Episodes

  • 5. A Living Monument
    Jul 12 2025

    Si King explores what the future holds for Sycamore Gap and what made the tree so special.

    Discovering people's connection to the tree, the site and the significance of the Hollywood debut in the film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves.

    Si King also asks whether dark tourism might help preserve interest in the area where the tree once stood and learns of plans for the tree's seeds.

    Presenter: Si King. Producer: Jane Downs with additional reporting by Jo Lonsdale and Martin Lindsay. Sounds Producer: Alex Booth. Sound Design: Chris Fawcett. Story Consultant: Barney Rowntree. Online Producer: Rachael Smith. Executive Producer: Dan Farthing and Alistair Miskin.

    Credit: Danny Boyle/28 Days Later appear courtesy of Newcastle Gateshead Initiative / Sony Pictures.

    This episode contains reference to suicide. Information and support is available at bbc.co.uk/actionline.

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    17 mins
  • 4. The Reckoning
    Jul 12 2025

    Step inside the trial of Daniel Graham and Adam Carruthers, both from Cumbria, who are accused of felling Sycamore Gap.

    Join journalists, a courtroom artist and an expert witness to hear the evidence and how a grainy two-minute video of the felling found on a phone stunned the entire courtroom into silence.

    Presenter: Si King. Producer: Jane Downs with additional reporting by Jo Lonsdale and Martin Lindsay. Sounds Producer: Alex Booth. Sound Design: Chris Fawcett. Story Consultant: Barney Rowntree. Online Producer: Rachael Smith. Executive Producer: Dan Farthing and Alistair Miskin.

    Credit: Tyneside Life Youtube Channel appears courtesy of Eddy Hope.

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    21 mins
  • 3. The Night Of
    Jul 12 2025

    Meet the last person to see Sycamore Gap before it was felled and those who first stumbled upon the aftermath.

    Also Kevin Reynolds, the Hollywood director who made the tree famous in the film Robin Hood Prince of Thieves, hears the news.

    Meanwhile, as Sycamore Gap becomes a crime scene the men responsible are watching the coverage unfold in amazement.

    Presenter: Si King. Producer: Jane Downs with additional reporting by Jo Lonsdale and Martin Lindsay. Sounds Producer: Alex Booth. Sound Design: Chris Fawcett. Story Consultant: Barney Rowntree. Online Producer: Rachael Smith. Executive Producer: Dan Farthing and Alistair Miskin.

    Credit: Robin Hood Prince of Thieves (Warner Bros Pictures / Kevin Reynolds).

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    21 mins
  • 2. The Accusations
    Jul 12 2025

    As the investigation into who felled Sycamore Gap gets underway, accusations start to fly.

    One man falsely accused of cutting down the iconic tree was farmer Walter Renwick. In his first broadcast interview he shares how the resulting rumours and "trial by social media" impacted his life.

    Meanwhile, journalists descend on the communities near Hadrian's Wall in Northumberland and discover a teenager has been arrested.

    Presenter: Si King. Producer: Jane Downs with additional reporting by Jo Lonsdale and Martin Lindsay. Sounds Producer: Alex Booth. Sound Design: Chris Fawcett. Story Consultant: Barney Rowntree. Online Producer: Rachael Smith. Executive Producer: Dan Farthing and Alistair Miskin.

    This episode contains very strong language and reference to suicide. Information about support is available at bbc.co.uk/actionline.

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    21 mins
  • 1. All this for a tree?
    Jul 12 2025

    Hairy Biker Si King documents the global outrage that followed the felling of a beloved landmark that had stood in Northumberland for hundreds of years.

    As the two men convicted of criminal damage at Sycamore Gap are sentenced, Si King charts the bizarre theories that began to emerge in the immediate aftermath.

    It's a story of conspiracy theories, life changing accusations and very odd disguises.

    Music: Lament for Sycamore Gap appears courtesy of Riccardo Pez.

    Presenter: Si King. Producer: Jane Downs with additional reporting by Jo Lonsdale and Martin Lindsay. Sounds Producer: Alex Booth. Sound Design: Chris Fawcett. Story Consultant: Barney Rowntree. Online Producer: Rachael Smith. Executive Producer: Dan Farthing and Alistair Miskin.

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    16 mins
  • Introducing… Felled: The Sycamore Gap Story
    Jul 11 2025

    Hairy Biker Si King investigates who felled the tree at Sycamore Gap, which had stood along Hadrian’s Wall in Northumberland.

    The famous tree had come to symbolise the local community and was nicknamed 'Robin Hood Tree', after featuring in the 1991 film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves starring Kevin Costner.

    One morning in September 2023 the tree had been cut down and disbelief gave way to anger, accusations and conspiracy theories as a bizarre true crime story unfolded.

    Presenter: Si King. Producer: Jane Downs with additional reporting by Jo Lonsdale and Martin Lindsay. Sounds Producer: Alex Booth. Sound Design: Chris Fawcett. Story Consultant: Barney Rowntree. Online Producer: Rachael Smith. Executive Producer: Dan Farthing and Alistair Miskin.

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    2 mins
  • 8. The cost to Corby
    Apr 21 2025

    A statement from an embattled Chief Executive shocks the nation's media.

    As George's investigation comes to an emotional conclusion, new information is revealed and an offer is made to the man at the centre of the storm.

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    37 mins
  • 7. The German Equation
    Apr 14 2025

    Find out whether the Corby mums or the council is helped when a new witness speaks out.

    As experts seek to dismiss the families’ claims as 'fantastical', Des Collins and his team face a curveball that threatens to change everything.

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    33 mins