BEST OF THE REST
CATCHING A KILLER Channel 4 9pm
WE’RE all used to watching crime dramas, where we see the police investigate a murder, question the suspect, track their movements and expose their lies, before eventually bringing the killer to justice. And of course this work is happening for real every day, all over the country, with real victims, real family members, real police officers, and real murderers.
It doesn’t all get wrapped up neatly in an hour, but instead it takes weeks and months of dedicated work, with heartbreaking trauma for many of the people involved.
This fascinating documentary follows one such crime – the murder of motherof-three Natalie Hemming, who on May 1 last year was murdered by her abusive and controlling partner Paul Hemming. After learning she had started seeing a new man, Paul killed Natalie in their home while their children were upstairs, before moving her body and burying her in woodland, then lying to the police for weeks.
Her devastated family were bravely involved in making this powerful documentary, in the hope Natalie’s story would help other victims of domestic violence.
PAULA BBC2 9pm
THE clues were there last week that this isn’t your average ‘one night stand gone bad’, whether it was mysterious James’ openly bigamous living situation, his hallucinations of terrifying ghost children, Paula’s addict brother Callum who lives in a garage, the hints at abusive childhoods, or the horrifying violence inflicted on harmless Phil the PE teacher. And things really don’t get any lighter in this tense and sinister second episode.
After realising Phil’s hand-drawn card is missing from her home and with suspicions that handyman James is following her, Paula talks to cop Mac who already thinks Phil’s death wasn’t suicide.
As they spend more time together, Mac finds himself drawn to Paula – even as she shares some pretty bizarre revelations – and the pair end up in bed together. Which could be seen as a brave move on his part, given that anyone who gets close to the chemistry teacher seems to meet a rather unpleasant end.
Speaking of which, if you’re squeamish about violence you might need to watch the final five minutes from behind a cushion.