A new podcast series about the 1969 kidnapping of Muriel McKay is coming to BBC Radio Four.

'Intrigue: Worse Than Murder' will tell the story of what happened the night Muriel was taken and in the days, months and years that followed.

It coincides with the Metropolitan Police's recent unsuccessful search at the Hertfordshire farm where Mrs McKay's remains are believed to be.

Mrs McKay, the wife of Rupert Murdoch's deputy chairman at News Limited, was abducted from her home in Wimbledon in the winter of 1969.

The kidnap was a shocking case of mistaken identity – the kidnappers claimed "We tried to get Rupert Murdoch's wife [Anna]. We couldn't get her, so we took [Muriel] instead".

Sadly, Mrs McKay was never seen again.

The BBC's new podcast uses intimate testimony from members of the McKay family, as well as previously un-broadcast recordings of telephone conversations with the kidnappers, to explore the impact of the abduction on Mrs McKay's family. It also considers what the incident says about the tabloid press at a pivotal moment in its history.

The podcast will be presented by investigative journalist Jane MacSorley alongside Simon Farquhar, author of A Desperate Business: The Murder of Muriel McKay.

Daniel Clarke, commissioning editor, said: "This series sheds new light on one of the most tragic kidnap cases in 20th century British history, and the impact it has had on Muriel McKay’s family.

"It also shows us a huge amount about how both the police and the press operated in the late 60s and early seventies and is extremely eye opening in that regard.

"As the Metropolitan Police renew their search for Mrs McKay’s remains, we hope some closure can be found after a long 54 years."

Jane MacSorley said: “The name of our series originated from the words of a senior detective who was deeply involved in the case. He witnessed the unimaginable torment endured by the McKay family over days, weeks and months, describing Muriel's kidnapping as ‘worse than murder.’ 

“Over the past months, Simon and I have had the privilege of meeting and getting to know Muriel’s three children, now in their 80s. Decades on, the horror of what they went through and still do to this day is palpable. Their living hell is still very much present, as their agonising wait to find their mother might very soon reach a resolution.

“In my extensive career as an investigative journalist, this story stands out like no other I have had the fortune to work on.”

Intrigue: Worse Than Murder is available to listen to now on BBC Sounds.