BBC Radio 4, The Reunion – The Hillsborough Disaster

[Bromage]

BBC Radio 4, The Reunion – The Hillsborough Disaster (Press Release)

 

11.15am-12 noon Sunday 12 April, repeat 17 April 9am-9.45am

 

In the second programme of the award-winning Radio 4 series The Reunion, Sue MacGregor is joined by five people who were involved in the Hillsborough disaster, which resulted in the death of 96 Liverpool football fans.

The fans died as the result of a terrace crush at an FA Cup semi final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest, 20 years ago, on 15 April 1989.

 

The tragedy at Hillsborough was the worst spectator disaster in the history of British sport and resulted in widespread change in the design and safety of British sports stadia. The fatal terrace crush at the Sheffield Wednesday ground was ostensibly caused by a human tide of fans being swept along a sloping tunnel onto two already full "pens" which were blocked to the side and front by perimeter fencing. Fans at the front were crushed or trampled.

 

Sue MacGregor is joined by Jenni Hicks, who went to the game with her husband, Trevor, and teenage daughters Victoria, 19, and Sarah, 15, who both died. "We went as a family but came back a couple," recalls Jenni.

Another mother, Margaret Aspinall, vice chair of the Hillsborough Family Support Group, lost her 18-year-old son, James, who was attending his first Liverpool away game.

 

Colin Moneypenny, who survived the crush, describes the "utter chaos" of being "carried off my feet for 30 to 40ft" along the Leppings Lane tunnel to within 10ft of the front perimeter fence.

 

Paramedic Tony Edwards was in the first vehicle to treat injured fans on the pitch. He still suffers feelings of trauma and guilt for driving away instead of staying to help others.

 

Dr Rogan Taylor was chairman of the Football Supporters Association at the time of Hillsborough and is now a professor at the University of Liverpool's Football Research Centre.

 

Presenter: Sue MacGregor CBE

 

Producer: Chris Green

The Reunion is a Whistledown. production for BBC Radio 4.

 

Whistledown.

8A Ayres Street, London SE1 1ES

Tel: 0207 407 8001

 

www.whistledown.net

[RP]

Was very good. As was Kelly's programme this evening.

 

Looks like it's gonna be a tough week.

[TommoK]

Yes I thought the piece on Radio 5 this evening was well put together too.

[Billy Dane]

Thought Football Focus on the BBC yesterday was excellent. It's in 7 parts on you tube.

[smithdown]

Kelly's programme here:

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00js...orough_Stories/

[TommoK]

Thought Football Focus on the BBC yesterday was excellent. It's in 7 parts on you tube.

 

I've only just watched it on Youtube and I agree it was a very well put together programme and was, rightly of course, quite damning at times.

[kop205]

The Reunion

 

Available to listen to for 5 days.

 

I found it very, very difficult.