The M is investigations of Romesh Ranganathan
Sunday, 9pm (times vary), BBC2
COMEDIAN ROMESH RANGANATHAN is known for many things – from his TV travelogues to hosting
The Weakest Link.
But in his new BBC2 series, he turns his attention to detective work, as he tries to crack the mysteries behind some of the world’s most famous celebrity deaths – in his own unique way.
‘I don’t know what skills I actually have specific to private investigation, but I’m a very private person, so that probably helps,’ he smiles.
In the opening episode, he looks into the death of American rock icon Jimi Hendrix, who died in a London flat in 1970, aged just 27.
PERSISTENT RUMOURS
Although an inquest concluded that he died from a drugs overdose, rumours of foul play have persisted.
‘Jimi Hendrix is considered as possibly the best guitarist of all time,’ says Ranganathan. ‘He’s a fascinating character and the fact that he died so young just contributes to the enigma.
‘If you look into Jimi’s death in any kind of detail, you’ll find that there are all sorts of different theories regarding how he died. Many people believe that it wasn’t as simple as it was reported.’
Like any self-respecting sleuth, Ranganathan speaks to Hendrix’s friends, family and admirers to get closer to the truth, including singers Roger Daltrey, and draws on the expertise of criminal psychologist Dr Julia Shaw.
CONTROVERSIAL THEORIES
One of the theories he investigates is the role played by Hendrix’s girlfriend, Monika Dannemann. The former German figure skater was with Hendrix for most of his last hours, and he died in her flat. What was the exact timeline of the fateful events? Meanwhile, he was on a CIA list of America’s most subversive figures, and an FBI intelligence operation, designed to neutralise inspirational figures, had files on him. Was he bumped off?
Another seemingly fanciful theory is that he was assassinated after he ran up a big debt with the Mafia.
So, will Ranganathan be able to shed fresh light on the mystery?
‘It’s possible that we might find a new angle,’ he says. ‘But even if we don’t solve it it’s still worth looking into and having an in-depth examination of what happened – and maybe, just maybe, we’ll uncover something new about his death and, in fact, his life.’