The Coroners Question

Coroners are called to investigate sudden, unexpected and violent deaths. In the more complex cases, they open an inquest.

The BBC's social affairs correspondent Michael Buchanan has seen many coroners in action and reported from many inquests.

For this programme we follow the inquest of Daniel Lindsay, who died in 2023 aged 41 in a Surrey care home, as we ask wider questions about the coroner service in England and Wales. Is it operating as well as it could and are there ways it could be better?

We discuss claims the system is ‘chronically under-funded’, even broken. We ask why there is such variation and inconsistency between different coroners – a so-called ‘postcode lottery.

We hear from Daniel Lindsay’s cousins as we explore what it is like for a bereaved family to go through an inquest and ask whether the interests of relatives should be given a higher priority.

The Chief Coroner in England and Wales Alexia Durran responds to concerns and explains what she is doing to make the service more responsive and accountable.

Producer: Leela Padmanabhan