Unit 5

EPISODE 1
[Amanda outside a museum.]
AMANDA: This is the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford. It’s one of the most famous museums in the UK. It’s got
fantastic exhibitions on everything from the ancient Egyptians to renaissance Europe and it’s home to
st
many fascinating objects and works of art. That’s why, on 31 December 1999, one of the most daring
art robberies in history happened here. While the rest of the country was celebrating the start of the
new millennium, thieves broke in and stole a painting called Auvers-sur-Oise by the French artist
Cezanne. It was worth £3 million! But how did they do it? Well, they weren’t armed robbers. They didn’t
use weapons. They were much cleverer than that. They climbed onto the roof and broke into the
museum through the glass ceiling. People didn’t hear them because of the New Year’s Eve fireworks!
They climbed down ropes … and set off smoke bombs to make the fire alarms go off. In all the
confusion the thieves walked up to the painting, cut it out of its frame and disappeared! After the
robbery, police officers were confused. They even called in Charles Hill, a private investigator who
specializes in art theft. At one stage they thought the painting was in a pub, but it turned out to be a
fake. Since then it has become one of the most famous missing works of art in the world. In 2005, the
US Federal Bureau of Investigation named it one of the top ten art crimes. But even the best detectives
in the world couldn’t find it. And Cezanne’s masterpiece is still missing. Back to the studio.
[Mark is in the studio.]
MARK: Thank you Amanda. An unbelievable story. Now, it’s time for today’s competition, and we’ve got two
questions for you. First of all, what did the thieves steal from the Ashmolean Museum on New Year’s
Eve 1999.
[The question appears on the screen. Each answer flashes as Mark says it.]
MARK: Was it an Egyptian mummy, a French painting, an old World War I smoke bomb, or some Renaissance
jewellery? Click to choose your answer.
[Students can select the answer. The following options depend on the students’ choices.]
[Option 1]
MARK: Well done, it was a French painting, but that was an easy one! Now try this one.
[Option 2]
MARK: No. That’s not it! It was a French painting. Try this one instead.
[End of options.]
MARK: Look at this picture of the Ashmolean museum. How did the thieves get in? Did they enter through the
front door, a window, a side entrance or the roof? Click to choose your answer.
[Option 1]
MARK: That’s right. They entered through the roof!
[Option 2]
MARK: That’s not it, I’m afraid. They entered through the roof!
MARK: See you next time. Bye!

EPISODE 2
[Amanda and Detective Peters are in the Round-up studio.]
AMANDA: Hello there! Today we’re talking about crime and we’ve got a special guest ‒ Detective Inspector
Peters from Oxford Police Station. Hello Detective Inspector Peters.
DI PETERS: Hello there.
AMANDA: Now you’re going to show us how to analyse a crime scene like a detective, using some pictures.
DI PETERS: Yes, well, when we investigate crimes we take photos or draw pictures of what happened. This helps
us to solve the crime. Today I’m going to show you some pictures of a very famous art robbery in
Oxford. Now Mark, I want you to look at this and tell me what you see.

3 1
 Unit 5

[We see a picture. It’s dark. In the foreground there are three art thieves breaking in through the glass ceiling. In the
background are people standing on the roof ‒ with their backs to the thieves. At the top of the picture there are
fireworks. In the top left corner we can see the moon.]
MARK: Well, in the foreground there are three men. They’re wearing masks. They are standing on a roof. In
the background there are two people. At the top of the picture there are fireworks, and in the corner I
can see the moon.
DI PETERS: So what do you think is happening?
MARK: Well it must be night and the three men must be thieves. That’s why they’re wearing masks. The other
two could be thieves as well, but they might not be. They might just be watching the fireworks.
DI PETERS: Very good. The men broke in through the roof and stole a famous painting. Now take a look at this,
Amanda.
[We see a picture of three people in the museum. There is smoke everywhere. There are three men dressed in
black in the middle of the picture. In the background we can see a large painting. In the foreground there is a man
with a guards cap on. He is coughing and can’t see.]
DI PETERS: What can you see?
AMANDA: Well there is smoke everywhere. In the middle of the picture, there are three men dressed in black.
Behind them is a large painting. In the foreground, on the right there’s a man in a uniform. He’s
coughing.
DI PETERS: So, what do you think is happening?
AMANDA: Well the men in the middle must be thieves and the painting in the background must be the picture
they stole. The man in the foreground is wearing a uniform so he could be a police officer but I don’t
think so. I think he’s a security guard. And he can’t see because there’s so much smoke.
DI PETERS: Brilliant. They used smoke bombs to cause confusion.
AMANDA: Thanks, Detective Inspector. It’s your turn to analyse a crime scene with Detective Inspector Peters.
Click to pause if you want more time. Click the audio button to listen again.
[We see a picture. In the background we can see an empty frame with a jagged edge. It is obvious the painting has
been cut out of the frame. In the middle of the picture are two policemen in uniforms. They look confused. Above
them a rope is dangling from the ceiling. In the foreground is a man in a suit. He looks angry.]
DI PETERS: What can you see in the foreground?
YOU: _________________________________
DI PETERS: What can you see in the middle of the picture?
YOU: _________________________________
DI PETERS: What can you see in the background?
YOU: _________________________________
DI PETERS: Can you see anything else?
YOU: __________________________________
DI PETERS: Well done. So, what do you think is happening?
YOU: __________________________________
[Back in the studio.]
DI PETERS: We know what happened in the Ashmolean museum that night but unfortunately we still don’t know
who stole the painting!
MARK: It is still a mystery today.
AMANDA: But let’s hope that one day the police will find the painting.
MARK : You know, I’m an excellent detective, I’m sure I can help.
DI PETERS: Er, I’m sure you are …
AMANDA: … but I think we’re just out of time!
MARK: Ah, that’s a shame! Well, thank you Detective Inspector.

3 2
 Unit 5
DI PETERS: No, thank you.
MARK AND
AMANDA: Bye!

END

3 3