When Life Means Life - Season 1

The subject of this disturbing film is a man who hacked and battered to death his victims in what were some of the most brutal murders ever seen in Britain. Anthony Arkwright brought terror to the streets of South Yorkshire in a fifty-six hour killing spree in August, 1988.

The film includes powerful testimony from several of the police officers central to the case (including the Chief Inspector who led the investigating team, and the man who interviewed Arkwright over several challenging days), as well as Arkwright's defence lawyer and a friend with him on the night he embarked on his murderous killing spree, the story emerges of a troubled man who would send shockwaves across the nation – at the age of just twenty-one.

The film doesn't just tell the story of what happened. With the help of leading experts including a renowned criminal psychologist, and eminent forensic scientist, Arkwright's crimes are examined and dissected for both motives and methods. The result is a chilling account of one of Britain's most violent killers.

The subject of this disturbing programme is a vicious double killer, who attacked men, women and juveniles throughout his life of violent crime. Royston Jackson is one of just a tiny percentage of criminals who kill, serve time in prison for murder, then leave jail - only to take another life. As a result, he is now on a whole-of-life tariff and will die behind bars.

With contributions from officers from both Norfolk Constabulary and the Metropolitan Police, this film looks at Jackson's despicable crimes, including two brutal murders - seventeen years apart. With remarkable access to scene-of-crime materials, and CCTV footage captured around the time of one of the murders, the full extent of Jackson's brutality and his vain efforts to escape justice, are revealed.

The programme also looks at the difficulties that arise for police when victims of crime are offenders themselves – Jackson's second murder victim was an elderly paedophile and the indifference with which his death was greeted proved a major problem for the investigating officers.

The film includes powerful testimony from several of the police officers central to the two murder investigations (including the Chief Inspector in Norfolk who brought Jackson to trial for murder for a second time), as well as a moving and candid interview with the daughter of one of Jackson's murder victims.

The film doesn't just tell the story of what happened. With the help of leading experts including a renowned criminal psychologist, and eminent forensic scientist, Jackson's crimes are examined and dissected for both motives and methods. The result is a chilling account of one of Britain's most sinister killers, a man from whom no-one was safe.

This film tells the remarkable story of Wales' most dangerous serial killer.

John Cooper terrorised the usually safe county of Pembrokeshire for more than a decade, committing two double murders, a violent robbery, rape and sexual assault of children and a spree of armed robberies and burglaries. He was so prolific that the crime rate dropped by 90% after his arrest.

This film tells the story of Cooper's horrific crimes and how police finally brought him to justice. With access to original case materials and police interview videos with Cooper, it reveals how police launched a cold case review into unsolved crimes, and used forensic techniques to reach a breakthrough.

John Cooper was a family man, and a local celebrity, who hid his crimes for over a decade. A ruthless killer, Cooper attacked and murdered holidaymakers and local landowners – and used extreme violence. For years the identity of the murderer remained a mystery, until police uncovered crucial forensic evidence. Twenty-four years after his first murders, John Cooper was given a whole life sentence, joining the list of 46 criminals told they will die behind bars.

This film examines two of the UK's most dangerous prisoners. Both were skilled manipulators, who used their powers of persuasion to deadly effect.

Ernest Wright was a career criminal, whose life on the wrong side of the law was finally brought to an end in 2010 – with a whole life sentence. His first murder occurred in 1971, as he beat to death a love rival with an iron bar. After 26 years in prison, Wright rejoined society – but not for long.

After taking advantage of a vulnerable woman, Wright again turned to murder. Wright forced his way into the home of the woman's son, in Bradford, brandishing a double-barrelled shotgun. The son was left critically injured in the attack, and his ex-partner killed in what police described as an execution.

We hear from police officers on both investigations - and the surviving son - on how Wright committed his crimes and how he was brought to justice.

Mark Martin became Nottingham's first serial killer – something he claimed he wanted to be – in 2005. Over a period of weeks, Martin attacked and killed three women whilst living rough in the city. We hear from police, and those who knew Mark Martin, to reveal how he took advantage of vulnerable people and believed he was untouchable.

This disturbing programme looks at perhaps the most devious and dangerous group of all offenders - the ultra-violent sexual predator.

The crimes of two particularly vicious sexual killers are examined. The first story revolves around the shockingly brutal triple homicide of a woman and her two young daughters in Dalston, London in 1982. The killer – Wilbert Dyce - remained undetected until a cold case review was launched twenty-seven years later. The case was eventually solved by a combination of old-fashioned detective work allied with ultra-modern policing methods, such as DNA analysis and fingerprint comparison techniques. The police officers involved tell the gripping story of how the murderer – who tried to put police off the scent with graffiti suggesting it was a racist murder - was eventually brought to justice.

The second story is centred around the horrific murder of Clare Benson Jowry in Lancaster in 2004. Clare was attacked by Paul Culshaw, a serial offender against women, whose many previous attacks are detailed by the investigating officers, as they build a picture of Culshaw's propensity for extreme violence.

The film includes powerful testimony from surviving victims of both killers, and also includes expert analysis from a renowned criminal psychologist and an eminent forensic scientist, who examine and dissect both killers' motives and methods. The result is a chilling account of the horrifying crimes of two of Britain's most ultra-violent sexual predators – both of whom are now serving whole-of-life tariffs and who die behind bars.

This film explores the incredible story of double killer Andrew Dawson, a man who was given a second chance of freedom, but couldn't resist the impulse to murder.

With access to his brother, police officers and Dawson's neighbours, we tell the true story of how Dawson became of the UK's most notorious prisoners – given a whole life sentence.

Dawson first struck when he was just eighteen, repeatedly stabbing a 91-year-old shopkeeper to death, before robbing him for small amounts of money. A life sentence followed – but Dawson would be freed in his thirties. This film explores his adjustment to the outside world, the gradual return to criminality, and the build up to his second shocking crimes – in which he again targeted vulnerable, elderly men.

In 2011 Andrew Dawson again faced a court charged with murder. Only this time, he had killed twice. His victims were neighbours, both stabbed repeatedly in their own flats. And it could have been more. We meet a survivor of Dawson's attacks.

This film plots the tragic, murderous story of Andrew Dawson, his shocking crimes, and how he was brought to justice.