Cold Open

It’s the late afternoon of July 5th, 1996 in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Enveloped in the warm evening air, Ian Wilmut tends to his home vegetable patch. But as he toils, his mind wanders to the lab where he usually works, and where history is about to be made.

Ian is a biologist of some renown, known for his work in the field of animal cloning. He and his colleagues at The Roslin Institute have been working on a groundbreaking project that is about to reach its climax. After a lifetime of work, Ian may finally get to bear witness to the world’s first mammal successfully cloned from an adult cell — a feat previously thought impossible.

Today is the possible birth date of Dolly, the lab’s 277th attempt at cloning a sheep. But, due to restrictions on the number of people allowed to attend the birth, Ian has had to settle, on the most momentous day of his career, for a mere phone call. Now, as he anxiously awaits news from the institute, he can barely focus on the plants before him.

Unable to distract himself with his gardening, Ian lays down his tools and heads inside to check his landline once again. But still, no calls, and no missed messages.

With a sigh, Ian turns to return to his garden. But, just as he’s about to step out, the phone finally rings. Ian rushes to answer it… then stays silent as a hurried voice comes through the receiver with the news Ian has been hoping for: Dolly the cloned sheep has been born.

The successful birth of Dolly the Sheep marks a milestone in science, shattering the popular and long-standing belief that adult mammals could not be cloned. Many will credit the historic feat with opening the door to new and exciting scientific possibilities. But not all will celebrate the breakthrough. After causing a stir in the media, Dolly will also spark heated debate and widespread fear around cloning technology following her controversial birth on July 5th, 1996.

Introduction

From Noiser and Airship, I’m Lindsay Graham and this is History Daily.

History is made every day. On this podcast—every day—we tell the true stories of the people and events that shaped our world. 

Today is July 5th, 1996: The Cloning of Dolly the Sheep.

Act One: The Calm Before the Media Storm

It’s February 21st, 1997, in Edinburgh, Scotland, nearly 7 months since the birth of Dolly the Sheep.

Inside the offices of the Roslin Institute, biologist Ian Wilmut briefs his team on the media onslaught he knows is about to occur.

Ever since Dolly entered the world, the institute has been busy finding the best way to share the news. Many moving parts needed to be completed before Dolly could be revealed, but the scientists are finally nearing the end of their preparations. The institute has already done the required genetic tests to confirm the cloning and prepared the requisite official report about the achievement, which is due to be released to the public in a week’s time.

As the publication date nears, the institute will also hold a press conference sharing the news of Dolly’s birth. It will be the first time the world hears of their achievement. But ahead of the formal announcement, they’ve decided to start handing out confidential press releases to a handful of journalists with the strict instruction, not to leak the news ahead of the press conference. And with these confidential press releases scheduled to go out tomorrow, Ian seizes one last opportunity to prepare his team for the public’s reaction.

The Roslin Institute has long known news of a cloned animal would likely shake the public and scientific community. While other animals have been cloned before, they have only been cloned from early embryonic cells, not adult cells, a much more difficult feat. Though the birth of Dolly ushers in new, promising possibilities, especially in stem cell advancement, the Roslin Institute is well aware their achievement could be perceived as more terrifying than inspiring. So, ever since Dolly was delivered, Ian and his superiors have been working with a PR company to train employees for the inevitable media frenzy.

Likening Dolly’s arrival in the world to a virgin birth, Ian tells his them to anticipate skepticism and disbelief. Given the extraordinary nature of their achievement, it’s natural that it should send alarm bells ringing. But, after months of preparation, Ian is hopeful that they’ll be able to rise to the occasion and put most of the public’s concerns to rest.

This thinking though, proves optimistic. The media storm is far greater than Ian ever imagined, sparked in part by the efforts of TV producer Christopher Martin.

A few weeks after Dolly’s birth last year, Christopher Martin visited Roslin as research for a documentary into biotechnology. Upon meeting, and seeing Christopher's film as a welcome opportunity for accurate reporting on Dolly, Ian chose to disclose her groundbreaking birth to an astounded Christopher. For the producer, the revelation was an unexpected windfall. Not only would it change the face of his documentary, but he could now be the first to get it onto screens.

It was agreed that Christopher’s film would be shown after the Roslin Institute’s official announcement. But eager to build anticipation for the event, Christopher alerts members of the media to the press release as soon it goes out, tantalizing them with promises of an impossible story to come.

Among those tipped off is Robin McKie, a journalist for the Observer newspaper. Deciding this story is too juicy to sit on, Robin publishes the news of Dolly’s birth immediately in article questioning what Dolly’s cloning will mean for humans.

As soon as the story hits the shelves of British newsagents, every major publication in the UK picks up the story. Very shortly after, an unaware Ian receives a phone call from a journalist, bombarding him with questions about what Dolly’s birth means for the world, demanding to see the sheep, and even asking if he secretly cloned a human too.

Ian tries to reassure the journalist, explaining the potential benefits and advancements Dolly's birth represents, trying to reinforce that Dolly’s birth is not the catastrophic event the reporter seems to think it is. But the journalist is deaf to Ian’s talking points, pushing for sensationalism instead. But Ian doesn't budge. And realizing he won’t get the headlines he hoped for, the reporter hangs up. Still, it’s not long before another journalist comes calling.

With the Roslin Institute's announcement plan derailed, Ian will find himself at the center of a media frenzy. Phone calls will flood the lines at the Roslin Institute, as the premature news of Dolly's birth triggers intense public interest in the dystopian possibility of human cloning. Under intense scrutiny, Ian and his team will now face the arduous task of combating negative publicity as they fight to regain control of the narrative behind their miraculous achievement.

Act Two: The Eye of the Media Storm

It’s early April 1997, around five weeks after Dolly’s birth was revealed by the media.

Ian Wilmut sits in the offices of the Roslin Institute, his phone glued to his ear. All around him, his colleagues are engrossed in their own phone conversations.

For the last month, their work as biologists has taken a backseat to the world's fascination and apprehension about Dolly's existence. Since news of her birth first broke, sixteen film crews and fifty photographers have visited the Roslin Institute, in addition to the thousands of phone calls that have come pouring in, and show no sign of letting up.

Today, Ian finds himself explaining once again to a journalist that the Institute simply does not have the capacity for any more visitors, no matter how much they want to see the infamous Dolly. As the caller responds with frustrated expletives, Ian politely thanks them, hangs up, and slumps back into his chair. Nothing could have prepared him for this kind of attention. The response has been even more overwhelming than anticipated, turning into an unrelenting barrage that no amount of PR training could make manageable.

Ian stares despondently at the newspapers sprawled across his desk. Dolly's face graces all the front pages, her innocence a stark contrast to the alarming headlines underneath. Some simply state, "Scientists Clone Adult Sheep," while others adopt more provocative angles with sensational headlines. Time Magazine has gone as far as comparing Ian to Dr. Frankenstein, with a 14-page cover story dedicated to Dolly’s birth and the future of cloning. Other articles are even more critical, depicting Dolly’s birth as “the Fall of Man.”

The mass hysteria resulting from Robin McKie's premature publication has left the Roslin Institute scrambling to catch up. But many of its leaders worry that the damage already done may be irreparable, including Ian. The scientific achievement represented by Dolly has been quickly overshadowed, and Ian feels that his life's work is being undermined and misrepresented. Hundreds of reporters have interviewed him at this point, and rather than speak about the numerous medical advancements Dolly’s birth might promise, all of them have fixated on a single question: When will humans be cloned?

This question is endlessly frustrating to Ian. With cloning technology still in its infancy, the idea of human cloning is leaping far ahead. Ian continues to remind reporters that Dolly was one success, out of the team’s 277 cloning attempts, emphasizing the novelty of their achievement. He also reassures them that human cloning using the institute’s methods is not even viable. But the allure of a human clone is far more captivating to the public, than the discovery of a new scientific approach, only loosely linked to human cloning. So, no matter how many times Ian tries to counter media speculation, his message fails to gather as much attention as the more sensational headlines proclaiming human cloning to be science’s disturbing next project.

As Ian eyes all the articles scattered on his desk, he again shakes his head in frustration, exhausted from explaining the same points over and over. Then another call comes in, and he just lets the phone ring. After weeks spent trying to combat all this hysterical speculation, he’s at his wit's end. But Ian is still hopeful that once the noise subsides and the media realizes that no one is attempting to clone humans, his team's work will receive the recognition it deserves.

Envisioning a future without the deafening clamor of the media, where their work can be viewed through the right lens, Ian decides to think twice and answer his ringing phone. He prays this time he can help guide the narrative in a better direction.

With patience and great difficulty, the Roslin Institute's messaging will get through. Ian and his team's pioneering cloning methodology will be regarded as a groundbreaking discovery in biotechnology, with promising implications in other areas too. Some stem cell biologists will credit Dolly’s cloning for the motivation to develop stem cells derived from adult cells, an accomplishment that will eventually win a Nobel Prize and become foundational to much of today’s stem cell research. Eventually, the true scientific significance and positive impact of Dolly's birth will be acknowledged, as medical advances like these become apparent. Dolly will come to be known as the world’s most famous sheep, and her very existence will leave a legacy that will outshine the media maelstrom that overshadowed her early life.

Act Three: The Legacy of the Lamb

It’s February 13th, 2003, at the sheep pen of the Roslin Institute, six and a half years after Dolly’s birth.

The institute's scientists and researchers pack into the pen, forming a solemn circle around the ailing sheep.

Over the last few years, Dolly has been battling lung disease and arthritis, common ailments among sheep. Now, in ill health, she is about to be euthanized, and, as the Roslin team bid their final farewells, there’s a profound sadness in the air.

Many of them feel that Dolly was not fully appreciated in her lifetime. Her birth and the subsequent advancements in cloning have paved the way for disease-resistant chickens and pigs, combating illnesses like swine flu. Cloning methodology has also even found applications in stem cells for regenerative medicine. But the media has largely overlooked these achievements, instead focusing on Dolly's health struggles and attributing them to her status as a clone.

Throughout it all, Ian and his team have tirelessly worked to navigate the media storm, addressing concerns about human cloning and highlighting the broader impact of their research. Dolly’s brief existence has revolutionized cloning, challenging preconceptions in the scientific community and inspiring new advancements. The Roslin Institute can only hope that, in time, the public will come to understand this too.

Shortly after Dolly's passing, Ian Wilmut will leave the Roslin Institute for the University of Edinburgh, where he will continue his exploration of cloning's potential in stem cell research. His work will eventually earn him a knighthood. The groundbreaking methodology his team developed will be replicated across the globe, as various other animals, including endangered species, are cloned. But, despite popular fears, no humans are ever cloned, dispelling the dystopian speculation that surrounded Dolly the Sheep, allowing her to leave a more positive legacy, characterized by the scientific progress and numerous medical achievements catalyzed by her birth on July 5th, 1996.

Outro

Next on History Daily. July 6th, 1535. English statesman Thomas More is beheaded for refusing to accept King Henry VIII as head of the Church of England.

From Noiser and Airship, this is History Daily, hosted, edited, and executive produced by me, Lindsay Graham.

Audio editing by Mollie Baack.

Sound design by Mischa Stanton.

Music by Lindsay Graham.

This episode is written and researched by Luke Lonergan.

Executive Producers are Alexandra Currie-Buckner for Airship, and Pascal Hughes for Noiser.