Crimewatch UK: Forty Years Since the First Episode (Pt.i)

On June 7th 1984, a brand new British television programme was broadcast for the first time on BBC1. At the time it was considered experimental; there were doubts over its success, and it was only expected to last for around three episodes. Back then no one really knew how groundbreaking this television programme was to become; that it would earn it's place in British TV history, and that it would go on to have a cult following long after the series ended. Oh and produce one of the most recognizable catchphrases in British pop culture! Furthermore the show lasted a lot longer than three episodes - it ran for thirty-three years!

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"Hello and welcome to Crimewatch UK. Now if you've ever worried or complained about crime, this is your chance to do something about it." - Nick Ross

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Those were the first-ever words spoken on a brand new crime appeal television programme - Crimewatch UK, and it's now forty years ago that the first ever episode aired. For those of us who joined in the fight against crime via our TV sets, we remember how those crime reconstructions terrified the living daylights out of us, and not in a James Bond kind of way either! But for some reason, whether we were able to help solve crime or not, this British TV show made strangely compelling viewing so we continued to tune in every month... even if it meant having to sleep with the light on. And that was just the adults!

WHAT WAS CRIMEWATCH UK?

Crimewatch UK - which was eventually renamed simply Crimewatch - was a monthly BBC crime appeal TV programme that ran from 1984 until 2017. The show appealed to members of the public for information concerning unresolved crime that could hopefully lead to an arrest and a conviction, and get justice for victims and their families. Despite there being doubts as to how feasible or successful a show such as Crimewatch could be, police forces around the country turned to the show when they urgently needed more information to help with an investigation.

Each episode was roughly about an hour long and featured three to four main appeals which were accompanied by mini films (reconstructions) in the hope that it would jog someone's memory so that they could then call into the BBC studio and speak to an officer or BBC researcher with the relevant information. There would also be shorter appeals and features such as Caught on CCTV, Aladdin's Cave where police hoped to reunite owners with lost or stolen property and Photocall which featured photos of people police were trying to trace.

CRIME APPEAL TV SHOWS

We live in an age where many people are obsessed with true-crime documentaries and podcasts. Back in the Eighties there was very little of those around in comparison to today (definitely no podcasts or YouTube channels!) But what we did have were crime appeal shows for unsolved crimes where short films which reconstruct the crime that occurred are then shown to the public in the hope that someone's will come forward with vital information which should hopefully solve the crime, and better yet, lead to a conviction.

In Britain, we had had Police 5, which began in 1962. Police 5 was the inspiration for the long-running German crime-appeal programme Aktenzeichen XY… Ungelöst (or File Reference XY... Unsolved to our non-German speakers) which began in 1967 and is still being broadcast today. Aktenzeichen XY… Ungelöst in turn became the blueprint for Crimewatch UK. Therefore the concept of a crime-appeal show was not necessarily new, even in 1984, but at least in Britain it was quite unusual. After the successful launch of Crimewatch UK, which was once pulling in audiences of fourteen million viewers, a whole host of crime-appeal TV shows and segments appeared, including regional versions of Crimewatch UK such as Crimewatch Midlands, Crimestoppers appeals that really put the fear of God into most of us during commercial breaks; Crime Monthly hosted by Paul Ross; over in America there was the well-known America's Most Wanted, and Ireland had Crimecall.

CRIMEWATCH UK AIRS FOR THE FIRST TIME

In an ideal world, there would be no need for a programme like Crimewatch. The world would be a perfect place where violence and evil people didn't exist. But sadly we don't live in that sort of a world, so anything that creates less of a place to hide for depraved individuals and seeks to get justice and closure for victims and their families has got to be a good thing. So big up the person who came up with this idea!

We take a look at the very first episode of that revolutionary crime appeal programme that played a significant part in solving crime and struck fear into the hearts of villains everywhere forty years ago. Although they could have, perhaps, just not been villains in the first place. It's actually not that hard...

Happy fortieth, Crimewatch!

OPENING

The opening for the first episode of Crimewatch UK saw a montage of clips in quick succession that told the story of cops hurridly after the bad guy leading to an arrest. The opening alone combined with that distinctive theme tune that was practically a call to action - called Rescue Helicopter and was composed by John Cameron in 1980 - immediately caught the attention of the viewer and sent out a powerful message: Crimewatch meant business!

Over the years the opening title sequence changed to various other clips though still along the crime-busting theme, and the theme tune stayed although it had been revamped over the years.

STUDIO

Our first glimpse of the set of Crime watch UK back in 1984 when it first started was an angled shot of a rather somber beige studio where the presenters sat at a desk shuffling papers that were set in front of them. You could almost be forgiven for thinking you had tuned in to the nightly news programme - except that this programme wasn't discussing the day's events and it was expecting participation from viewers at home. Furthermore, in the background a whole host of faces could be seen behind a glass partition. These were real-life police officers and BBC researchers who were manning the phones which didn't look too dissimilar to to ITV's annual Telethon event. However as many of them could be seen on the phone as the programme went on air, it did make you wonder who they were actually talking to as viewers wouldn't have been phoning in before the show even began! They didn't even have the number for them to call in for a start!

PRESENTERS

Ah that dynamic, crime-fighting duo consisting of a cool, calm and sedate gent and a pretty blonde. But that's enough about Dempsey and Makepeace! Whenever talk turns to those who presented Crimewatch over the years, we immediately think of the programme's two original presenters, Nick Ross and Sue Cook. The two were already very well-known faces on British television and with regards to the subject matter, it was very important that the main presenters were people that the British public were familiar with and had confidence in.

During the course of the Crimewatch's thirty-three year history, there have been many different presenters who have fronted the show. But it's Nick and Sue who predominantly stand out in most people's minds, partly because they were Crimewatch's original presenters; they're the two who presented Crimewatch the longest out of all the presenters (Sue left the show in 1995, while Nick presented the show for a whopping twenty five years making him Crimewatch's longest-serving presenter. Go Nick!) And also because Crimewatch was attracting some of it's highest viewing figures during the Nick and Sue years. That's not a reflection on the subsequent presenters who were all highly respectable; very professional and also did a fantastic job of presenting the show. But possibly because during the time Nick and Sue were presenting Crimewatch UK, the show was following a format that the viewers preferred.

Another reason why Crimewatch was so successful in the early years was because of the rapport between the two presenters who worked very well together. We especially liked their voiceovers for the reconstructions in which the delivery was very matter-of-fact and calm; with their softly spoken, gentle voices, it actually sounded quite soothing! But there was indeed something in their narration that heightened that feeling of suspense and kept you watching until the end; absorbing all the information they were giving you.

THE PURPOSE

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"The police can never solve crime on their own... They can only act on information received. So we're going to ask you to turn amateur detective and help out the professionals." - Nick Ross

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And no he wasn't talking about Bodie and Doyle! In just a couple of sentences Nick Ross so eloquently explained the purpose of Crimewatch UK and why it was so important, reminding viewers that the programme was "about real-life crime and not the stuff of fiction." And many of us indeed were happy to take up our new posts as armchair detectives - those of us who tuned in every month religiously may even have seen it as a vocation in the fight against crime!

FIRST EVER RECONSTRUCTION

Crimewatch UK was very well-known for it's crime reconstructions which many felt were well-produced and of better quality than later offerings. The reconstructions were very to the point with violence kept to a minimum; in fact quite often the violence was often just alluded to. But the reconstructions were still quite eerie and some of them really did chill you to the bone. This was all a sharp contrast to the reconstructions of the last ten years or so before the show was cancelled which were just, we have to say it, pretty dire! It goes without saying that these reconstructions were there to raise awareness and not to entertain, but the graphic scenes, silly effects, and dramatic music were really off-putting and gave the impression of a low-budget movie. Not a patch on the previous reconstructions.

The first reconstruction ever to be shown on Crimewatch UK was the murder of Nottingham teenager, Colette Aram. This first reconstruction is typical of 1980s reconstructions - very little gore and violence but still very disturbing. Then there was note shown by Nick before reconstruction was shown that was believed to be sent by the killer. There was a real attempt to disguise his handwriting, and quite bafflingly, all of the 'S' letters in the note were replaced with exclamation marks! But even more chillingly was the voiceover which narrated what the killer had written.

POST-RECONSTRUCTION TALK

If you've watched Crimewatch throughout the years, you'll know that after every reconstruction, there's always a talk in the studio with the detective in charge of the case who reveals more information than what is shown in the reconstruction. In later years, there could also be a talk with the victim's family and friends who would appeal for people to come forward if they had any information. After the reconstruction of Colette Aram's murder, Nick spoke with DS Bob Davy who was leading the hunt for Colette's killer.

ALADDIN'S CAVE

A well-remembered feature on Crimewatch UK was Aladdin's Cave which was a treasure trove of stolen valuable items such as jewelry and antique items which were displayed in the hope that someone might recognize some of their lost treasures and be able to claim them. This segment of the show was often hosted by a presenter from the BBC1 television programme, The Antiques Roadshow. Out of all the segments and features on the show, Aladdin's Cave seemed to be everyone's least favourite (sorry!) Some people have even said that it was the part of the show where they got up to put the kettle on!

While we remember Eric Knowles presenting this particular segment, the very first Aladdin's Cave was presented by John Bly. Watching Aladdin's Cave again, it suddenly dawned on us that so many people are into vintage and antiques today - probably more so now than back then judging by how big the vintage community has grown. So the Aladdin's Cave feature might generate more interest if it was still on today. Though hopefully nobody would try to claim something that wasn't theirs. Though we have to say, we were quite taken with that writing and needlework bureau that John showed us.

It does make us wonder though - what happens to the stolen goods that are not claimed???

Hope you enjoyed the first part of our post. Part two coming up! And seriously - Don't have nightmares...

Photos: YouTube

Blog graphics: Angel Noire