History Cold Case: History series which sees skeletons of everyday people from across the ages analysed in staggering detail opening new windows on the history of our forebears by literally revealing the person behind the skeleton. The fascinating work of world-renowned Professor Sue Black OBE and her team at the Centre for Human Anatomy and Identification at the University of Dundee comes under the spotlight as the team works on answering three big questions from the skeleton. Who were they? Why did they die? What does their life story tell us that we didnt know before? Using the full arsenal of modern forensic anthropology remarkable stories emerge from long forgotten bones along with the faces of people who havent been seen for hundreds of years. Bodies are unearthed in a range of circumstances from a medieval body found at a Scottish castle to a heavily scarred Georgian woman discovered in a mass burial pit in London. None of the skeletons is famous all are everyday people whose extraordinary stories would have died with them if it werent for Sue Black and her colleagues. With forensic science techniques such as carbon dating bone chemical analysis and facial reconstruction they find new layers of detail to add to our knowledge of Britains past. -- Ipswich ManAn apparently African skeleton unearthed near a medieval English monastery pushes Professor Sue Blacks forensics team to its limits. Bone analysis offers clues about the true origins of the mysterious skeleton and facial reconstruction painstakingly reveals his face not seen for centuries. The historical trail points to new evidence about British ancestry and the case takes an unexpected twist when they discover the tragic truth about how he died.

Starring:

Laurence Fox

Genre:

Documentary