Ever wondered what it’s like to go on a police chase? Ever submitted or been asked to provide doorbell footage to police and wondered what the outcome was? Well BBC Daytime is about to answer these questions and more with two new commissions for BBC One and iPlayer: Back Seat Cops and Doorbell Detectives.
Back Seat Cops
Back Seat Cops will explore the police ride-along scheme that invites members of the public to spend a shift in the back of a police car, getting a close-up look at what policing involves in 2025. And it’s not for the faint-hearted! With access to police forces, the series will take people who have been victims of crime out on shift with the local neighbourhood policing team.
Audiences will see how the ride-along impacts them and the motivation behind signing up. Once they’re in the car, the Back Seat Cops are given a no-holds-barred experience of modern policing, with few limits on what they see or where they go. They’ll witness first-hand the challenges that crime and anti-social behaviour bring, and, as is the case in the real world scheme, they’ll get the opportunity to feedback their thoughts on what policing priorities should be.
Doorbell Detectives
Doorbell Detectives is a brand new five-part series presented by Matt Allwright will investigate the current state of neighbourhood crime in Britain through the experiences of our Doorbell Detectives, victims of crime who have turned to their doorbell and security cameras to help police track down the criminals. More than one in five UK households have a video doorbell. And these gadgets are not only providing us with a greater sense of security in our homes, they’re also helping communities solve crimes on their doorsteps.
Matt will explore the experiences of Britain’s Doorbell Detectives from the Incident Room in Manchester, and each episode will see ordinary people capturing extraordinary instances of crime in their neighbourhood on their smart doorbells and domestic CCTV. Matt will hear first-hand from the victims of the stories featured, and unpack how doorbell footage was crucial in investigating the crime such as location, times and who was involved.
Throughout the series, police experts will be offering insight and tips and tricks on how audiences can protect themselves from some of the most common techniques use by criminals to do everything from burgle our homes to pinch our pets.
Rob Unsworth, Head of BBC Daytime and Early Peak commissioning comments: “We’re thrilled to bring BBC Daytime viewers two gripping new series, that, like never before put us right at the heart of the action in the battle against crime. Whether it’s investigating leads captured by video doorbells, or hitching a ride with officers responding to emergency calls, we’ll be sharing a fresh, fascinating insight that will have our audience on the edge of their seats as we find out what happens next.”
Catherine Welton, Executive Producer for Full Fat TV comments: “I’m delighted we’re working with the BBC on our first BBC Daytime commission. Back Seat Cops will take viewers right to the heart of the most talked about crime hot topics, giving audiences a front row seat to all the thrills and spills of modern policing.”
Purple Productions’, Dympna Jackson said: “Neighbourhood Watch has had a digital upgrade! We’re all reliant on using our smart doorbells to ensure that deliveries arrive on time or knowing who’s at the door, but they are more and more being used to tackle local crime. Matt will be uncovering some gobsmacking stories and really help you feel safer on your street.’
Back Seat Cops and Doorbell Detectives will be available on BBC One and BBC iPlayer later this year.
Back Seat Cops is made by Full Fat TV, produced in partnership with The Open University and has been commissioned for 12x30 episodes by Rob Unsworth, Head of BBC Daytime and Early Peak Commissioning, Rachel Platt is the Commissioning Editor for BBC Daytime. Catherine Welton and Colette Foster are the Executive producers for Full Fat TV.
Doorbell Detectives will be presented by Matt Allwright and is made by Purple Productions based in Manchester, part of Objective Media Group, an All3Media company. It has been commissioned for 5x30 episodes by Rob Unsworth Head of BBC Daytime and Early Peak Commissioning, the Commissioning Editor for BBC Daytime is Helen Munson. It’s Executive Producers for Purple are Zoe Callan, Pam Cavannagh and Dympna Jackson.
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