The theatre tour
A Sunday Times Best Seller
Pathologist, author, professor, apiarist, aviator
About Richard
Pathologist
Richard trained as a doctor at St George's Hospital medical school at Hyde Park Corner, qualifying in 1977, and then completed his postgraduate training as a forensic pathologist in 1987. He immediately joined what was then the elite forensic department at Guy's Hospital.
Author
Richard Shepherd was born in West London but grew up in Watford. At the local grammar school he was introduced to a medical textbook smuggled into the classroom by a friend which opened his eyes to the world of crime and murder, setting him on a lifelong quest to understand death in its many forms.
Professor
Richard is an experience Senior Lecturer and Professor who has taught at universities around the world and lectured to professional audiences at national and international conferences. He has also talked to students in several secondary schools to encourage them to study medicine, science and the law.
Apiarist
In his spare time, Richard is an avid apiarist, taking delight in looking after his bee hives and sharing the honey with family and friends.
Aviator
Richard is an avid aviator who has had his Private Pilot Licence since 2004. He has flown well over 500 hours mainly in the UK but also in Europe and internationally. He regularly flies both a Cessna 172 and a Piper PA28 and he owns a share in a Spitfire Mk26. Richard finds flying a good way to relax - most of the time.
Unnatural Causes: The theatre tour
Meet the forensic pathologist, Dr Richard Shepherd. A detective in his own right, who has solved the mystery of sudden and unexplained deaths as he takes to the road in his first ever theatre tour. He has performed over 23,000 autopsies and been involved in some of the most high-profile cases of recent times: the Hungerford Massacre, the Princess Diana Inquiry, and 9/11. He has faced serial killers, natural disaster, 'perfect murders' and freak accidents. His evidence has put killers behind bars, freed the innocent, and turned open-and-shut cases on their heads. Yet this has not come without personal cost.
Join Dr Richard Shepherd for an evening which promise to be both captivating and enthralling. ‘Unnatural Causes’ will tell the stories of some of the cases and bodies that have haunted Doctor Shepherd the most, of his admiration for the complexities of the human body and how to live a life steeped in death.
Age Guidance 16+
For the big hearted... Not the faint hearted!
Bromsgrove
Sale
Cheltenham
Books
Fascinating, gruesome yet engrossing
Richard and Judy Daily Express
Heart-wrenchingly honest
Prof. Sue Black Author of All That Remains
One of the most fascinating books I have read in a long time. Engrossing, a haunting page-turner. A book I could not put down
The Times Book of the year
A deeply mesmerising memoir of forensic pathology. Human and fascinating
Nigella Lawson Food writer, chef and cooking show host
Notable TV appearances
Autopsy: The Last Hours of
Dr Richard Shepherd analyses the autopsy reports of some famous celebrities in an attempt to understand their lifestyle and what their last days were like.
Death Detective
A multipart series for the BBC, investigating recent sudden deaths in real time with actual demonstrations in the mortuary and also looking back at some of his complex and interesting cases.