24 Hours in Police Custody
5.9/10
Channel 4 Running Drama • Crime
14 Seasons · 90 Episodes · Premiered September 29, 2014
Bedfordshire Police allowed more than 80 cameras to follow their work for this landmark documentary series from the makers of 24 Hours in A&E.
Where to Watch:
Channel 4
Next Air Time: No upcoming air date
Seasons & Episodes
Season 1
7 episodes
E01
The Conspiracy to Murder
Mon, Sep 29 2014 8:00 PM GMT+0000
60 min
This extraordinary episode opens with the dawn arrest of a man on suspicion of conspiracy to murder. The film documents the work of the lead detectives as they investigate and interview the suspect.
E02
Love Hurts
Mon, Oct 6 2014 8:00 PM GMT+0000
60 min
In this second episode of the observational series shot inside Luton Police Station, two PCs are determined to get to the bottom of two contrasting cases of domestic abuse and harassment.
E03
The Confession of a Paedophile
Mon, Oct 13 2014 8:00 PM GMT+0000
60 min
This episode follows the team of four detectives working full-time on child abuse cases in the dedicated Safeguarding Investigation Unit at Luton Police Station.
E04
The Drug Drop
Mon, Oct 20 2014 8:00 PM GMT+0000
60 min
This episode opens with a young man accidentally dropping a large quantity of cocaine from his jacket pocket outside a petrol station - all caught on CCTV.
E05
The Morning After
Mon, Oct 27 2014 9:00 PM GMT+0000
60 min
It's Saturday night in Luton, and Bedfordshire Police are dealing with drunken domestic disputes and a booze-fuelled fight.
E06
Honour Thy Father
Mon, Nov 10 2014 9:00 PM GMT+0000
60 min
In Luton, a devout Muslim has been arrested for violently assaulting his daughter with an iron after she married a man he doesn't approve of.
E07
The Crime of the Century
Mon, Nov 17 2014 9:00 PM GMT+0000
60 min
Acting sergeant and double amputee Wil Taylor and his team investigate the case of three sex workers. Are the women victims of trafficking, or are they exploiting others?
Season 2
6 episodes
E01
A Crime of Passion
Tue, Jan 6 2015 9:00 PM GMT+0000
60 min
Hardened detectives DS Hutton and DC Brecknock are shocked by an extraordinarily disturbing case of attempted murder in an ordinary terraced home.
E02
A Short, Sharp Shock
Tue, Jan 13 2015 9:00 PM GMT+0000
60 min
Two teenage girls are arrested after a fight broke out in a nightclub. And the police also arrest a 61-year-old man who's never spent a night in the cells before.
E03
Human Traffic
Tue, Jan 20 2015 9:00 PM GMT+0000
60 min
This episode follows an investigation into suspected human trafficking. DC Tom Stean says Human trafficking is getting worse and worse. I think Luton is a magnet.
E04
Punchdrunk Love
Tue, Jan 27 2015 9:00 PM GMT+0000
60 min
This episode follows cases where alcohol and relationship tensions mix in a dangerous cocktail. Investigating Officer Lisa Hutchinson says nine out of ten cases can be of domestic violence.
E05
Age Concern
Tue, Feb 3 2015 9:00 PM GMT+0000
60 min
Several elderly people have been sexually assaulted in a graveyard. The police have a sample of an attacker's DNA from a previous crime scene, and arrest a young man. Will his DNA match?
E06
Frequent Flyers
Tue, Feb 10 2015 9:00 PM GMT+0000
60 min
Cathie Layton and Brett Jones used to work together in the police, but now Brett's a legal rep, representing one of Luton's prolific burglars, with DC Layton on the other side of the table.
Season 3
5 episodes
E01
Bad Blood
Mon, Jul 27 2015 8:00 PM GMT+0000
60 min
DS Emma James and DC Cathie Layton pull a 22-hour shift to find the evidence against a young man accused of robbery and assault, who denies everything and paints himself as the victim.
E02
Guilty Little Secrets
Mon, Aug 3 2015 8:00 PM GMT+0000
60 min
Bedfordshire Police must decide whether to charge two men arrested as part of a nationwide operation against people possessing and, in some cases, distributing indecent images of children online.
E03
Partners in Crime
Mon, Aug 10 2015 8:00 PM GMT+0000
60 min
DS Simon Hancock and DC Cathie Layton have 24 hours to interview two men who they suspect are behind a string of knife-point robberies. And neither man knows what the other's saying.
E04
Mother's Pride
Mon, Aug 17 2015 8:00 PM GMT+0000
60 min
The police release a young man who's been accused of a vicious assault when he gives his mother as an alibi. But when she fails to support his story they have to try to find him again.
E05
A Sixth Sense
Mon, Aug 24 2015 8:00 PM GMT+0000
60 min
DC Cathie Layton investigates the case of a man who is alleged to have assaulted a taxi driver and stolen his keys. But her instinct tells her that all is not what it seems...
Season 4
9 episodes
E01
Human Cargo
Wed, Apr 20 2016 8:00 PM GMT+0000
60 min
The critically acclaimed documentary series returns with a new approach to serious crime as it follows the investigations of Bedfordshire Police around the clock. Police are called to investigate frantic banging coming from inside a refrigerated HGV lorry that recently passed through Dover after crossing the Channel. Inside, they discover a distressed three-year-old girl and her five-year-old sister along with their mother and 12 other migrants who have been smuggled into the UK. Bedfordshire Police now face a race against the clock to find out whether they have been illegally trafficked into the UK and deliberately imprisoned in the refrigerated container for more than 17 hours, or whether they have smuggled themselves aboard the lorry unbeknown to the driver and transport company. With the migrant crisis dominating the news agenda, this is real life drama at its most intense.
E02
To Catch a Paedophile
Wed, Apr 27 2016 8:00 PM GMT+0000
60 min
Men are being lured to meetings with a couple who pose online as underage girls. After filming their public confrontations with their victims, paedophile hunters post the evidence online. They also demand that the men who they entrap hand themselves in to the police. Once the suspects are in custody the police begin a race against the clock to find the evidence to charge the men. Does the involvement of these modern-day vigilantes help the police investigation into potential sex offenders who lurk in our midst or does it risk undermining the prosecution against them? 24 Hours in Police Custody - the critically acclaimed documentary series with unprecedented access around the clock to the work of Bedfordshire Police - has returned with a new approach to their investigations into major crimes. Cameras follow each case in forensic detail as the officers race against time to disentangle who is responsible for the crime, then try to build a case and put it to their suspect in interview.
E03
Love Thy Neighbour
Thu, May 5 2016 8:00 PM GMT+0000
60 min
Cameras from 24 Hours in Police Custody follow Bedfordshire Police as Tommy Robinson, the founder of the English Defence League, is held in Luton police station following a vicious assault on a Muslim man. Policing tensions between extremist groups in one of the most ethnically and religiously diverse towns in the UK is a daily challenge for Bedfordshire Police. Their job is made more complicated still when they have to deal with the backwash of Islamic fundamentalism when a Muslim woman seeks their protection from her husband, who is threatening to take her to Syria against her will. 24 Hours in Police Custody, the critically acclaimed documentary series that follows the work of Bedfordshire Police around the clock, has returned with a new approach to their investigations into major crimes. Cameras follow each case in forensic detail as the officers race against time to disentangle the evidence and build a case, which they then put to their suspects in interview.
E04
One Punch
Thu, May 12 2016 8:00 PM GMT+0000
60 min
Two lives change in a heartbeat after a single punch fells a man outside a nightclub. The blow kills the victim and the police arrest the attacker. Cameras follow every twist and turn as police from the Major Crime Unit try to disentangle what really happened. Was the punch an unjustified and aggressive assault on an innocent man or an act of self defence with tragic consequences? This is real life drama at its most intense. 24 Hours in Police Custody, the critically acclaimed documentary series that follows the work of Bedfordshire Police around the clock, has returned with a new approach to their investigations into major crimes. Cameras follow each case in forensic detail as the officers race against time to disentangle the evidence and build a case, which they then put to their suspects in interview.
E05
Black Balaclava
Thu, May 19 2016 8:00 PM GMT+0000
60 min
Bedfordshire Police investigate a rash of knife-point robberies. But without good CCTV images, they have to rely on old-fashioned detective skills.
E06
Home Truths
Thu, May 26 2016 8:00 PM GMT+0000
60 min
When does a row at home become a case of domestic violence? That's the tricky question the police face as they are called to intervene in the many domestic dramas that happen night and day behind closed doors in Bedfordshire. The force has seen a surge in the number of incidents of domestic abuse being reported to them, to over 200 a week. Domestic violence crimes have been given a high priority and the police have new powers to charge suspects, so they have their work cut out navigating very personal situations. The stakes are high; although many couples decide to make up, officers are all too aware of the tragic statistic that on average two women every week are killed at the hands of their partners. These issues around domestic abuse are often covered in television drama but for the police and the victims this is no drama; it's real life.
E07
Lethal Weapon
Wed, Jun 1 2016 8:00 PM GMT+0000
60 min
A man is on the run from Operation Bosun, Bedfordshire Police's specialist unit who tackle gun crime. Police believe that the wanted man is lying low for the moment but remains armed and dangerous. Gun crime is a force priority: in just six months Bedfordshire Police have dealt with dozens of reports of weapons being discharged and have seized 23 firearms. Finally officers spot their suspect and call in armed back-up. The attempted arrest is a moment of high tension and drama that plays out in an ordinary street in an ordinary town. This isn't a crime thriller; this is real life. 24 Hours in Police Custody, the critically acclaimed documentary series that follows the work of Bedfordshire Police around the clock, has a fresh approach to capturing their investigations into major crimes. Cameras follow each case in forensic detail as officers race against time to disentangle the evidence and build a case, which they then dramatically put to their suspects in interview.
E08
In Plain Sight
Wed, Jun 8 2016 8:00 PM GMT+0000
60 min
During Luton's May carnival, a man enters a house and sexually assaults two young children. Bedfordshire Police are determined to find him before he can strike again.
E09
A Complaint of Rape
Wed, Jun 15 2016 8:00 PM GMT+0000
60 min
A young woman has made a complaint of rape against a man who she met in a bar. What follows is a series of interviews with the woman and suspect, as police try to unpick the different accounts.
Season 5
5 episodes
E01
A Moment of Madness
Mon, Jun 5 2017 8:00 PM GMT+0000
60 min
The first episode explodes onto TV screens with a man walking out of a hotel lift covered in blood and holding a fire extinguisher. He approaches the reception desk shouting that he has killed someone. As the terrified receptionist tries to ring 999, the man grabs the phone, but the police have been alerted and they're already racing to the scene. Cameras follow every twist and turn as detectives from the Major Crime Unit try to disentangle what really happened at the hotel close to Luton Airport, which has suddenly become a chaotic and bloody crime scene. This is real-life drama at its most intense. Throughout the series, cameras follow each case in forensic detail as the officers race against time to disentangle the evidence and build a case, which they then put to their suspects in interview.
E02
Their Time Will Come
Mon, Jun 12 2017 8:00 PM GMT+0000
60 min
A distressed woman arrives at Luton Police station. She is comforted by officers from Bedfordshire Police's Safeguarding Unit, but they have to reveal that her 76-year-old husband is under arrest and in custody following allegations of historic child sex abuse, dating back to the 1970s. Since the Jimmy Savile case, the police have been overwhelmed with claims of child sex abuse but they feel duty-bound to seek justice for the victims, no matter how long it has been delayed. Cameras follow every twist and turn of the investigation as the detectives work out if they can believe the allegations, and whether they can ever find the evidence to build a case. This is real-life drama at its most intense.
E03
Human Chains
Mon, Jun 19 2017 8:00 PM GMT+0000
60 min
A man comes to Luton Police station claiming that his life's in danger and that he's just escaped from a slave-owning gang who have held him captive at a Travellers site in a remote part of Bedfordshire. The police are prioritising allegations of 'modern day slavery'. They launch a major operation to see if they can find evidence of his claims. Over 200 officers are drafted in to help launch a dawn raid on the site to arrest their suspects. Cameras follow every twist and turn of the investigation as the detectives work out if they can believe the allegations, and whether they can find the evidence to build a case. This is real-life drama at its most intense.
E04
Code of Silence
Mon, Jun 26 2017 8:00 PM GMT+0000
60 min
A man has been attacked and left lying unconscious on the floor of a crowded pub for over 30 minutes. The emergency services are eventually called but, although his condition is critical, no one is prepared to come forward and name the attacker. The next day, with their victim in hospital and the attacker still at large, detectives from Bedfordshire Police seize CCTV footage from the pub. Although they can clearly see the vicious assault, they can't easily identify who threw the punch. Cameras follow every twist and turn of the investigation as the detectives work out if they can overcome the wall of silence that they face and find the evidence to charge. This is real-life drama at its most intense. Bafta Award-nominated 24 Hours in Police Custody follows Bedfordshire Police's detective work around the clock in forensic detail as officers race against time to disentangle evidence, build a case and interview their suspects.
E05
The Golden Bracelet
Mon, Jul 3 2017 8:00 PM GMT+0000
60 min
It's a particularly busy period for Bedfordshire Police. Officers are preparing to interview a young female care worker who's been brought into custody despite her adamant denial of involvement in the theft of a gold bracelet from someone in her care. A young man in custody denies being involved in a stabbing at a corner shop. Yet another suspect, who has been wanted for six months, has finally handed himself to police to be questioned over a violent assault outside a nightclub. Cameras follow every surprising twist and turn of the investigations as the detectives work out the strength of the evidence they can put to their suspects. Will what is said in police interview reveal what really happened in each case, and is there enough evidence to charge? This is real-life drama at its most intense.
Season 6
6 episodes
E01
Sex and Corruption
Mon, Feb 19 2018 9:00 PM GMT+0000
60 min
This episode reveals what happens when a police officer who is meant to be investigating a crime turns out to be the man who committed it. The unprecedented access takes viewers behind the scenes into an allegation of police corruption. Cameras follow all of the twists and turns of a unique and gripping investigation as it unfolds, as detectives from the Major Crime Unit track down, arrest and then charge their suspect. Police officers from across Bedfordshire have to come to terms with the fact that one of their own, a colleague and someone some regard as a friend, is a corrupt cop. This is real-life drama at its most intense.
E02
Car Attack
Mon, Feb 26 2018 9:00 PM GMT+0000
60 min
At 4.30am on a Saturday, Bedfordshire Police are called to Dunstable Town Centre, where a man has driven a car into a group of revellers outside a kebab shop before fleeing on foot. His victim has been left unconscious with life-threatening injuries and the police's only lead is the car. With a suspect on the loose, cameras follow every twist and turn of the investigation, as the urgent job of tracking him down is handed to the Criminal Investigation Department.
E03
Left for Dead
Mon, Mar 5 2018 9:00 PM GMT+0000
60 min
A man lies dead in a park in Peterborough. The position of his body raises intense suspicions but rigor mortis has already set in and the trail of evidence is going cold. Who is the victim and how did he come to be dumped overnight in open ground? Detectives are called in to investigate. Cameras follow every extraordinary twist and turn of the investigation as the job of working out this real whodunnit becomes the priority for the Major Crime Unit. Bafta Award-nominated 24 Hours in Police Custody follows Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Police's detective work around the clock in forensic detail as officers race against time to investigate major crimes, disentangle evidence and build a case, which they then put to their suspects in interview. This is real-life crime drama at its most intense.
E04
Shallow Grave
Mon, Mar 12 2018 9:00 PM GMT+0000
60 min
Police are digging in the back garden of a house in Luton searching for the body of a woman who disappeared in 2003. They believe a painstaking fingertip search might reveal vital clues in a suspected murder enquiry. Natalia Wilkanowska's disappearance left detectives from the Major Crime Unit puzzled and frustrated with the lack of answers to their questions. Without answers the family can't lay her memory to rest and properly grieve. Cameras follow every extraordinary twist and turn of an investigation where detectives have decided it's time to solve the job by turning up the heat on their suspects. This is real-life crime drama at its most intense.
E05
Frequent Flyers
Mon, Mar 19 2018 9:00 PM GMT+0000
60 min
The police search for a couple who they believe have exploited a young, vulnerable woman by taking over her flat to use it as a drugs base.
E06
Too Close for Comfort
Mon, Mar 26 2018 8:00 PM GMT+0000
60 min
A woman has reported to police that she's living in fear because she believes a man who she once regarded as a friend has begun to stalk her. The police are only too aware that they've got to act in case the situation escalates out of control, so they arrest him. One in five women say they've been a victim of stalking, and tougher sentences have recently been introduced to tackle the crime. But the man denies that he's a stalker. Cameras follow the victim and the prime suspect as they argue over whether he has crossed a line and their friendship has now turned into an unhealthy obsession. Police unpick the case as they try to work out who's telling the truth and whether they have the evidence they need to charge the suspect.
Season 7
8 episodes
E01
Body in the Grass
Mon, May 21 2018 8:00 PM GMT+0000
60 min
A woman's body is found in overgrown grassland. When detectives inform her partner of her death, his behaviour marks him out as the chief suspect.
E02
The Kane Line
Mon, May 28 2018 8:00 PM GMT+0000
60 min
This episode has unprecedented access to a major covert surveillance operation, which culminates in 10 simultaneous armed dawn raids against organised crime gangs.
E03
A Knife Through the Heart
Mon, Jun 4 2018 8:00 PM GMT+0000
60 min
A man lies dying in the street from a stab wound to his heart. A friend at the scene is desperate to find out if he will survive, but it's now a crime scene and he's not allowed to see the victim. Paramedics can't save the man so the police begin a murder inquiry, and they believe the friend may be able to tell them what happened. But they know that without his co-operation they may struggle to prove their case. Cameras follow in intimate detail a tragic case with a surprising and disturbing twist. This is real-life crime drama at its most intense.
E04
A Second Chance
Mon, Jun 11 2018 8:00 PM GMT+0000
60 min
A woman calls the police to a block of flats in Luton, where a bloody hand print is found on the wall, and a disturbing case unfolds.
E05
Fifty Shades of Abuse
Mon, Jun 18 2018 8:00 PM GMT+0000
60 min
A teenager is rushed to hospital with serious injuries that suggest she's been tied up and assaulted. She says she got them during sex with her boyfriend. But then she disappears from hospital...
E06
What Lies Beneath
Mon, Jun 25 2018 8:00 PM GMT+0000
60 min
The police receive a call from a young man claiming that there are body parts buried in the garden of a house on an estate in Luton. A search team is dispatched but they face a wall of silence at the scene. Detectives suspect that it is a fantasy but, more worryingly, they may be being deliberately drawn into a long-running and brutal tit-for-tat gang war. Cameras follow every twist and turn of the case as it escalates further when the mother of the young man is stabbed in the chest. Police begin investigating the case as an attempted murder. This is real-life crime drama at its most intense.
E07
Lost in Translation
Mon, Jul 2 2018 8:00 PM GMT+0000
60 min
Detectives investigate a man who they believe has brought a young woman into Britain unlawfully, on a one-way ticket from Bulgaria.
E08
Living Amongst Us
Mon, Jul 9 2018 8:00 PM GMT+0000
60 min
A man is lured to a sting by paedophile hunters. A few days later, a pensioner is found badly beaten. Cameras follow every twist and turn of an emotive and troubling police investigation.
Season 8
6 episodes
E01
Predators
Mon, Mar 11 2019 9:00 PM GMT+0000
60 min
A young woman has been brutally attacked in the undergrowth near a secluded bridge. Police immediately begin a frantic search at the scene of daylight rape to find any forensic evidence that might identify a suspect. DC Denise Brown of the Major Crime Unit says: 'I think this case has affected me more than any other crime I've dealt with. The torture and pain will affect her for the rest of her life.
E02
Family Secrets
Mon, Mar 18 2019 9:00 PM GMT+0000
60 min
An experienced officer from the Bedfordshire Police Internet Child Abuse Investigation Team investigates an area of criminal behaviour beyond anything she has tackled before.
E03
Knifed
Mon, Mar 25 2019 9:00 PM GMT+0000
60 min
Detectives race to the scene of a stabbing in broad daylight. Cameras follow every twist and turn of the investigation, revealing the real-life stories behind the familiar headlines about knife crime.
E04
Smuggled
Mon, Apr 1 2019 8:00 PM GMT+0000
60 min
Cameras follow every twist and turn of a real-life police investigation as detectives attempt to catch a suspected drug trafficker before he can escape on a flight to Spain.
E05
The Detective and the Surgeon
Mon, Apr 8 2019 8:00 PM GMT+0000
60 min
Bedfordshire police receive a 999 call from a country estate, reporting a burglary of antiques worth a quarter of a million pounds. But for veteran CID detective Dave Brecknock something about the case doesn't quite add up.
E06
Sudden Death: Think Murder
Mon, Apr 15 2019 8:00 PM GMT+0000
60 min
A coroner has asked police to look into the sudden death of a 48-year-old woman. When DS Graham McMillan, who has dealt with over 200 murders during his career, is sent photos of the dead woman, they immediately raise suspicions. He says 'You do get a hunch just through experience, something isn't right... I've looked at the photos that were taken of the lady in situ and what concerns me, is some of the bruising around the chest and the neck area.' His next step is to 'look at what we've got in front of us and say 'something doesn't seem right here'.
Season 9
6 episodes
E01
Wanted
Mon, Sep 27 2021 8:00 PM GMT+0000
60 min
Police officers search for a man in Luton who disguises himself as a delivery driver to force his way into people's homes and commit brutal assaults. However, when the police investigation fails to make headway, the family of one of the victims launch a campaign for information on social media - which increases the likelihood of the criminal seeing he is at risk of discovery and going to ground.
E02
Chicken Shop Wars
Mon, Oct 4 2021 8:00 PM GMT+0000
60 min
A violent daytime brawl with knives erupts on the streets of Luton as a chicken shop war heats up. But the case takes an even more disturbing twist when a police raid lands a huge cache of drugs.
E03
The Horror House - Part 1
Mon, Oct 11 2021 8:00 PM GMT+0000
60 min
Part one of a two-part report into the case of a man who sexually preyed on young people in Luton, which eventually became Bedfordshire Police's largest ever operation into historic abuse. The film begins with the work of a detective in the Child Sexual Exploitation unit, who discovers that a victim's testimony identifies a man who had been arrested eight times previously for sexual offences but had never been convicted.
E04
The Horror House - Part 2
Mon, Oct 18 2021 8:00 PM GMT+0000
60 min
Bedfordshire Police's largest ever operation into historic abuse continues, with DS Rachael Foy spending three years working to persuade victims to testify against the suspect. However, she knows that the system too often lets victims down even when they are brave enough to come forward - and in this case, many of the victims have died before they are able to do so.
E05
Murder on the Doorstep
Mon, Oct 25 2021 8:00 PM GMT+0000
60 min
On a quiet Sunday lunchtime in a Cambridgeshire suburb, a man lies bleeding to death. A major manhunt is triggered, where the strength of family blood ties is brutally exposed.
E06
Holding the Baby
Mon, Nov 1 2021 9:00 PM GMT+0000
60 min
The real-life drama follows police investigations into one of the most disturbing and hard-to-prove crimes - baby-shaking cases - and examines parents' often-divided loyalties.
Season 10
4 episodes
E01
Two Wrongs
Mon, Nov 28 2022 9:00 PM GMT+0000
60 min
Perplexing cases from the files of Bedfordshire Police. When a couple were woken by what sounded like a break-in at their rural property, the husband set out in pursuit of what he perceived were burglars on motorbikes. Minutes later, police received a call reporting a devastating collision. At the scene two men were still trapped under a vehicle, both of them have apparently suffered critical injuries. Detective Inspector Grant Maxted investigates what happened at the devastating crash and what lay behind it.
E02
A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing
Mon, Dec 5 2022 9:00 PM GMT+0000
60 min
Bedfordshire Police race to rescue a 15-year-old girl after receiving intelligence that a 20-year old man is holding her captive at his flat in Luton. When she comes to the station, she reports being raped multiple times. Police search for the perpetrator, as evidence emerges that she was not his only victim, and that many of the underage girls he targeted are unaware of the danger he presents.
E03
The Honeytrap Murder: Part One
Mon, Mar 20 2023 9:00 PM GMT+0000
60 min
Following the case of a naked man found stabbed to death in Luton, which leads police to discover this may be one of a series of murders in which men are lured with the promise of sex, so that they can be robbed. DI Dale Mepstead turns her attention to two men who are seen on CCTV accompanying the suspects into a flat. Will either of the women being held in custody reveal their identity?
E04
The Honeytrap Murder: Part Two
Tue, Mar 21 2023 9:00 PM GMT+0000
60 min
When a man is found dead and completely naked after bleeding out from a stab wound to his thigh, Bedfordshire's Major Crime unit charge two women who they believe enticed the man into meeting them with the promise of sex, but instead had the intention of robbing him. CCTV reveals the women were accompanied by two men on the night of the murder. Now with four suspects in custody, investigators need to work out who is behind the `honey trap" plot and which of their suspects is responsible for the murder.
Season 11
5 episodes
E01
The Siege
Sun, Dec 3 2023 9:00 PM GMT+0000
95 min
Feature-length special telling the inside story of an armed siege in a Bedford tower block, and including unprecedented access to the command suite during a live siege. A man rings 999 to report that he's seen a man with a weapon that looks like an AK-47 rifle shouting that he'll shoot the next person who he sees in the head. The call has come from a block of flats where two men have already blockaded themselves in a flat. As one of the men inside begins posting live on Facebook, armed officers are ordered to surround the building.
E02
The Night Prowler
Sun, Dec 10 2023 9:00 PM GMT+0000
60 min
DC Shona Birkby from Bedfordshire Police's Rap and Serious Sexual Offences team analyses a video of a couple having sex without knowing they are being filmed. As she forensically examines her suspect, she explains how she believes he is regularly prowling the streets filming women in compromising positions without their consent to get sexual thrills. The case takes a sinister turn when, within weeks of the video being taken, police receive a call from a nightclub where door staff believe a woman has been attacked.
E03
The Predator
Sun, Dec 17 2023 9:00 PM GMT+0000
90 min
Feature-length special about an investigation into a case of possible male rape involving a man who arranges to meet multiple men a week for sex using Grindr. Bedfordshire Police's Rape & Serious Sexual Offences team try to work out whether there is enough evidence to charge a suspect who claims the sex is consensual. The programme examines fraught questions of consent and the reasons why police investigations into male rape are so rare and difficult to prosecute.
E04
Murder on Camera - Part 1
Mon, Jan 8 2024 9:00 PM GMT+0000
60 min
Part one of a two-part special revealing the story behind a brutal double murder, when one man is found dead in the road outside a pub while another has multiple stab wounds. Despite both men being pronounced dead at the scene, no one in the close-knit community of Houghton Regis has so far come forward to reveal who is responsible.
E05
Murder on Camera - Part 2
Tue, Jan 9 2024 9:00 PM GMT+0000
60 min
Two men have been brutally murdered and a third has been left with multiple stab wounds. A number of suspects have been arrested but the man who police believe is responsible for stabbing all three victims is on the run. The detectives from the Major Crime Unit at Bedfordshire Police still can't comprehend the level of brutality they have witnessed. As the manhunt intensifies, cameras follow live a fresh twist in the investigation when police discover a believed confession written by the fugitive suspect.
Season 12
9 episodes
E01
The Devil's Chain
Tue, Jun 4 2024 8:00 PM GMT+0000
60 min
The gripping inside story of a brutal machete and gun attack on a Luton doorstep, a gold chain, and a struggle against the odds to identify the attackers.
E02
Murder on Prescription - Part 1
Mon, Sep 9 2024 8:00 PM GMT+0000
60 min
Part one of a two-part special following the case of a 47-year-old disabled woman from the Cambridgeshire town of Wisbech, who was found dead in her kitchen with her throat cut. There was no trace of a murder weapon in the property where the victim lived alone - but despite the shortage of clues, the local rumour mill soon revealed more about the victim and the name of a possible suspect.
E03
Murder on Prescription - Part 2
Tue, Sep 10 2024 8:00 PM GMT+0000
60 min
A knife is found near the crime scene that could be the murder weapon and while forensic analysis reveals the presence of DNA on the blade which might be from the killer, there's a one in 12,000 chance that anyone will match the DNA - which means as many as three people in Wisbech could be the killer. While the town's rumour mill continues to accuse previous suspects, DI Dale Mepstead has a difficult decision to make: will she arrest again? The sudden death of the original suspect is followed by the discovery at the murder victim's house of a large quantity of heroin and paperwork which suggests the illegal sale of prescription drugs. At last, an opening up of the mystery of a murder motive allows the detectives to move in to question their final suspect.
E04
The Murder Messages
Mon, Nov 25 2024 9:00 PM GMT+0000
60 min
The story of a young couple whose lives were shattered by a series of anonymous online attacks, which rapidly escalate into death threats. Rookie detective Emily Richardson is faced with the first big challenge of her policing career, trying to work out what's really going on after each of the couple separately report a series of harassing phone calls and death threats from an unknown third party.
E05
Living the High Life
Mon, Dec 2 2024 9:00 PM GMT+0000
60 min
In Bedfordshire, police detectives discover a connection between a major fraud on a vulnerable old man's life savings and a gang who are exploiting young people. As cameras follow every twist and turn of two very different types of police operations, the true extent of the damage that the drugs trade wreaks are exposed in the most surprising ways.
E06
The Murder of Jane Doe
Mon, Dec 9 2024 9:00 PM GMT+0000
60 min
A woman calls the police at 4am. She's in deep trouble and many miles from home. Soon she's in a coma. Can detectives solve the mystery of how she got this way?
E07
Breakout
Mon, Jan 6 2025 9:00 PM GMT+0000
60 min
An account of the key events in an escape attempt from the Yarl's Wood immigration removal centre in Bedfordshire. Cameras follow from inside a police manhunt to return to custody a large group of detainees who have successfully scaled a perimeter before fleeing across the UK. As the operation turns its focus on who the criminals on the run are and who on the outside might have assisted the escape, police raid a number of properties linked to Albanian organised crime groups.
E08
The Norfolk Narco Cartel
Mon, Jan 13 2025 9:00 PM GMT+0000
75 min
Cameras follow the Eastern Region Special Operations Unit during a major operation that leads to the seizure of drugs worth over £1.5million. After finding drugs hidden in secret compartments in equipment being shipped into the UK, detectives realise they may be able to break an international South American cartel by exploiting their discovery.
E09
The Unusual Suspects
Mon, Jan 20 2025 9:00 PM GMT+0000
60 min
How the new routes behind large scale cannabis importation are leading police to some very different suspects, far from the gangs who traditionally ran the drugs trade. Detectives in Luton CID take on a case after UK Border Force intercept multiple packages of cannabis addressed to properties across Bedfordshire, whole DC Adam Geary is handed what will become the biggest investigation of his career.
Season 13
5 episodes
E01
The Butcher of Suburbia (Part 1)
Sun, Jun 29 2025 8:00 PM GMT+0000
60 min
The inside story of the murder of a 74-year-old woman, and the macabre lengths the killer went to in attempting to conceal her death. Annette Smith's lodger reported that she has been missing for several weeks. Missing Persons find no trace of her. Detectives from the Major Crime Unit are called in on a gripping and disturbing case that shocks detectives.
E02
The Butcher of Suburbia (Part 2)
Mon, Jun 30 2025 8:00 PM GMT+0000
60 min
Detectives from the Major Crime Unit at Bedfordshire Police have a suspect in custody who admits to the crime - but the confession is only the beginning of a case that will bring a series of deeply disturbing twists and turns in a tale that shocks and surprises the experienced police team. Cameras follow as the police continue to probe the suspect and the interview becomes more and more chilling.
E03
Nightclub Predator (Part 1)
Sun, Jul 6 2025 8:00 PM GMT+0000
60 min
The first of a two-part documentary featuring unprecedented access behind the scenes of a crime investigation into a serial rapist who Cambridgeshire Police believe preyed on dozens of women. The suspect, Craig France, has a reputation across Peterborough's nightclub scene and for the notorious hot-tub afterparties he has hosted at his house. A search of France's house reveals an obsession with hidden recording devices. As officers download the data from the cameras, what they find shocks them.
E04
Nightclub Predator (Part 2)
Mon, Jul 7 2025 8:00 PM GMT+0000
60 min
Serial sexual predator Craig France is in custody, and officers from Cambridgeshire Police Rape Investigation team wait for the CPS to approve charges for rape and voyeurism. However, the satisfaction of getting a charge is short-lived, as they're only just beginning to understand the darkest depths of France's criminality.
E05
Lost Boys
Sun, Jul 13 2025 8:00 PM GMT+0000
60 min
The inside story of the investigation into the disappearance of a 15-year-old boy. A mum calls Bedfordshire 999 reporting that her 15-year-old son has gone missing, again. DC Lee Primonato from the dedicated Guns & Gangs unit immediately suspects that yet another child has been drawn into serious drug dealing and that the boy will, eventually, be found in a drug den. Recruiting children to hold a phone where drugs are ordered by customers has become an essential part of gangs' business model; because it makes it harder for the police. Cameras follow detectives as they make a breakthrough. Every twist and turn of the investigation is on camera as a raid is planned on a property where the police hope to find the controller of the drug line but the detectives are in for an unpleasant surprise.
Season 14
9 episodes
E01
Murder Is No Game (Part 1)
Sun, Oct 5 2025 8:00 PM GMT+0000
85 min
Following the investigation into one of the biggest murder inquiries ever conducted by the Bedfordshire Police. . On Friday 13 September 2024, police receive a 999 call from a block of flats after gunshots are heard. Bedfordshire Police immediately scramble all available resources to the scene. It's clear that the shots have killed some of the occupants.
E02
Murder Is No Game (Part 2)
Mon, Oct 6 2025 8:00 PM GMT+0000
60 min
Detectives from the Major Crime Unit have a suspect in custody but they're shocked when what their investigation reveals is even more devastating and important than their worst fears. Forensic analysis of his life online demonstrates that he craved notoriety by becoming the most deadly mass school shooter in history, and that he had based his plans on what he had found online about other school shooters.
E03
A Family Vendetta (Part 1)
Mon, Dec 8 2025 9:00 PM GMT+0000
60 min
The UK's biggest and most successful true crime documentary series returns with a two-part special which follows the investigation into a dispute over the custody of a child which ends in the fatal shooting of a father and son. On the evening of 29 March 2023, police receive a 999 call to an address in the quiet Cambridgeshire village of Bluntisham after a shotgun has been heard. A man has been fatally shot. The perpetrator has fled the scene. The murder has all the characteristics of an execution. Within minutes, a new emergency call is received for another shooting in another village just a 10-minute drive away. A second victim is discovered fatally wounded. The new victim is the father of the first man found dead. Detectives from the Major Crime Unit establish that the motive for the double murder could lie in a dispute over who should have custody of the child of the first victim - and they identify two potential suspects. Cameras follow the twists and turns of a double manhunt as police discover that their first suspect is holed up in a nearby hotel with the mother of the child while their second suspect - the grandfather of the child - is heading to the west in a camper van and still armed. In time, with both suspects now in custody, the interviews begin. What caused the apparent escalation of a family dispute into a brutal double execution? This is real real-life documentary where the drama is more compelling and disturbing than the best crime fiction.Â
E04
A Family Vendetta (Part 2)
Tue, Dec 9 2025 9:00 PM GMT+0000
60 min
A 32-year-old man and his 57-year-old father have been murdered, each man shot dead with a shotgun at point blank range at their homes in villages 10 miles apart in a quiet part of Cambridgeshire. After a county-wide manhunt, police have three suspects in custody. At the centre of the tragic crime is a dispute over the custody of a child. Detectives believe that they have compelling evidence that the child's grandfather was directly responsible. But did he act alone? Can text messages and CCTV prove a wider conspiracy to murder? Cameras follow as the double murder investigation reaches its final dramatic conclusion.Â
E05
The Secret Network
Tue, Jan 13 2026 9:00 PM GMT+0000
60 min
A deep dive into Bedfordshire Police's covert investigation into the individuals using the encrypted phone network EncroChat to organise criminal operations. Plus, how the investigation helped inquiries into a shotgun attack in Luton after police discovered the culprit had been sharing their plans with others through the phone network.
E06
Zombie Knives
Tue, Jan 20 2026 9:00 PM GMT+0000
60 min
An investigation into the epidemic of knife crime violence that left 97 young people murdered in 2025, 17 of whom were under the age of 16. Part of the problem is the zombie-style knives and swords, which were finally banned from being sold in 2024. The documentary reveals how two brothers, Adam and Eddy Eliaz, made it their business to run companies importing and selling blades, and tells the stories of Ashraf Habimana, Omar Khan and Ronan Kanda - all murdered by children with zombie-style knives that they'd bought online.
E07
Burying Horror
Tue, Jan 27 2026 9:00 PM GMT+0000
60 min
The inside story of the investigation into one of the country's worst serial paedophiles, who is currently serving a life sentence for his crimes. After Carson Grimes was convicted of abusing nine children in 2021, Bedfordshire Police received a flood of new reports of his crimes - and officers soon realised the scale and extent of criminality was far greater than they had feared.
E08
The Cold Case Murder - Part 1
Mon, Apr 13 2026 8:00 PM GMT+0000
60 min
The inside story of the cold case investigation into the murder of an 86-year-old who was stabbed multiple times in 2013, before her body was set on fire. More than a decade later, detectives from the Major Crime Unit decide to reopen the investigation hoping that advances in DNA science will mean they can finally identify the killer.
E09
The Cold Case Murder - Part 2
Tue, Apr 14 2026 8:00 PM GMT+0000
60 min
The second of a two-part special looking into the murder of 86-year-old Una Crown, who was stabbed multiple times in 2013. Forensics get a partial DNA match to a man who had previously been arrested but released due to lack of evidence. Police decide to bring him in once more in the hope that after 13 years of denial, he will finally confess to the killing.
Cast
Royce Pierreson
as Narrator
Zawe Ashton
as Narrator