Leonardo da Vinci’s painting, The Madonna of the Yarnwinder was taken from Drumlanrig Castle in Dumfries and Galloway in 2003 but what really happened?
The BBC podcast, The Missing Madonna marks the 20th anniversary of the art heist that set a record for the most valuable painting ever to be stolen in Britain.
It’s a nine-part series from the award-winning BBC Scotland podcast team that features never-previously-heard secret recordings and asks serious questions about the way in which the stolen artwork is returned in the UK.
Brimming with twists, turns and double-crosses, the story begins with two men posing as tourists, overpowering a Drumlanrig Castle guide, snatching the multi-million-pound masterpiece and fleeing the scene in a battered white Volkswagen Golf.
Despite a high-profile investigation involving the FBI and a substantial reward being offered, the painting disappeared into the criminal underworld.
Four years later, the masterpiece appeared to resurface on Merseyside when a mysterious man walked into a Liverpool pub and asked to speak to the two men behind the website StolenStuffReunited.com.
Those two men were Robbie Graham and Jack Doyle – friends and business partners who ran their own PI firm, Crown Private Investigations and the website. Sensing an opportunity to do something historic and collect a big reward, they put together a crack team to help them get the painting back.
For a while it seemed as if everything was progressing well, but after a series of dramatic twists, including a nervy meeting in a village pub car park, the two private investigators were faced with an outcome they never could have predicted.
The story is told by Olivia Graham, daughter of Robbie Graham. It features interviews with some of the main players in this real-life drama, as well as experts in the field of recovering stolen artwork.
Olivia travels across England and Scotland to piece together a story that hit the headlines on more than one occasion, and had a huge and lasting impact on her family.
Gareth Hydes, Commissioning Editor, BBC Scotland said: “This series vividly brings to life one of the most remarkable stories from the art world. It has the classic ingredients of a thriller – plot twists, intrigue, jeopardy and larger-than-life characters.
“The series will take the audience on a gripping journey, revisiting scenes which are crucial to the story and hearing from many of those who were involved in the drama.”
All episodes of The Missing Madonna will be available on BBC Sounds from 25 August.
