BBC podcast series reveals the twisting tale behind the return of a stolen da Vinci masterpiece

A new BBC podcast series uncovers what really happened when the Leonardo da Vinci painting – The Madonna of the Yarnwinder – was spectacularly taken from Drumlanrig Castle in Dumfries and Galloway in 2003.

Gareth Hydes, Commissioning Editor, BBC Scotland:

‘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.’

The Missing Madonna, which is available from 25 August on BBC Sounds, marks the 20^th anniversary of an audacious art heist that set the record for the most valuable painting ever to be stolen in Britain.

The nine-part series from the award-winning BBC Scotland podcast team that produced Bible John and The Cruelty, features never-before-heard secret recordings and asks serious questions about the way in which stolen artwork is returned in the UK. The compelling tale, brimming with twists, turns and double-crosses, 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.

Olivia Graham at the National Galleries of Scotland with the Madonna of the Yarnwidner in the background / BBC

Despite a high-profile investigation involving the FBI, plus the promise of a substantial reward, the painting disappeared into the criminal underworld. Its owner, the Duke of Buccleuch, could only wait and hope.

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, in addition to their website. Sensing an opportunity to do something truly historic and collect a big reward, Robbie and Jackie assembled 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 Missing Madonna 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.

All episodes of The Missing Madonna will be available on BBC Sounds from August 25th.