Murder 24/7

The BBC's 'Murder 24/7' is in many ways a straightforward copy of Channel 4's '24 Hours on Police Custody', albeit with even more relience on police bodycam footage and an exclusive focus on the worst of crimes. I find it riveting, and the odd thing is how often I end up sympathetising with the perpetrators, even when they have done the worst of things: what happens to a person to make them into a murderer? It's not exactly feel-good TV, but it is both gripping and (at least for me) thought provoking.

Investigation into the murder of courtney valentine. what makes this special is the way they follow the investigation. we are live there. from the call the murder was reported to each step the police takes, the apprehension of suspects, questioning of suspects, the forensic investigation... we are there.

i recommend this to anyone who is interested in crime, crime procedure or who contemplates a career in that field.

The level of access for the cameras is impressive. You see everything but the dead body, which elevates this show above many true crime shows relying on recreations. The pacing is good, the police were very professional and respectful, and the show provides some insight into a murder investigation.

Unfortunately, the show comes up short in the entertainment department. There is some suspense as to when and how they will fund their suspects, but ultimately there is no mystery here. The second crime was even caught on video, which was pretty digsusting to watch. A couple of the interrogations were interesting, but too much time was spent on the "No comment," interrogations.

Again, if you want realism then this is the show for you. If you want drama, mystery, and intrigue then you might have to find a fictional show or a true crime show such as Murder Board that focuses on narrowing down suspects.

The action starts, then it stops so he can talk about it, then it rewinds and starts but stops again, ad nauseum. You never get to see the full clip all at once, just snippets. I suggest they play the whole clip once the analyze it. And they show the same thing over and over, 10-15 times and it gets boring.

There are so many true-crime series around. for anyone short of time it's tough picking which ones to go with. To any fan reading this, I thoroughly recommend this mini-series. Definitely one of the best I've seen and I've seen a lot. I found it gripping from start to finish. Of the 3 cases featured, the first is the stabbing of a lone male in a flat in Southend. Although suspects are quickly identified, it takes time tracking them all down. Which ones, if any, are guilty of murder? The second case covers only half an episode but is truly shocking in both the simplicity and outcome of the crime. I am not one to exclaim out loud at the TV but on a good couple of occasions I blurted out What?!!!! Nooooo! The third case is another stabbing, this time of a homeless man in Colchester, found dead in a side street. It takes a lot longer to ID a suspect in this case. Another case that had me amazed at the outcome. All angles of an investigation are covered, I personally was not surprised at the amount of tedious legwork and CCTV watching that had to be done, perhaps some people will be. It certainly isn't glamorous like in the movies. I think the biggest thing I took from this is how 'real' it made murder seem. When it isn't on TV or in the papers, when you are seeing the real individuals involved without sad music in the background and endless dramatic narration etc it brings home how 'ordinary' a murder can be, in terms of locations, people involved etc. Even the accused seemed like otherwise normal everyday people, not dark shadowy villains. In this respect, it's all the more frightening. In these sad and scary times, true-crime fans have more time on their hands than they would like in which to catch up with their playlist. I suggest starting here.