Crimewatch UK

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Crimewatch
Genre	Factual
Composer(s)	Several police officers have also featured in the studio, including David Hatcher, Helen Phelps, Jeremy Payne, Jackie Haymes, Jonathan Morrison, Jane Corrigan and Rav Wilding.
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Language(s)	English
Broadcast
Original channel	BBC
Picture format	16:9
Original run	7 June 1984 – Present
External links
Official website
IMDb profile

For other uses, see Crimewatch (disambiguation).

Crimewatch is a long-running and high-profile British television programme produced by the BBC, that reconstructs major unsolved crimes with a view to gaining information from the members of the public. The programme is usually broadcast once a month on BBC One. Crimewatch was first broadcast on June 7, 1984, and is based on the German TV show Aktenzeichen XY... ungelöst (which translates as File XY... Unsolved). It started as Crimewatch UK (the name was formally shortened to Crimewatch in 2002) and was regarded as an experiment when it was first shown, partly because of doubts about whether police would take part, whether witnesses and victims would welcome the idea, whether it would actually lead to arrests, and whether it could be considered to prejudice a jury.

The programme was first launched by Nick Ross and Sue Cook. When Cook decided to leave in 1995, she was replaced by Jill Dando. After Dando's murder in April 1999, Fiona Bruce took over. After 23 years as presenter, one of the longest runs in television, Nick Ross fronted his last Crimewatch on July 2, 2007, soon followed by Fiona Bruce who presented her last show on December 20, 2007. Kirsty Young and Matthew Amroliwala have hosted the show since January 2008^[1]

Several police officers have also featured in the studio, including David Hatcher, Helen Phelps, Jeremy Payne, Jackie Haymes, Jonathan Morrison, Jane Corrigan and most recently Rav Wilding. For many years the show also recruited antiques experts John Bly, Eric Knowles and Paul Hayes to help with 'treasure trove' appeals to trace owners of goods that had been recovered and which were assumed to be stolen.

While Nick Ross was for so long strongly identified with the show its format still owes much to the original executive producer Peter Chafer and series producer Ritchie Cogan who insisted on a strong public service remit and who introduced what were then considered novelties, such as computer graphics.

Crimewatch airs once a month at peak time with a 15-minute follow-up later in the evening Crimewatch Update which reports on calls. From time to time the team airs an extra programme Crimewatch: Solved showcasing cases that resulted in convictions; and sometimes produce a Crimewatch special which reviews an entire high-profile case from beginning to end such as the murder of Sarah Payne.

Jill Dando's murder was reconstructed and shown on Crimewatch though the appeal did not result in the arrest of Barry George who was later convicted of the killing.

Crimewatch is one of the largest live factual studio productions. The format of the programme usually involving three or four reconstructions, often followed by interviews with senior detectives and/or relatives or friends. Other briefer appeals use the E-FIT computer system, CCTV and photos, usually with two lists, each showing four or five mugshots of Britain's Most Wanted about 15 minutes into the programme and again towards the end of the programme. These photos are, then, shown again during the credits, and this is one of the few programmes in which the BBC do not 'credit squeeze'.

Despite initial concerns about police involvement (only three forces agreed to participate at first) 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 spawned by Crimewatch, 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 the Britain's most notorious crimes, including the kidnap of Stephanie Slater and murder of Julie Dart, the M25 rapist, the road-rage killing by Kenneth Noye, and the capture of two boys for the abduction and murder of James Bulger.

Nick Ross ended each episode by reminding viewers that violent crime is actually very rare and encouraging them not to have nightmares (due to the show's late air time). His phrase, "don't have nightmares, do sleep well" has been referenced and spoofed in numerous TV shows and stand-up comedy routines.