Use BBC.com or the new BBC App to listen to BBC podcasts, Radio 4 and the World Service outside the UK.

Find out how to listen to other BBC stations

The Cruelty

An investigation into the mystery of the Unknown Bairn leads to a dark truth.

Radio Scotland,19 episodes

Episodes

ListGrid

Stolen Generations
Introducing - The Cruelty - Stolen Generations
The mystery of the Unknown Bairn leads to a truth, hidden for too long.
23 May 2025,3 mins
Stolen Generations
1. Truth and Half Truths
The family of the Unknown Bairn come forward and the mystery of the boy deepens.
30 May 2025,37 mins,
Stolen Generations
2. Fear and Sacrifice
Davie hears disturbing stories about the Church of Scotland’s Gypsy Mission.
30 May 2025,36 mins,
Stolen Generations
3. Finland
Davie questions why a Church of Scotland Chaplain visited children’s homes in Finland.
30 May 2025,30 mins,
Stolen Generations
4. Paper Children
Davie learns of a state-sanctioned visit, by a Nazi scientist, to Scottish Traveller Camps
30 May 2025,25 mins,
Stolen Generations
5. Cutting the Roots
Davie meets Bella to discover how the state treat Traveller families today.
30 May 2025,29 mins,
Stolen Generations
6. Alexander and Sandy
The story of the Unknown Bairn re-enters Davie’s life, with devastating consequences.
30 May 2025,42 mins,
Stolen Generations
7. Strathmartine
A photograph found years ago on a hospital floor shines a light on Davie’s investigation.
30 May 2025,35 mins,
Stolen Generations
8. Truth in the Shadows
As the truth emerges from the shadows, a long overdue apology is sought.
30 May 2025,32 mins,
A Child Unclaimed
Introducing The Cruelty – A Child Unclaimed
Davie Donaldson investigates The Unknown Bairn, a boy washed up and never claimed.
27 Sep 2022,4 mins
A Child Unclaimed
1. The Memorial
Fifty years after a little boy washed up in Tayport, locals hold a memorial for him.
28 Sep 2022,17 mins,
A Child Unclaimed
2. The Couple on the Bus
Davie learns about a couple brought in for questioning. Can he find out who they were?
28 Sep 2022,23 mins,
A Child Unclaimed
3. Lucky Scalp
The water knows where The Unknown Bairn came from. Will the tides give up their secret?
28 Sep 2022,25 mins,
A Child Unclaimed
4. The Cruelty
Davie’s investigations lead him to a “lost generation” of children taken into care.
28 Sep 2022,35 mins,
A Child Unclaimed
5. The Experiments
Can a 20th-century social experiment shine a light on the mystery of The Unknown Bairn?
28 Sep 2022,45 mins,
A Child Unclaimed
6. The Boy on the Bike
Davie is given a concrete lead and makes a major breakthrough.
28 Sep 2022,25 mins,
A Child Unclaimed
7. The Camp
The investigation hits close to home and a major new piece of the puzzle slots into place.
28 Sep 2022,25 mins,
A Child Unclaimed
8. The Mother
Davie returns to the crucial question of why no one came forward to claim the child.
28 Sep 2022,19 mins,
A Child Unclaimed
9. The Wee Boy
As Davie comes to the end of his investigation, will he reveal what he has discovered?
28 Sep 2022,30 mins,