Read/Yale

As this latest episode of Heir Hunters shows, seeking out heirs to people who have died without leaving a will can be a real challenge.

Roy Read left an unclaimed estate of around £200,000. Having spent his semi-retirement as a driver for Age Concern, he had given a lot to the community. Yet he died alone, with no family to care for him. As Fraser and Fraser investigates, Roy's family tree proves almost impossible to follow, with every avenue a dead-end. But when it suddenly emerges that Roy could be the illegitimate son of a milkman, the investigation takes on a whole new character.

Over at the offices of Celtic Research, Hector Birchwood is delving into the case of Kenneth Yale. He died aged 79 in a Glasgow hospital after having led an apparently unremarkable life. But as Hector explores further, it becomes clear that the Yale family has a skeleton in its closet and someone is about to have to come to terms with a startling discovery.