User Reviews

They obviously didn't pay much attention to, or were not very interested in, continuity. At times Professor David Wilson's Moustache goes from grown out, to trimmed, back to grown out again (or vice versa), despite it supposed to be the same day.

The show overall is O. K. Not great, but not terrible either. There are definitely better examples of true crime documentaries out there. It can feel overly scripted/acted out rather than real and natural. Also, the cases always end up failing to get anywhere, denying us a satisfactory conclusion, all of which can get a bit frustrating.

As I said, not bad. If you're looking for a quick watch to fill some time, then you can give it a try. If you're looking for a true crime documentary or series to invest more serious time in, maybe shop around as there are better ones out there.

Is it a documentary or a dramatisation of two people investigating? It doesn't know what it wants to be.

Emilia Fox happened to star in a crime drama and is now playing the role of a cold case investigator. I can't tell if she's being her or 'acting'. Whatever it is....it ain't good.

The interaction between the two 'leads' is very weird. They don't have a normal conversation instead they just reel off know detail to each other as if reading off cue cards.

The piano music overlaying the speech is annoying and the camera appears to be operated by someone with Parkinsons disease.

Why? Just why? Scripted 'documentary' Production is awful. Camera doesn't keep still Don't waste your time.

This is a strange set up for a show.

Talking to families is emotional and must have been hard for the families.

But the scenes of the two "gathering information" are cringe inducing, poorly acted staged and scripted moments.

Why? Just make a documentary, skip all the faux nonsense.

An actress who plays a forensic pathologist (Emilia Fox, SILENT WITNESS) and a professor of criminology take on some high profile British cold cases. I found watching them walk through their processes interesting. I give this series a 7 (mildly interesting) out of 10. {Crime Documentary}

This would be laughable we're it not factual. It appears the American habit of turning documentaries into low rate drama's has reached the UK. With the amount of camera angles, there must be so many takes of the same scenes, pained expressions and it sounds scripted. Awful. You're dealing with real life dead victims here, the way this is filmed makes it feel like a lunchtime soap opera. Shameful.

I love Professor David Wilson. He's a smart criminologist, and he voices opinions even when they may make someone feel uncomfortable. I understand why different police departments didn't want to talk to him and Emilia Fox; they ask the tough questions. However, in the first season, I think the producers of the show should have kicked in, and put their money into trying to conclude the cases. Otherwise it comes off as another reality crime show. They had geo-points where the killer could have buried the kids in the first episode. And if the Professor was correct in thinking that the pedo in the first case was that prolific, then maybe the dogs could have find ~someone~. In the third case where the young woman in the RAF disappeared? Spend the money and drag the frickin' canal!!!!!!! But in the end, I love both the hosts (who couldn't love a Fox and ditto the Prof!

This has the potential to be really good, but I agree with other reviews. Emilia seems to be acting, I kept thinking I was watching a drama when it went to her; so wrong and weird!

Thoroughly enjoyed this series and hope there'll be more. Prof Wilson is superb as always. My only criticism is the continuous and unnecessary close up shots of Emilia Fox.

Some parts interesting, but not many, they basically tell you all the evidence and get no further than that. Starts unsolved and ends unsolved, they get no further. A pointless watch, it was laughable at times, I do like silent witness with Emelia fox but this was terrible.

What a shame. This could have been a good investigation if proper ex police investigators were used. This is just a staged, almost pseudo-documentary, but with real victims and their distraught families. This feels like exploitation of tragic events to make scripted-reality worthy of one of the History Channel's awful alien/bigfoot 'investigation' programmes. I feel so sorry for the families and they deserve better than this.

If I could give a minus score I would, Very disrespective to the families.

No conclusion just maybes and what if this happened. Even the music is meant to sound like "Silent Witness" really shocking anyone who make or be part of this.

The first thing any form of visual entertainment should do is engage the viewer. This show totally fails because no one involved in the production seems to have a clue what the show wants to be and more to the point, apparently doesn't care.

Initially seems like it will be a good programme, but it is just a let down.

Throughout each episode they hint at how the killer 'needs to be found' and how important their work is.

By the end of each episode and all they have achieved upsetting the family members again by making them relive it all and they end up no closer to the truth. They just stand in various woodlands looking concerned and the woman marches around pretending to take important emergency phone calls. And then they find nothing out, give up on the investigation and then it's the end of the episode. Pointless build up for nothing.

Who thought this was a good format? It's beyond cringe worthy, running around like they discovered something new, nothing is new! Totally pointless and disrespectful to the families, I'm sure they don't appreciate how this has been done. The worse true crime thing I've ever watched.

Due to the amount of bad reviews this show got I was almost not going to bother watching it but decided to give the first episode a go, ended up finishing the show in an afternoon and thoroughly enjoyed it. It's not going to win any tv awards but it is in no way as bad as people are claiming on here.

It highlights some important unsolved british criminal cases and gives some new insights while not boring the viewer by being far too long.

Boy - where can I begin to describe the true horror and pain of watching 2 utter meaningless imbeciles trying to glory themselves at the total and utter disrespect for the suffering relatives of the victims. Cringeworthy 'style' over haphazard 'substance'. Unbelievably crass, insensitive, and misdirected.

I started watching this show with a good amount of optimism that they may actually thoroughly re look at all the old evidence of these cases, uncover brand new suspects and evidence, then be able to pass this onto the police/family members, (that they have somehow managed to drag into this sorry mess) in order to help towards a new conviction . Boy, how wrong I was!

This is nothing more than two egos, running around certain streets, col de sacs, estates that are linked to past cold case crimes, raking up and running with pointless leads that were already discounted about 20years ago, and then proceeding to show their cringeworthy encounters with old witnesses, family friends, basically anyone they could get on camera.

It has everything to make you want to put your fist straight through the tv screen within at least the first 15mins.

The set up conversations and phone calls between actress Emilia fox and wannabe DCI prof David someone, will have you running towards any near open window, door, hatch, hole, grate.... just to escape the pure embarrassment and grubbiness you will instantly feel, as you come to the realisation that this is indeed a vehicle purely to push careers and absolutely nothing to do with having any intention whatsoever to find or uncover any new/meaningful/related information that may come anywhere close to helping with these awful cases.

As an example, in the first episode, a case of two young boys gone missing in 96. Emilia fox tracks down a woman (yeah right)who worked in a petrol station and was the last person to see the boys the night they went missing. However, instead of hearing her story, we are treated to Ms Fox prancing down the high street, looking over her shoulder, then all around her, like she's about to get jumped or as if she's expecting to spot a brand new clue somewhere on the street nearly 30 years on from the event. All this happens against the backdrop of naff scooby doo type music... appalling! Then after Ms Fox has had her moment, she finally gets around to speaking to the worker, only to ask how she used to communicate with customers through the window hatch of the petrol station... after picking my jaw up off the floor, I finally managed to get hold of the remote, and switch it off, then went for a very long hot shower to attempt to wash away the sheer disgust for what I had just seen.

Please do yourself a favour and look up these crimes, as they are absolutely awful, mainly forgotten over the years and clearly need to be solved, but please do not look to this program to help you do this in any way shape or form. Forget it ever existed and spare a thought for the individuals and family members still going through the hell of not knowing, many many years down the line.

There are plenty of similar programs as this, following up on cold cases. All of them are done better! The concept is good, unsolved murders and missing people should be able to produce a watchable and interesting program. The problem with this is that it appears to have been made for the wrong reasons, it seems to be a vehicle for Emilia Fox. Unfortunately Emilia is not a very good actress, her facial expression seems to be perpetually confused and shocked. The program is obviously scripted but Emilia delivers her lines in such a stilted and wooden manner that it sounds very amateurish. The professor is much better, not great but better, at least he sounds natural and conversational. Another problem is that this has been made as an entertainment program, therefore it actually doesn't get anywhere. The cold cases are just rehashed, there is no movement forward towards a closure of any of the cases.

Why was this made? Is Fox embarrassed? Did she have a large tax bill?

Why should we possibly care about two amateurs investigating old crimes?

Rehashing old cases, introducing absolutley no new evidence or even enquiries, and done by way of a scripted documentary using a second rate tv actor and a typically Channel 5 "psychologist for hire" type. (Yes I know it's on C4).

Awful awful production.

I was hoping for something more akin to the BBC "Murder Mystery & My Family" which would have at least given it an air of authenticity.

I like it - despite the many cruel reviews. True, no cold case gets solved, but I enjoy learning about the victims' stories. Those reviewers who criticize close -ups or angles or delivery - and whether or nor this is a documentary - are watching for the wrong reasons. I did not find it disrespectful to the injured families; perhaps the shows will spark some fire into really solving the mysteries. Emelia, David, Graham and Samantha seem to be honest in their findings. I was glad to see this series back for a second season, and I hope it continues. I am a Britophile, and the scenery is much to my liking.