24 Hours in Police Custody

The first episode explodes onto TV screens with a man walking out of a hotel lift covered in blood and holding a fire extinguisher. He approaches the reception desk shouting that he has killed someone. As the terrified receptionist tries to ring 999, the man grabs the phone, but the police have been alerted and they're already racing to the scene. Cameras follow every twist and turn as detectives from the Major Crime Unit try to disentangle what really happened at the hotel close to Luton Airport, which has suddenly become a chaotic and bloody crime scene. This is real-life drama at its most intense. Throughout the series, cameras follow each case in forensic detail as the officers race against time to disentangle the evidence and build a case, which they then put to their suspects in interview.

A distressed woman arrives at Luton Police station. She is comforted by officers from Bedfordshire Police's Safeguarding Unit, but they have to reveal that her 76-year-old husband is under arrest and in custody following allegations of historic child sex abuse, dating back to the 1970s. Since the Jimmy Savile case, the police have been overwhelmed with claims of child sex abuse but they feel duty-bound to seek justice for the victims, no matter how long it has been delayed. Cameras follow every twist and turn of the investigation as the detectives work out if they can believe the allegations, and whether they can ever find the evidence to build a case. This is real-life drama at its most intense.

A man comes to Luton Police station claiming that his life's in danger and that he's just escaped from a slave-owning gang who have held him captive at a Travellers site in a remote part of Bedfordshire. The police are prioritising allegations of 'modern day slavery'. They launch a major operation to see if they can find evidence of his claims. Over 200 officers are drafted in to help launch a dawn raid on the site to arrest their suspects. Cameras follow every twist and turn of the investigation as the detectives work out if they can believe the allegations, and whether they can find the evidence to build a case. This is real-life drama at its most intense.

A man has been attacked and left lying unconscious on the floor of a crowded pub for over 30 minutes. The emergency services are eventually called but, although his condition is critical, no one is prepared to come forward and name the attacker. The next day, with their victim in hospital and the attacker still at large, detectives from Bedfordshire Police seize CCTV footage from the pub. Although they can clearly see the vicious assault, they can't easily identify who threw the punch. Cameras follow every twist and turn of the investigation as the detectives work out if they can overcome the wall of silence that they face and find the evidence to charge. This is real-life drama at its most intense. Bafta Award-nominated 24 Hours in Police Custody follows Bedfordshire Police's detective work around the clock in forensic detail as officers race against time to disentangle evidence, build a case and interview their suspects.

It's a particularly busy period for Bedfordshire Police. Officers are preparing to interview a young female care worker who's been brought into custody despite her adamant denial of involvement in the theft of a gold bracelet from someone in her care. A young man in custody denies being involved in a stabbing at a corner shop. Yet another suspect, who has been wanted for six months, has finally handed himself to police to be questioned over a violent assault outside a nightclub. Cameras follow every surprising twist and turn of the investigations as the detectives work out the strength of the evidence they can put to their suspects. Will what is said in police interview reveal what really happened in each case, and is there enough evidence to charge? This is real-life drama at its most intense.