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Crimewatch (formerly Crimewatch UK) is a British television programme produced by the BBC, that reconstructs major unsolved crimes in order to gain information from the public which may assist in solving the case. The programme was originally broadcast once a month in a primetime slot on BBC One, although in the final years before its relaunch in September 2016 it was usually broadcast roughly once every two months.
Crimewatch was first broadcast on 7 June 1984, and is based on the German TV show Aktenzeichen XY… ungelöst (which translates as File Reference XY … Unsolved). Nick Ross and Sue Cook presented the show for the first eleven years, until Cook's departure in June 1995. Cook was replaced by Jill Dando. After Dando was murdered in April 1999, Ross hosted Crimewatch alone until January 2000, when Fiona Bruce joined the show.
Kirsty Young and Matthew Amroliwala replaced Ross and Bruce following their departures in 2007. The BBC announced on 15 October 2008 that they would move production of shows such as Crimewatch to studios in Cardiff. BBC evicts top shows from London BBC News, 15 October 2008 The move took place in January 2011. Young and Amroliwala remained as the lead presenters until 2015. Following a brief period with guest presenter Sophie Raworth in 2016, it was announced that the show would relaunch in September 2016 with a new weekly format. The new presenters were announced as Jeremy Vine and Tina Daheley. The new series began on 5 September 2016, with the final episode broadcast on 20 March 2017.
In October 2017, the BBC announced that the main Crimewatch series had been cancelled, citing declining viewership. The daytime spin-off series Crimewatch Roadshow (now Crimewatch Live) would continue to air, but will also air more episodes per year. Over 40 years, more than 700 programmes have been broadcast with 7,000 appeals made on behalf of British police.
Originally, Crimewatch UK (as it was then known) was due to run for only three programmes.Tim Newburn (2007) Criminology, Willan Publishing, p. 105 It was regarded as an experiment when it was first shown due to doubts that the police would take part and scepticism as to whether witnesses and victims would welcome the idea. There was also concern that it could be considered to prejudice a jury. In over 25 years, 57 murderers, 53 rapists and sex offenders, 18 paedophiles, and others were captured as a direct result of Crimewatch appeals. "Axed! Who killed Crimewatch – and why?" Guardian, 17 October 2017
The original theme music was "Rescue Helicopter" (1980) by John Cameron (Bruton Music).
It featured approximately three or four cases per show, with each case featuring reconstructions of the crime. It was one of the largest live factual studio productions. The films shown often feature interviews with senior detectives and/or relatives or friends of victims.Leishman, Frank; Mason, Paul (2003) Policing and the media: facts, fictions and factions, Willan Publishing, p. 114 Key evidence is usually shown, such as E-FIT profiles of suspects and details of certain lines of enquiry.
Other features to the show included a "CCTV section", which showed crimes caught on CCTV with enhanced imagery of suspects. A "Wanted Faces" section was also featured: eight close-up pictures of suspects police are trying to trace are shown on screen. This section also frequently involves information about suspects, including aliases. These eight photos are shown upon the programme's closing credits, one of the few programmes in which the BBC do not 'show the credits in reduced size'.
Viewers could contact Crimewatch by phoning 0500 600 600, with the phone lines remaining open until midnight the night following the programme. Viewers could also send text messages to 63399. Due to the high demand for cases to be shown on the programme, many other cases are added to the Crimewatch website. These are joined by reconstructions, CCTV footage and wanted faces that have been shown on previous programmes. All reconstructions, CCTV footage, faces and cases remain on the Crimewatch website until the criminals are caught or suspects convicted. Crimewatch could be watched on the BBC iPlayer catch-up service for only 24 hours from broadcast due to legal reasons.
Several police officers have appeared on the programme from the studio, including David Hatcher, Helen Phelps, Jeremy Paine, Jacqui Hames, Jonathan Morrison, Jane Corrigan, and Rav Wilding. For many years the programme also included antiques experts John Bly, Eric Knowles and Paul Hayes to help with 'treasure trove' details of recovered goods believed to have been stolen.
A study by the Broadcasting Standards Council found that Crimewatch increased the fear of crime in over half of its respondents, and a third said it made them feel "afraid".Palmer, Gareth (2003) Discipline and liberty: television and governance, Manchester University Press ND, p. 80–81 However, according to John Sears, senior English lecturer at Manchester Metropolitan University, it provides a beneficial role, performing "a social function by helping to solve crime, and drawing on the collective responsibilities, experiences and knowledge of the viewing audience in order to do so."Bignell, Jonathan (2004) An introduction to television studies, Routledge, p. 197
First aired on 21 May 1997, Crimewatch: Hot Property was a one-off special presented by Jill Dando. The programme's aim was to help people find their stolen property that were recovered in police raids.
In its first year, Crimewatch was shown on fourth Mondays at 8pm before moving to fourth Tuesdays at 8pm in 1988 and 8.30pm from 1989 (with a Crimewatch Update aired at around 11pm) until mid-1996. The programme moved to TV2 on 1 August 1996 and aired at 8.30pm on a fourth Thursday until it ended later that year.
Ian Johnstone presented the New Zealand version throughout its entire run, and was joined by Natalie Brunt (1987–88), Carol Hirschfeld (1989–93), Tiana Tofilau (1994) and Mairanga White (1995–96) as successive co-presenters. Calls to the show's special phoneline helped police solve approximately 1,400 cases.
Show format
Main programme
Crimewatch used to be shown once a month on BBC One. The start time varied slightly but it was generally aired for 45–50 minutes before being extended to an hour in the early 2000s. In the early years it followed the BBC Nine O'Clock News starting at around 9.30pm but in the mid to late 1990s was often moved to 10pm, always with a short Crimewatch Update programme airing later that evening (sometimes as late as after midnight due to scheduling). In June 1986 there was no edition of the programme due to World Cup football coverage from Mexico. In January 1987 the Grandstand studio was used for that month's edition due to a strike by the set designers. In later years, following the move of the flagship evening news programme, the main show was now aired at 9pm for an hour with Crimewatch Update now airing sometime after the BBC Ten O'Clock News. Since March 2011 the show aired less frequently, roughly once every two months.
Crimewatch Update
Following the main programme, there was a 10–15 minute follow-up after the BBC News at Ten, with updates on calls and results from the earlier broadcast. This was removed when the show relaunched in September 2016. From the start of the fourth series in October 1987, additional updates were also featured as part of the following morning's edition of Open Air but later moved into magazine programme Daytime Live (a replacement for Pebble Mill at One) from November 1989 until May 1990.
Police involvement
Despite initial police concerns about involvement (only three forces out of more than 40 agreed to participate initially), Crimewatch developed a special status with police and was credited with an expertise of its own, notably through Nick Ross' long experience with public appeals. Unlike the American equivalent, America's Most Wanted, Crimewatch itself usually appeals for unsolved cases inviting viewers to be armchair detectives. According to the producers, about a third of its cases are solved, half of those as a direct result of viewers' calls. Its successes have included some of Britain's most notorious crimes, including the kidnap of Michael Sams and murder of Michael Sams, the M25 rapist, the road-rage killing by Kenneth Noye, and the capture of two boys for the abduction and murder of James Bulger. "The big cases Crimewatch helped solve" BBC News, 17 October 2017 Over the years, Crimewatch has featured appeals from all 43 police forces in the country.
Ratings and public response
At its peak, Crimewatch was seen by 14 million viewers per week. However, by 2017, credited to competition from other programmes, it had fallen to an average of 3 million. At the time of the programme's 150th episode in January 1999, it was reported that the average viewing figures were 8 million.
Presenters
Lead presenters
Nick Ross 1984–2007 The main anchor and longest-serving presenter of the series since its inception. His catchphrase, "Don't have nightmares, do sleep well" (which closed out most episodes), became a household phrase and was often spoofed in numerous other TV shows. During his time on the show, he had three co-presenters: Sue Cook, Jill Dando and Fiona Bruce. From May 1999 until January 2000, Ross presented the show alone following the murder of Jill Dando. He left the programme in July 2007 to concentrate on other broadcasting projects. Sue Cook 1984–1995 British broadcaster and author, and first co-presenter of the series. Unlike her successors, Cook acted more as a second main anchor, sometimes presenting a larger segment of the programme than Ross. Cook left the series in June 1995 to focus on other broadcasting projects. Jill Dando 1995–1999 British broadcaster and newsreader. Second co-presenter of the series, appointed following Sue Cook's departure. The edition of Crimewatch broadcast on 20 April 1999 would be Dando's last; she was murdered six days later (26 April). Her murder was reconstructed on the May 1999 programme, where an appeal for witnesses was made. Calls made by viewers initially draw the police onto a new line of enquiry, in which they identified suspect Barry George, who was later convicted of the killing, but was acquitted in August 2008 following an appeal. No further appeals for information were ever made on the programme, and the murder remains unsolved to this day. Fiona Bruce 2000–2007 British broadcaster and newsreader. Third co-presenter of the series, appointed in January 2000 following the murder of Jill Dando the previous year. Bruce co-hosted with Ross until his departure in July 2007, but left the show in December 2007 to host Antiques Roadshow. Kirsty Young 2008–2015 Former newsreader for ITV and Channel Five who became the main anchor of the show in January 2008. Young departed the series in December 2015 after seven years. Matthew Amroliwala 2008–2015 British newsreader who became the show's fourth co-presenter, Amroliwala hosted both the "How they were caught" and "update" segments. He left the show in March 2015 to focus on his other role of international affairs correspondent for BBC News. Martin Bayfield 2012–2016 Former rugby player and policeman turned sports commentator, who took over from Rav Wilding in January 2012 as the presenter of the "Caught on Camera" segment. Bayfield was the only remaining full-time presenter on the show when the BBC chose to reboot the format, and did not return. Jason Mohammad 2015–2016 British rugby commentator and journalist, who initially took over from Amroliwala for two months on a temporary basis, before returning in October 2015 as a full-time presenter. Mohammad did not return to the show when the format was rebooted in September 2016. Jeremy Vine 2016–2017 British newsreader, presenter and journalist who took over as main anchor as part of a new rebooted format in September 2016, which saw the programme travel across the country and broadcast from the scene of one of the main appeals featured in the episode. Tina Daheley 2016–2017 British newsreader and former BBC Radio 1 journalist who took over as co-presenter in September 2016, taking over the roles of both Mohammad and Bayfield, presenting the "Caught on Camera", "How they were caught" and "update" segments.
Police officers
Chief Supt. David Hatcher 1984–1999 At the time of his appointment a Chief Inspector, Hatcher presented the "Photocall" and "Incident Desk" sections for 15 years. The first and longest-serving police officer to feature on the programme, Hatcher retired from the programme in July 1999 and the force in 2004, having reached the rank of Chief Superintendent. During his time on the show, he had two co-presenters: PC Helen Phelps and later DS Jacqui Hames and was replaced by DCS Jeremy Paine. PC Helen Phelps 1984–1989 Co-presenter of the "Photocall" and "Incident Desk" sections alongside David Hatcher for six years. Phelps' last appearance as a co-presenter was in March 1989; she subsequently left the police to become a researcher for the programme and was eventually replaced by Jacqui Hames a year later. DS Jacqui Hames 1990–2006 Succeeded Helen Phelps as co-presenter of the 'Photocall' section alongside David Hatcher. Remained with the show for 16 years, before quitting in 2005. Hames made her last appearance on the programme in January 2006. Co-presented the Friday episode of Crimewatch Roadshow in 2013. DCS Jeremy Paine 1999–2005 Joined the show in September 1999; previously appeared as a Senior Investigating Officer. Paine made his last appearance on the programme in April 2005. PC Jonathan Morrison 2004–2005 Morrsion joined in May 2004 and was the first ethnic police presenter in the programme's history, but left in April 2005. Rav Wilding 2004–2011 A Detective Constable at the time of joining the show in June 2004 on its 20th anniversary, Wilding hosted a segment entitled "Caught on Camera", which replaced the previously featured "Photocall" section. Wilding departed the main show in December 2011, but continues to present the daytime spin-off series. DS Jane Corrigan 2006–2007 Succeeded Hames as co-presenter alongside Wilding but did not return in 2008; also appeared on Crimewatch Roadshow.
Stand-in presenters
Pattie Coldwell 1988 Co-presented episode broadcast in April 1988 as Sue Cook was on maternity leave. Sian Williams 2012, 2015 Williams acted as main anchor in episodes broadcast in July 2012, May 2015 and October 2015, as Kirsty Young was unavailable. Sonali Shah 2015 Presented four shows in the wake of Amroliwala's departure, before Jason Mohammad was appointed as a main presenter. Sophie Raworth 2012, 2016 Took over as temporary main anchor following Kirsty Young's departure. She presented the first three shows of 2016, before the show was taken off-air and rebooted with Jeremy Vine as main anchor.
Featured cases
Victims
26 February 2009, 30 March 2009 7 June 1984 12 September 1991 The murder of Emma Caldwell 15 June 2005 14 April 1988 18 May 1995 18 February 1993 18 May 1999 4 December 2014 The murder of Caroline Glachan 1996 and September 2016 15 October 1992 4 October 1990 22 October 2003 23 April 2015 17 January 1991 3 November 1994, 28 July 2015 18 February 1993 5 November 1996, 28 October 2009 The murder of Rachel Hudson Her case featured after her remains were discovered in 2004 20 February 2008
Suspects and criminal offenders
2 September 1997 5 October 2005 20 March 2017 17 January 1991 3 November 1994, 28 July 2015 25 January 2000 6 January 2009 18 August 2011
Transmissions
David Hatcher
Helen Phelps9 10 10 10 10 David Hatcher
Jacqui Hames (Episodes 4–10)
Colin Fry (Episode 4)David Hatcher
Jacqui Hames10 10 10 Sue Cook (Episodes 1–6)
Jill Dando (Episodes 7–10)Jill Dando 13 13 David Hatcher (Episodes 1–8)
Jacqui HamesJacqui Hames 12 13 11 Jacqui Hames
Rav Wilding (Episodes 6–11)Jacqui Hames
Rav WildingRav Wilding
Jacqui Hames (Episode 1)
Jane Corrigan (Episodes 2–11)Rav Wilding
Jane CorriganRav Wilding 10 10 8 rowspan="7" Matthew Amroliwala
Martin Bayfield8 Martin Bayfield (Episodes 1–5, 7–8)
Matthew Amroliwala (Episodes 1–2)
Sonali Shah (Episodes 3–6)
Jason Mohammad (Episodes 6–8)Martin Bayfield
Jason MohammadTina Daheley 3
Spin-offs and regional versions
Crime NI, a similar live monthly programme in partnership with Crimestoppers UK, was aired from 3 September 2021 to 11 April 2022 on BBC One Northern Ireland and presented by Wendy Austin and journalist Dearbhail McDonald. Previously, a localised version of the programme was aired in the English Midlands region on BBC Two from 1987 until 1991. Presented originally by Peter Purves and BBC Midlands Today's Kathy Rochford, who was later replaced by fellow newsreader Sue Beardsmore, Crimewatch Midlands was broadcast live from Pebble Mill Studios in Birmingham and ran for five series.
Crimewatch File
First aired on 10 August 1988, Crimewatch File is an hour-long programme devoted to the reconstruction and investigation of a single case including cases that the programme has previously helped to solve. Presented by Nick Ross and Sue Cook concurrently (with Jill Dando taking over from Cook in 1996), more than thirty editions aired until April 2000, when the final edition, fronted by Ross, was broadcast. Following this, in latter years of the main Crimewatch programme, episodes would regularly feature segments and reports in a very similar vein to Crimewatch File.
Crime Limited
Crime Limited was the second spin-off from Crimewatch which took cameras behind the scenes of the crimes. The first series aired on BBC One over ten episodes in 1992 and was presented by Nick Ross Programmes. Nick Ross. Retrieved 16 September 2017. and Sue Cook. A second series ran in 1993 and a third series ran in 1994. Crime Limited, 1993. BBC Genome. Retrieved 16 September 2017."Choice", Peter Waymark, The Times, 5 August 1993, p. 39. Retrieved 16 September 2017.
Crimewatch Extra
First aired in late 1998, Crimewatch Extra was a short-lived spin-off from the main programme, which would give updates and reports received on the cases featured in the previous month's programme. Broadcast on BBC Choice, the series was presented by Emma Howard. Around ten episodes were broadcast, with the final episode airing on 25 August 1999.
Crimewatch Extra transmissions
Emma Howard 9 March 1999 6 April 1999 6 May 1999 2 June 1999 30 June 1999 28 July 1999 25 August 1999
Crimewatch Solved
Beginning on 10 August 1999, a new yearly programme entitled Crimewatch: Solved was transmitted, showing cases previously featured on the programme that resulted in convictions. Aside from 2002, a new edition was broadcast every year until 2010, when the thirteenth and final edition aired on 1 September 2010.
Crimewatch Live
The BBC has aired a number of weekday Crimewatch programmes. Originally shown between 2000 and 2001, Crimewatch Daily was the first daily version of the programme, aired between 10:00 and 11:00am on weekday mornings, that appealed for help with unsolved cases not covered in the main programme. Originally shown between 2009 and 2020, Crimewatch Roadshow was the second daily version of the programme, that was broadcast on weekdays from 9:15 to 10:00am. From 8 March 2021, the show's name was changed to Crimewatch Live and is aired between 10.00 and 10:45am on weekday mornings.
Crimewatch Specials
Crimewatch also aired a number of one-off programmes.
Episodes
Jill Dando Nick Ross
Jill Dando22 September 1998 Nick Ross
Fiona Bruce
Peter SnowKirsty Young 17 March 2008 8 April 2008 Kirsty Young 11 August 2009 Philip Glenister Kirsty Young Rav Wilding Philip Glenister Kirsty Young
Crimewatch Caught
In addition to marking the programme's 40th anniversary, a new spin-off documentary series was commissioned in 2024. Crimewatch Caught reveals the inner workings of how detectives investigated and solved a range of complex crimes. Each half-hour episode features exclusive interviews with leading officers, alongside the crucial CCTV, forensic evidence and witness testimony that allowed them to bring the perpetrators to justice. Selected episodes of the fifteen part series were first aired, during the run of the live daytime series, on the BBC Scotland channel and BBC One Wales at primetime and later in full over three weeks on BBC One in a daytime slot. A second series began airing in late September 2025.
New Zealand version
A New Zealand version of Crimewatch was broadcast on TVNZ from 1987 until 1996 and was replaced by NZI Crimescene which was aired in 1997 and 1998. It was shown once a month on TV One.
See also
External links
Categories: 1980s British Crime Television Series, 1984 British Television Series Debuts, 1990s British Crime Television Series, 2000s British Crime Television Series, 2010s British Crime Television Series, 2017 British Television Series Endings, Bbc Crime Television Shows, Law Enforcement In The United Kingdom, British Television Series Based On Non-british Television Series, Crimewatch
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