Seven original radio dramas by award-winning crime writer Cath Staincliffe, featuring heir hunters, a genealogist and an undercover cop who must untangle family mysteries

Cath Staincliffe is best known as the creator of the hit TV series Blue Murder, as well as for her ‘Scott and Bailey’ books and ‘Sal Kilkenny’ crime novels. This full cast drama collection features the five gripping dramas in her ‘Legacy’ series, together with a standalone mystery and a three-part thriller, all specially written for BBC Radio.
These full-cast dramas feature a stellar line-up including Maxine Peake, Tony Mooney, William Ash, Claire Keelan, Jo Hartley, Suranne Jones, Ntombizodwa Ndlovu, Esh Alladi and Matthew McNulty.

Legacy – Ex-police officer Dan and his ruthless sister Rachel are probate detectives, tracking down the rightful heirs to unclaimed estates – and claiming a share of the assets. As they delve into the past, they uncover long-buried secrets…

Legacy: Blood in the Mountains – When Henry Gaunt dies intestate, Dan and Rachel trace his family tree back to the Spanish Civil War, where Henry’s father George died fighting alongside his cousin, Eric. Is Eric still alive, and could he be the heir they’re looking for?

Legacy: Eden – Digging into the records to find Gordon Willshaw’s kin, Jo and Rachel are led to 1950s Kenya and the terrible events of the Mau Mau rebellion.

Legacy: Suspicious Minds – The search for an heir to Petra Oster’s estate takes Dan and Rachel to 1980s East Berlin. It soon becomes clear that she escaped to Britain to erase her past – but what dark truths was she hiding?

Legacy: High Green Walls – Discovering that deceased 73-year-old recluse Susan Peller was once a successful artist with a twin sister, Barbara, Dan and Rachel travel to America to find her fortune and hunt for her heir.

Look Sharp – Genealogist Karen Sharp finds herself in danger – and forced to face her own fears – when she sets about untangling a family mystery.

Undercover: Close to Home – Hoping to find out what happened to Ben Curtis’s wife, who went missing a year ago, policewoman Grace goes undercover as a live-in nanny at the family home...


Cast and credits
Written by Cath Staincliffe
Directed by Nadia Molinari

Legacy
Rachel – Maxine Peake
Dan – Tony Mooney
Young Bill – Thomas Rolinson
Young Victor – Daniel Rogers
Young Violet – Lowri Evans
Older Violet – Eileen O'Brien
Nun/Secretary – Fiona Clarke
Older Victor – Claude Close

First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 12 Oct 2009

Legacy: Blood in the Mountains
Rachel – Claire Keelan
Dan – William Ash
Young Eric – Tom Hughes
George – Steven Hoyle
Old Eric – Russell Dixon
Jo – Eithne Browne
Reeves – Russell Richardson

First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 4-8 Jul 2011

Legacy: Eden
Rachel – Jo Hartley
Dan – William Ash
Pauline – Alexandra Mathie
Young Pauline – Olivia Cooke
Gordon – Henry Devas
Mary – Yusra Warsama
Douglas/Gregory – Hugh Simon

First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 12 Apr 2013

Legacy: Suspicious Minds
Rachel – Jo Hartley
Dan – William Ash
Konrad – Conrad Nelson
Petra – Lisa Brookes
Magda – Fiona Clarke
Lauren/Young Magda – Sarah McDonald Hughes
Stasi Officer – Jack Lord

First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 19 Apr 2013

Legacy: High Green Walls
Rachel – Claire Keelan
Dan – William Ash
Morelli – Russell Dixon
Barbara – Kellie Shirley
Susan – Ellie Meigan Rose
Mr White – Malcolm Raeburn
Mr Carlson/Mr Cottesloe – Jonathan Keeble
Clerk/Kelly – Fiona Clarke

First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 12-16 Dec 2011

Look Sharp
Karen Sharp – Suranne Jones
Patrick Breen – Jeff Hordley
Ted – David Hargreaves
Theresa – Deborah McAndrew
Stella – Danielle Henry
Joan – Julie Westwood

First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 27 Jun 2008

Undercover: Close to Home
Grace – Ntombizodwa Ndlovu
Harry – Esh Alladi
Ben – Matthew McNulty
Penny – Bebe Massey
Jonah – Tareq Al-Jeddal
Una – Christine Bottomley
Natalie – Emma Cunniffe
Other parts played by Kymberley Cochrane, Lula Marsh, Jessica Bellamy & Esh Alladi

First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 8-22 Jun 2023