February 14, 2025

29 minutes

Available for over a year

Audio analysts Jess and Maya are hired to support a police sting operation to infiltrate a suspected drugs gang. A terrified teenager agrees to carry a wire when he goes to collect a package – Jess and Maya have to try to work out how to trap the drug runner, using sound cues from the route he takes.

Exemplar: “an audio recording made by a forensic analyst to recreate the precise audio conditions of a piece of evidence in a criminal or civil case.”

The return of a modern day thriller set in the world of audio forensics. In Exemplar, Gina McKee plays Jess, a forensic analyst born and bred in the North East. Together with her colleague Maya, she undertakes a different sound challenge in every episode. When DS Serena Gray comes into their world, things become a little bit more complicated.

Created by leading sound designers, Ben and Max Ringham, and rooted in factual research. The first series of Exemplar won Best Series at the 2022 BBC Audio Drama Awards.

Jess ….. Gina McKee

Maya ….. Shvorne Marks

Killian ….. Benjamin Cawley

DS Gray ….. Clare Perkins

Luke Watson ….. Malcolm Ridley

Lara ….. Jessica Taylor

Writers: Ben and Max Ringham, with Dan Rebellato

Audio forensic consultants: James Zjalić, plus Dr Katherine Earnshaw and Bryony Nuttall, forensic specialists in speech and audio at the Forensic Voice Centre

Police consultant: Alex Ashton

Sound recordist: Alisdair McGregor

Production coordinator: Annie Keates Thorpe

Sound design: Ben and Max Ringham with Lucinda Mason Brown

Original music: Ben and Max Ringham

Directors: Polly Thomas and Jade Lewis

Executive producer: Joby Waldman

A Reduced Listening production for BBC Radio 4