Professor Patricia Wiltshire, forensic scientist

Desert Island Discs

BBC

Society & Culture, Music Commentary, Music, Personal Journals

4.4 • 13.7K Ratings

🗓️ 28 July 2024

⏱️ 52 minutes

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Summary

Professor Patricia Wiltshire is a forensic ecologist who specialises in palynology – the study of pollen. Her expertise has led her to work with every police force in Britain and helped solve some of the country’s most notorious crimes including the Soham murder case in which two young girls were killed by school caretaker Ian Huntley.

Patricia was born in Cefn Fforest, a mining village in the Sirhowy Valley, north of Cardiff. She studied botany at King’s College London as a mature student and later worked as an environmental archaeologist, helping to reconstruct ancient environments by analysing the pollen and other remains in the soil.

In 1994 Hertfordshire police asked her to help them with a murder case. A man had been found dead in a ditch and the police had tyre tracks and a vehicle and they needed to prove that the car in question had made the tracks. Patricia’s analysis of the pollen and spores found in the car helped to convict the killers and started her career as a forensic ecologist.

Patricia is married to Professor David Hawksworth, a renowned mycologist, and they sometimes work on criminal investigations together.

DISC ONE: Nocturnes, Op. 27: No. 2 in D-Flat Major. Composed by Frédéric Chopin and performed by Arthur Rubinstein DISC TWO: My Foolish Heart - Billy Eckstine DISC THREE: Rock Around The Clock - Bill Haley and His Comets DISC FOUR: Brandenburg Concerto No. 4 (Allegro movement) Composed by Johann Sebastian Bach and performed by Orchestra Mozart, conducted by Claudio Abbado DISC FIVE: Myfanwy - The Treorchy Male Voice Choir DISC SIX: Piano Concerto No. 21 in C Major, K. 467 "Elvira Madigan": III. Allegro vivace assai. Composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and performed by Murray Perahia (piano / conductor) and English Chamber Orchestra DISC SEVEN: And I Love Her - The Beatles DISC EIGHT: Love Will Keep Us Together - Neil Sedaka

BOOK CHOICE: Childrens Encyclopedia Volume Set by Arthur Mee LUXURY ITEM: A cooking pot CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Nocturnes, Op. 27: No. 2 in D-Flat Major. Composed by Frédéric Chopin and performed by Arthur Rubinstein

Presenter Lauren Laverne Producer Paula McGinley

Transcript

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0:00.0	BBC Sounds, music radio podcasts.
0:04.6	Hello, I'm Lauren Laverne and this is the Desert Island Disks podcast.
0:08.6	Every week I ask my guest to choose the 8 tracks, book and luxury they'd want to take with them if they
0:14.3	were cast away to a desert island. And for rights reasons the music is shorter than
0:19.7	the original broadcast. I hope you enjoy listening. Oh, My castaway this week is the forensic scientist Professor Patricia Wilcher. Her career path is unique, as is her approach at a crime scene.
0:56.0	If you saw her there, eyes closed, apparently lost in thought, you could be forgiven for wondering
1:01.2	whether a feat of science or imagination was unfolding before you.
1:05.2	Indeed, she is known for her uncanny ability to use both.
1:09.2	She's a forensic ecologist using the evidence of plant life from the scene of a crime to reveal
1:14.9	the truth of a case, often in astonishing detail.
1:19.2	She trained as a botanist and then worked as an environmental archaeologist using her skills to
1:24.5	help evoke ancient landscapes. Then in 1994 she got a call asking her to help
1:30.3	with a murder investigation that had reached a dead end. A new chapter began, one which
1:35.8	has led her to work with every police force in Britain and helped solve some of the country's
1:40.9	most notorious murders.
1:43.0	She says, you've got to be at the cold face if you're going to do the job properly.
1:47.0	Crime scene, mortuary, court, you've got to have fortitude, you've got to have grit.
1:52.0	You've got to be able to say I'm so tired but I've got to carry on.
1:56.5	Patricia Wiltshire, welcome to Desert Island discs.
1:59.6	Thank you for having me on your programme.
2:02.2	We are delighted to have you Patricia.
2:04.0	Now you're a botanist, Patricia, but specifically a palanologist that's someone who studies pollen.
	...

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