Give me real police work over a true-crime drama any day
True crime is fertile ground for television drama. Last week it was announced that Martin Clunes would return for a second series of ITV’S Manhunt, this time investigating the case of the so-called Night Stalker, a serial rapist “whose 17-year reign of terror left thousands of elderly people in south-east London living in fear”. I’m not sure that’s something I would choose to watch of an evening.
Of course there are excellent examples, such as Des (the one with David Tennant as Dennis Nilsen) or
White House Farm (the Jeremy Bamber murders). But I prefer crime documentaries, which present us with the facts unencumbered by actors or portentous soundtracks.
No Body Recovered (ITV) concerned the disappearance of Michael O’leary, a married father-ofthree from West Wales. He failed to return home from work one evening in January 2020, but sent a text to his family that read: “I’m so sorry x.” They were immediately suspicious because, as a proud Welshman, it was unlike him to send messages in English.
The suspect was quickly identified: Andrew Jones, whose wife was having an affair with O’leary. Nobody else was in the frame, and the idea that
O’leary had died by suicide was discarded early on. What held our interest wasn’t any element of suspense – if a suspect is named and pictured at the beginning of a documentary, you can be pretty sure they’re going to be convicted by the end of it – but the explanation of how the police put their case together.
Forensic evidence included the grisly identification of human remains at Jones’s building site. GPS phone tracking pinpointed O’leary’s last known location to a farm owned by Jones. But it wasn’t all down to DNA and technology: a scene-of-crime officer spotted a bullet casing and a fingertip search found some shirt buttons; the fact that the cotton was tightly wound around them indicated that they had been ripped off.
The programme was narrated by actress Eiry Thomas, who starred in fictional crime thriller The Pact. The main characters on screen were the detectives who built the case against Jones, knowing they were in a race against time to gather evidence. Even after Jones was charged, the work continued. “People don’t understand that charging someone is just the beginning,” said DCI Paul Jones. Thanks to programmes like this, the public can gain a greater understanding of police work.
As a party political broadcast on behalf of the fizzy stuff, Sparkling: The Story of Champagne (Britbox) does a sterling job. A parade of beautifully dressed representatives of France’s finest champagne houses appear to seduce us with their sales pitch and indulge in a little celebrity Top Trumps.
Bollinger has a partnership with Bond. Louis Roederer was a favourite of Tsar Alexander II. Lanson was granted a royal warrant by Queen Victoria. Winston Churchill drank Pol Roger every day. And did you know that Marilyn Monroe’s famous quote about going to bed in Chanel No 5 ended “... and wake up every morning with a glass of Piper-heidsieck because it warms my body”? “Most people remember the first part of the sentence,” said the gentleman from Piper-heidsieck. “Unfortunately for us, they forget the second half.”
It’s all perfectly pleasing, but at times feels like one of those promotional films that play on a loop in hotels. It does a decent job of taking us through the history, though, from Dom Perignon’s fabled “invention” in the 17th century (or was it an English discovery? The jury is still out) to its popularity in the Napoleonic era, and its introduction to the US in the 19th century via “Champagne Charlie” Heidsieck.
Director Frank Mannion has given himself a cushy commission, asking gentle questions while clinking glasses. The latter part of the film features producers of English sparkling wine, once a joke but now giving the French a run for their money. The English are not allowed to call it “champagne”, but Californians can get away with it due to some law or other. This upsets the French. “Champagne only comes from Champagne!” scoffed Bruno Paillard. “They have stolen the name!”
Mannion could have more fun with this. Only once does he allow some mischief to sneak in. At Wimbledon (official champagne: Lanson) he vox pops the crowd on what they would be drinking. Champagne, of course, except for one man who declares he would be drinking a G&T. He’s the PR man for Fever-tree tonic.
No Body Recovered ★★★★ The Story of Champagne ★★★