Who killed Daniel Morgan?That’s the question on the lips of anyone whose stumbled across Untold: The Daniel Morgan Murder, a new podcast that’s been dubbed Britain’s answer to Serial.
Released in 30-minute instalments, the series is three episodes in and already quickly accumulating a loyal following. Those who ferociously devoured Serial, Making A Murderer and The People Vs OJ Simpson will find themselves hooked immediately. And there are many mainlining this podcast; it’s been downloaded more than 200,000 times and has topped the iTunes chart.
This comes shortly after BBC Panorama investigated Morgan’s death.
But what’s the story behind this new must-listen podcast? Here’s a quickfire rundown on Untold: The Daniel Morgan Murder.
What’s it about?
In 1987 the body of private detective Daniel Morgan was found in the car park of the Golden Lion pub in Sydenham. Morgan’s death was truly horrific – he was found with an axe wound in the back of his head. Three decades on the case is still unsolved.
Who was Daniel Morgan?
Morgan, 37 at the time of his death, was a PI who founded his own agency, Southern Investigations, partnered with Jonathan Rees. Morgan was born in Singapore and raised in Monmouthshire, Wales. Growing up with a club foot, he spent much of his early life alone and developed a sharp eye for detail that would eventually lead to his future career as a private detective.
Morgan worked on a farm in Denmark before marrying in his late 20s and moving to London with his wife and two children.
Why has the case been left unsolved?
Morgan was allegedly close to lifting the lid on corruption at Scotland Yard, with an expose in now-gone paper News Of The World reportedly brewing. He died before any story was published, and in the years since five police enquiries have been launched costing £50 million.
Rees, DS Sid Fillery, brothers Glenn and Garry Vian and two Met police officers were arrested on suspicion of his murder but released without charge. The killer has never been found, and the most recent prosecution fell apart in 2011.
Who’s behind the podcast?
Morgan’s brother Alastair Morgan raised £10,000 through a crowdfunding campaign to get the project up and running. He teamed up with writer Peter Jukes, author of phone hacking book Beyond Contempt, to put the 10-part series together.
Jukes guides the listener through the story, described by the podcast’s official site thusly:
“The phone hacking scandal that closed News of the World was big, but that was just the tip of the iceberg. At the bottom of that iceberg of ‘dark arts’ – hacking, burglary, bugging, and bribing bent cops – is the body of Daniel Morgan…
“The story moves from back streets of London, through the highest echelons of Scotland Yard, to the offices of Rupert Murdoch’s best selling newspapers, to the doors of Number Ten Downing Street.”
It also happens to have one high-profile supporter in the form of Hugh Grant.
Where and when can I download it?
New episodes are released every Thursday through iTunes and the official Untold website. With 10 episodes in the series expect it to wrap up in early August… and for it to be a major topic discussion around the work water cooler all summer.