I watched the BBC’s Unsolved: The Boy Who Disappeared when it came out and Damien Nettles, its subject, still pops up in my mind sometimes. It’s a comprehensive, empathetic and gripping investigation into a case I had never heard of. The Serial/Making a Murderer-style approach of showing the investigation, rather than just presenting information, gives the series a much more human angle.
I thought it might turn up new evidence; that level of faith in the work being shown is a testament to how thorough it was. AJ, Devon, UK I remember watching this with my dad. It came on TV late, as part of the Storyville strand, when I was about 20 and working in a pub, living at home.
We were captivated by this story about a wrongly accused Black teenager and his trial for allegedly shooting an older white woman. It opened my eyes to police corruption, mistaken identity in lineups and the deep-rooted racism that underlies them. The accused boy is so incredibly normal, like friends of mine at the time, or my younger brother – and the impossibility that he decided to rob and shoot someone on a Sunday morning seems obvious.
It is a beautiful piece of sensitive, non-sensationalist film-making with humanity at its heart. Rose, Wakefield, UK I’m not a fan of true crime TV, but I did see the outrageous Tiger King and found it immensely watchable. Big-cat enthusiast Joe Exotic – who was jailed for animal abuse and two counts of attempted murder for hire, for plotting to kill a rival feline conservationist, Carole Baskin – is the kind of over-the-top character who seems as if he had sprung from a work of fiction.
Bruce, Florida, US To call this a favourite is maybe not the right word; it’s the story of the family vlogger Ruby Franke and the the severe child abuse she committed. The camera footage – the story unfolding before us – made the documentary about this unforgivable crime difficult, albeit engaging, to watch. It’s horrific seeing educated people punishing children in a very cruel way.
It helped to know before watching that the two perpetrators were jailed. Judith, Tyne and Wear, UK This series, which focused on a murder in journalist Mobeen Azhar’s hometown of Huddersfield, was fantastic. Starting with the investigation of a single crime, the story evolves unexpectedly into a really interesting dive into societal and cultural issues, and Azhar’s personal connection to the place means he is clearly invested.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
