About this season
This dramatic true crime series reveals how some of the UK’s most serious and complex cases were solved by the expertise of a band of unsung heroes – the expert witnesses.
Episodes (15)
1. The Murder of Sarah Payne: Fields of Evidence
Aired 28 October 2024 • 28 min
The heart-wrenching case of eight-year-old Sarah Payne, who was abducted and murdered. A forensic ecologist finds a vital link between the suspect and the gravesite. And an expert witness analyses blood at the scene, where remains are found in a freezer
2. The Body in the Suitcase
Aired 29 October 2024 • 28 min
A twisted killer throws two suitcases containing severed remains into a canal, and it’s down to a 3D-scanning expert to uncover the crucial evidence needed to convict him. And a forensic entomologist helps prove a suspected case of extreme dog neglect.
3. The Wheelie Bin Killer
Aired 30 October 2024 • 28 min
When a body is found in a wheelie bin dumped in a lake, can a cell site analyst track the suspects’ movements and help put them behind bars? And when a man disappears in the Highlands, a soil expert unearths the grim truth that identifies his killers.
4. Cracking the Killer's Code
Aired 31 October 2024 • 28 min
When a violent gang use a secret language to discuss a fatal attack, police turn to a forensic linguist to crack their code. And one of the biggest cannabis growing operations ever seen in the UK is brought down with the help of a drugs expert.
5. Catching a Cold Case Killer
Aired 4 November 2024 • 28 min
Will untying the knot of a dressing gown cord used to kill Mary McLoughlin 35 years ago finally reveal the identity of her killer? And when a student’s body is found in a suitcase, a soil expert’s analysis of muddy shoes helps solve the case.
6. Murderers, Messages and the Breakfast Killer
Aired 5 November 2024 • 28 min
In a horrifying case of mistaken identity, a man is stabbed to death in his home. Can an intelligence analyst help convict the suspects? And when a teenager is found beaten to death, a trace evidence specialist helps police confirm the murder weapon.
7. The Boy in the Woods - The Murder of Rikki Neave
Aired 6 November 2024 • 28 min
Nearly 30 years after six-year-old Rikki Neave was brutally murdered, the cold case is reopened and evidence from a soil expert proves crucial in convicting his killer. And a wildlife forensic scientist helps police in an illegal ivory investigation.
8. Beneath the Ashes
Aired 7 November 2024 • 28 min
When fire crew discover a woman’s body in a burning flat, a blood spatter analyst uses a risky and untested method to reveal key evidence. And a Welsh cold case is solved when, for the first time, familial DNA is used to identify a serial killer.
9. Lured to the Woods
Aired 11 November 2024 • 28 min
A teenager is found dead in the woods. A pathologist analyses her stab wounds to shed light on the attack, and when remains are found in Scotland, a crack team of experts nail the killer.
10. The Shooting of Olivia Pratt-Korbel
Aired 12 November 2024 • 28 min
The devastating case of a gunman fatally shooting a young girl in Liverpool. An image analyst helps detectives unmask the notorious killer. When valuable antique coins are dug up illegally, two expert witnesses help police to convict the suspects.
11. Blood on the Carpet
Aired 13 November 2024 • 28 min
A mother and child disappear in 1976, only leaving a burnt-out car behind them. Over 40 years later, can a blood analyst help police finally bring their killer to justice? And a cell data specialist is called upon to plot the movements of six suspects.
12. The Rachel Nickell Murder: Justice at Last
Aired 18 November 2024 • 28 min
The brutal, unsolved murder of Rachel Nickell on Wimbledon Common shocked the nation. Ten years on, can a forensic team using new DNA technology identify the killer? And a trace expert’s analysis of glass fragments from a beer glass connects a suspect to a vicious assault.
13. Unearthing the Truth
Aired 19 November 2024 • 28 min
A young boy is beaten to death, but his killer evades justice. Three decades on, a pollen expert finds a crucial link between a suspect and the brutal murder. And after a vicious attack leaves a man dead, can a blood and fibre analyst help trace the killer?
14. Blood on His Hands
Aired 20 November 2024 • 28 min
A disabled woman is brutally murdered, and her neighbour is the prime suspect. Can a consultant doctor help police put him behind bars? And a linguistics expert provides vital evidence to convict a man who’s stalking and harassing his ex-partner
15. Buried Secrets
Aired 21 November 2024 • 28 min
The 2005 murder of a Glasgow woman goes cold, but 17 years on, can a Dutch soil expert help to finally bring the killer to justice? And when a man is suspected of stabbing his housemate, a blood analyst employs an unusual technique to crack the case.