It has been 25 years since British journalist Jill Dando was shot and killed on the doorstep of her London home.
Jill, who was 37-year-old at the time of her death, was known as ‘the golden girl of British television’ and her death led to an outpouring of grief from the nation.
A number of events are taking place in her home town of Weston-super-Mare to celebrate her life on the 25th anniversary of her death.
Her murder on the morning of 26 April 1999 sparked one of the largest criminal investigations in the UK since the search for the Yorkshire ripper – but the case remains unsolved.
Jill Dando went from a budding print journalist in Weston-super-Mare to become a BBC star so loved she was regularly dubbed ‘TV’s Diana’.
In 2023 a Netflix series called Who Killed Jill Dando retraced her steps on the morning of the murder and examined the police investigation that followed.
It featured interviews with investigators, journalists, lawyers and some of her closest friends and family.
Who was Jill Dando?
Jill Dando was a successful BBC journalist who died after being shot on the doorstep of her home in Gowan Avenue, Fulham, on 26 April 1999. Her murder remains unsolved.
She was born in Weston-super-Mare and started her career there as a journalist for the Weston Mercury newspaper.
She started working for BBC in the mid-1980s where she worked for BBC Radio Devon and Spotlight in Plymouth.
She moved from regional television to national shows in London in the late 1980s, achieving huge success while presenting breakfast television, the 6pm news and shows including Holiday and Songs of Praise.
At the time of her death, Jill Dando co-presented BBC One’s Crimewatch with Nick Ross.
What happened to Jill Dando?
Jill Dando’s lifeless body was discovered on the doorstep of her West London home at around 11.47am on 26 April 1999.
She was rushed to hospital but was pronounced dead by medical teams at around 1pm that day.
Her cause of death was a single bullet wound to the head.
Her next-door neighbour reported seeing a man, who they described as tall and aged around 40, walking away from the scene. This is thought to be the only sighting of her alleged killer.
Jill Dando’s funeral was held at Clarence Park Baptist Church in Weston-super-Mare on 21 May 1999.
Thousands of people lined the streets of the seaside town as her coffin passed through and around 2,000 people gathered outside the church itself.
Who killed Jill Dando?
Jill Dando’s death sparked one of the largest criminal investigations in British history, but to this day the case remains unsolved.
Police are thought to have interviewed more than 2,500 people and taken more than 1,000 statements in relation to her death.
A local man, Barry George, was convicted and jailed for her murder in the early 2000s.
However, after spending eight years in prison, he was acquitted following a successful appeal and re-trial.
No other suspect has ever been charged with Jill Dando’s murder.
Sophie Anderson, a UK-based writer, is your guide to the latest trends, viral sensations, and internet phenomena. With a finger on the pulse of digital culture, she explores what’s trending across social media and pop culture, keeping readers in the know about the latest online sensations.
