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Limelight

Dead Hand: 2. Zero Sum

Limelight

BBC

Fiction, Drama

4.4698 Ratings

🗓️ 1 April 2022

⏱️ 26 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

A contemporary thriller set in Northern Ireland written by Stuart Drennan.

Greg is the host of a true crime podcast dedicated to uncovering the identity of a serial killer, last active over twenty years ago, known only as Dead Hand.

A killer named after a mysterious radio transmission which has been broadcasting an indecipherable code in the years since Dead Hand vanished. A code told in the voices of Dead Hand’s victims; including Greg’s missing father. However, when a new voice is added to the code, Greg realises that Dead Hand is active again.

With time already running out, can he finally crack the code and catch the killer?

Cast: Greg ... Paul Mallon DS Murray … Michelle Fairley Kate … Roísín Gallagher Lucy … Hannah Eggleton Stacey … Eimear Fearon May … Julia Dearden Thomas … Patrick Fitzsymons Daniel … Desmond Eastwood Assistant Jo … Nicky Harley Control … Louise Parker Police Officer … Andrew McCracken TSG lead … Patrick Buchanan All other roles played by members of the cast.

Writer … Stuart Drennan Script Editor … Philip Palmer Producer … Michael Shannon Executive Editor … Andy Martin

A BBC Northern Ireland production for Radio 4.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

BBC Sounds, Music, Radio, Podcasts.

0:05.0

This is the Dead Hand Code Podcast phone line.

0:09.8

Please leave your comments, queries and theories right here.

0:14.2

Hey Greg, I really just can't believe after 20 years the dead hand killer has returned.

0:21.5

Where do you think he's been?

0:23.0

Why do you think he's come back?

0:25.1

I love the show.

0:26.3

Bye.

0:27.5

So this Daniel kid who's gone missing, he was wearing clothing that was black, blue and white, okay?

0:34.8

Does that mean something?

0:36.9

I hope you find the wee man

0:38.4

And I hope he's alive when you do.

0:40.8

Dead hand was gone for 20 odd years, right?

0:43.3

Well, if you multiply 24 by the 12 months of the year,

0:46.1

you get 288.

0:47.5

And we don't know how long he was truly away for,

0:50.0

just that it was roughly 24.

0:51.8

So, if it was 24.1 years,

0:53.9

that gets us 290.

0:55.8

The code has 29 numbers.

0:57.6

He was away for 290 months.

1:00.4

Coincidence!

...

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