Murder 24/7 - BBC true crime

The nation's obsession with crime - both fictional and true - continues. The former is good news for me as a police advisor (!), but sometimes fact can be stranger than fiction, as this show illustrates.

Unlike the more established Channel 4 series 24 Hours in Police Custody, this series takes things more slowly, and relies more on watching the detectives as they talk through the evidence, following leads, sometimes ending up in cul de sacs, occasionally having a breakthrough.

As a result I feel this is a much more realistic portrayal of how an investigation unfolds over time, showing more of the many and diverse areas of enquiry that have to be undertaken for a crime as serious and impactful as murder. You also see the impact that these crimes have on those involved - not just the family and friends of the victim, but the first officers attending the scene, and those involved in the subsequent investigation - detectives, forensic officers, search team and custody staff to name just a few.

If you haven't seen the series yet, I'd recommend starting with The DPD Murder in Series 2, spread over three episodes.