Published on 19 September 2019
A graduate from the University of Sunderland has produced a BBC radio documentary after discovering a frightening skeleton in his family’s closet.
Stuart Russell, who graduated in MA Radio in 2018, was researching his family tree when he found out his great-grandfather’s cousin was in fact a cold-blooded killer.
However, rather than pushing the family skeleton back into the closet, he has turned the events into a documentary for BBC Radio 3, which is set to be aired this Sunday.
Stuart, 27, details the gruesome murder and its aftermath in ‘The Egg Dealer’.
Stuart uncovered a news article about John Welsh, who was an egg dealer in the 1930s.
He discovered Welsh committed a murder at The Croft in Leslie, Fife, in 1938 and found hundreds of news articles about not only the murder but how Welsh managed to evade capture from every police force in the UK for several weeks.
Stuart, now a producer at BBC Radio Wales, said: “It was a shock to find out that my ancestor was a murderer but through detailed historic research I was able to piece together this bizarre story that was kept secret for over half a century.
“It details John’s struggle with severe mental ill health issues and his dramatic run from the law. I think it will prove interesting, especially to people in Leslie, some of whom may have been around at the time.”
Welsh, who was 33 when he committed the crime, battered his uncle William Forrester to death, leaving his body in a coal cellar.
Stuart followed the story of how Welsh fled around Scotland and down to Liverpool before the chase finally ended in Southampton with his arrest.
Stuart started his broadcasting career at Fife College and went on to take a first class honours and then a Masters at the University of Sunderland. He has also won multiple awards at the prestigious New York Festival.
‘The Egg Dealer’ is a Soundscape Production and will be broadcast on BBC Radio 3 on Sunday, September 22 at 6:45pm.