Eight people are lost when a boat sinks on Strangford Lough, April 1895. A new BBC Sounds series dives into the mysterious circumstances surrounding this tragic event.

In the three-part podcast The Mystery of Mount Stewart, actor Kerri Quinn attempts to unravel what happened, by retracing the route the boat took on that fateful day.

For Kerri, who is currently appearing in police drama Hope Street, this was a first foray into the world of radio.

Kerri says: “Radio and TV are very different. I suppose with TV you rely on the face to do quite a bit of the work if you want to express emotion, but on radio it is all about the voice. You have to capture the mystery of what’s being said.

“Everything interested me about this story, because I hadn’t heard it before and it is history right on your doorstep. It’s the unknown, it’s the fact they are still looking for answers as to what happened and it still hasn’t been solved.

“Anything to do with an unsolved crime, I’m in. It’s a very tragic story of Lady Londonderry and her servants and what happened on that fateful day.”

In 1895, Theresa, Lady Londonderry was the foremost political influencer of her day, holding court for part of the year at Mount Stewart house on the shores of Strangford Lough in County Down.

As a treat for her most senior servants, who created dazzling social events for guests at the Mount Stewart estate, Theresa lends them her personal sailing boat.

The group set sail on an idyllic trip to one of the islands on Strangford Lough, but the boat is never seen again and eight people are missing - presumed dead.

From head cook, Eliza Taunt to house steward, Joseph Grainge, the passengers on the boat worked their way up the Victorian social ladder to become more than just servants. Theresa and her husband described them as friends.

As time passed some of the bodies began to wash up and this fascinating series explores the stories behind these lives lost, how the tragedy impacted the Londonderry family and Theresa’s political aspirations, and what became of the Mount Stewart estate.

Listen to all three episodes from Saturday 23 December on BBC Sounds, with the first episode starting at 1.05pm on BBC Radio Ulster on the same date.