The Real CSI returns to our screens for a third series

Posted on 16 May 2023 • TV and radio

If you’re a fan of forensics put a date in your diary to watch the latest series of The Open University/BBC co-production ‘The Real CSI’.

The first episode of four in this series airs at 9pm today 16 May on BBC 2 and charts the case of a brutal rape of a woman by a stranger who arrives at a police station to report the crime.

We learn that she was attacked by a man at a derelict house in the early hours of the morning. Using a doorbell recording and CCTV footage, the police begin the hunt to bring the perpetrator to justice.

Multiple cameras follow serious crime investigations in real time, revealing the crucial role cutting-edge forensic science now plays in bringing criminals to justice.

“Stranger rapists are some of the most dangerous individuals in society. That’s an individual who has targeted somebody from emotions of wanting to control, for the thrill, perhaps, that they get from attacking somebody that’s a complete stranger to them.

“Identifying and bringing him into custody is an absolute priority because he’s not going to stop, he’s going to carry on offending,” says DI Scott Shaw.

This series was commissioned by Broadcast and Partnerships and is supported by the faculties of STEM and FASS with particular relevance to:

Q82 – BSc (Honours) Forensic Psychology, R21 – BA (Honours) Criminology, Q71 – BSc (Honours) Health Sciences.

• Commissioned by – Dr Caroline Ogilvie, Head of Broadcast & Partnerships
• Academic Consultants – Dr Jim Turner, Dr Dan Stratton and Dr Claire Kotecki
• Media Fellows – Dr Alison Penn & Dr Andrew Norton 
• Broadcast Project Manager – David Bloomfield
• Digital Content Producer – Chris Belson

Supporting Online content:

Explore a crime scene, find evidence and learn from forensics experts. Visit the online interactive on our Broadcast website OU Connect.

Picture Credit: ©Blast!