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Episode details

Radio Shropshire,11 May 2026,8 mins

The greatest ever epitaph?

Secret Shropshire

Available for over a year

The grave of Alistair Mitchell in Bridgnorth has an inscription you'll never forget, a quote from Paul Foot in Private Eye: 鈥榯he only man in British legal history to be convicted of biting a policeman with someone else鈥檚 teeth.鈥 The bespoke headstone, hand-carved by Cumbrian stonemason Pip Hall, transforms a remarkable life into stone, with elegant lettering and meticulous craftsmanship that invite visitors to stop and read. The incident in 1990 marked a turning point in Alistair's life, the injustice inspiring him to retrain in law, eventually becoming a barrister in Bridgnorth. In 2012, Alistair was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, an incurable blood cancer for which he underwent two stem cell transplants. Yet he continued working on legal cases until just a week before his death on 10 February 2019. Even from his hospital bed, he was answering the legal queries of nurses and fellow patients, all while keeping them laughing with his trademark wit. Johnty O'Donnell joined Alistair's wife, Alexandra Preston, to hear about the legend of Alistair Mitchell.

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