a vast oil empire on a colossal scale, but questions arise about Doheny’s dealings with the Mexican government - and a terrible tragedy calls Canfield back to Los AngelesReadings:Aoibhéann McCann Michael Patrick Presented by Peter Devlin and Conor McKay Produced by Conor McKay Executive Editor Andy Martin A BBC Northern Ireland production

When the United States wants to increase its military presence at Pearl Harbour in Hawaii, a lucrative deal worth millions presents itself to Doheny thanks to an old friend from his Wild West prospecting daysBut when other oil suppliers get wind of the secretive deal, an investigation is launched. It soon uncovers explosive allegations that Doheny sent his son Ned and secretary Hugh Plunkett to bribe a top government official with $100,000.ReadingsJonathan HardingPresented by Peter Devlin and Conor McKay Produced by Conor McKay Executive Editor Andy Martin A BBC Northern Ireland production