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The Best Episodes of Crimes That Shook Britain

Every episode of Crimes That Shook Britain ranked from best to worst. Let's dive into the Best Episodes of Crimes That Shook Britain!

The Best Episodes of Crimes That Shook Britain

Uncover the truth behind the crimes that shocked the nation.

Seasons9

  1. Background image for The London Nail Bombings
    10.0/10(1 votes)

    #1 - The London Nail Bombings

    S2:E3

    Police and witnesses reflect on David Copeland's nail bomb terror in 1999, when blasts in Soho, Brixton and Brick Lane killed three and injured over one hundred.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  2. Background image for The Philpotts
    8.0/10(14 votes)

    #2 - The Philpotts

    S5:E4

    When six children died in a house fire in Allenton, Derby in May 2012 it shocked the nation. Parents Mick and Mairead Philpott were seen visibly distraught in front of the press but just weeks later, they were charged with the murders. Now convicted of manslaughter for their children’s deaths, we uncover the reasons behind the arson attack on their own home. Speaking to eye witnesses who desperately tried to save the children’s lives, as well as family members and neighbours that knew the couple well, Title Role will unravel the real story behind the tragic deaths of Jade, John, Jack, Jesse, Jayden and Duwayne.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  3. Background image for Joanne Dennehy
    7.9/10(11 votes)

    #3 - Joanne Dennehy

    S7:E3

    With exclusive, first time access to Dennehy’s mother and father, we hear from the murderer’s parents and how the crimes of their daughter have shattered a family. Joanne Dennehy is the first woman in the UK to be handed a whole life tariff by a Judge. The judge ordered that she should die behind bars for the brutal murders of three innocent men. Dennehy showed no remorse for the killings. Her reason – “to see if I was as cold as I thought I was. Then it got moreish and I got a taste for it". In this episode we delve into the mind of such a cold hearted killer and look at what drove her to become one of Britain’s most notorious female criminals. We also hear from the officers who handled the case and an acquaintance of Dennehy’s who she bragged to.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  4. Background image for Jimmy Savile
    7.7/10(26 votes)

    #4 - Jimmy Savile

    S5:E1

    Once a national treasure, now the most vilified man in the UK, one year on from his death Jimmy Savile was branded as the worst sex offender the UK has ever seen. In October 2012, an investigation into Savile began, prompting hundreds of victims of child sex abuse to come forward to 28 police forces. Allegations dated back to 1955, but how could such a high profile entertainer with such a prolific background in abuse, go apparently undetected for so long? We talk to the victims, family members and former colleagues of Savile to lift the lid on one of the biggest scandals this country has ever seen.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  5. Background image for The Marchioness Disaster
    7.7/10(12 votes)

    #5 - The Marchioness Disaster

    S5:E5

    In the early hours of 20 August 1989, 131 people were attending the birthday party of Cambridge graduate Antonio de Vasconcellos in London. Held on the River Thames on the pleasure boat Marchioness, the boat collided with dredger Bowbelle and sank within minutes resulting in the loss of 51 lives. Following the disaster, families were told they could not see their loved ones and questionable practices were carried out on the deceased causing an inquiry to take place several years later. Marking the 25th anniversary of the tragedy, we uncover not only how the tragedy unfolded but how it continued in the aftermath of the accident. Talking to survivors, relatives and maritime experts we reveal the mistakes made and the changes now in place to ensure that this type of disaster never reoccurs.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  6. Background image for The Russell Murders
    7.6/10(21 votes)

    #6 - The Russell Murders

    S1:E3

    The horrific murder of Lin and Megan Russell in 1996 made headline news worldwide. Lin and her two daughters, Megan and Josie, were bludgeoned whilst walking down a country lane after a swimming lesson. Remarkably Rosie survived. Michael Stone was convicted of their murders in 1998. In this episode Shaun Russell, Lin’s husband, reveals his tragic story. How he heard the dreadful news, what happened on the day of the tragedy and the aftermath. We also speak with police and family friends about the case and reconstruct the family's tragic journey on that day.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
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  8. Background image for Lee Rigby
    7.6/10(19 votes)

    #7 - Lee Rigby

    S5:E2

    In broad daylight on a busy Woolwich street on 22nd May 2013, serving soldier Fusilier Lee Rigby was attacked and murdered by Islamic extremists Michael Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale. The men used their car to strike the soldier from behind as he crossed the road. They then proceeded to use knives to hack at Lee’s body in an attempt to decapitate him before dumping him in the middle of the road. These sickening events were caught on camera phones by horrified onlookers and the killers were filmed claiming to have carried out the attack in the name of Allah. In a dramatic sequence of events, police arrived at the scene within minutes and shot at the two men as they ran towards them holding up their weapons. Both Michael Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale were found guilty of murder at the Old Bailey. In this programme we speak to witnesses to the attack and experts on terrorism to examine how two young British men could be radicalized to such an extent that they killed an innocent man in the name of religion.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  9. Background image for Keith Blakelock
    7.6/10(9 votes)

    #8 - Keith Blakelock

    S7:E4

    In 1985, PC Keith Blakelock was brutally murdered during a riot on a housing estate in North London triggered after a black woman died of heart failure during a house search. Keith received more than 40 injuries during the sustained attack from a number of rioters. Nobody has been brought to justice for his murder to this date, despite three investigations and the arrests of over three hundred people.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  10. Background image for The Rochdale Groomers
    7.5/10(14 votes)

    #9 - The Rochdale Groomers

    S7:E2

    One of the UK’s biggest sex trafficking rings was uncovered in Rochdale in 2012. In a horrific catalogue of abuse, girls as young as 13 were subjected to rape and torture by a gang of nine men. One 15-year-old girl was even ‘recruited’ by the gang to lure other girls into the trap. After plying them with alcohol and money, the victims would be raped by up to twenty men at a time. The gang were sentenced to between four and nineteen years for their crimes.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  11. Background image for Hungerford Massacre
    7.4/10(26 votes)

    #10 - Hungerford Massacre

    S1:E5

    The Hungerford massacre shocked the nation in 1987 when the heavily armed Michael Ryan, 27, took to the streets and began firing at anyone in his path. By the end of the afternoon, the horrific massacre was finally over. Ryan had killed 16 people, including his mother, wounded 15 others and seriously transformed the lives of everyone who was unlucky enough to be there that day. The tragedy is told through the eyes of the people at the core of the killings; a survivor, heroes who tried to save lives, police and a nurse at the hospital.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  12. Background image for Rose West
    7.4/10(18 votes)

    #11 - Rose West

    S5:E3

    When several bodies were discovered buried in the back garden of their Gloucester home in 1994, a media furor surrounded the couple after it was learned that most of their victims – which included two of their own children - died following episodes of sadistic rape and torture. Whilst Fred was first held accountable as the instigator, we highlight new information which uncovers Rose as a cold blooded killer single handedly guilty of several murders of her own. Featuring exclusive interviews with Rose’s solicitor, surviving victim Caroline Roberts and the man who led the investigation - former Detective Superintendent John Bennett. As Rose West serves her life sentence in prison, 2014 marks the 20th anniversary of the first body discovered at the family home.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  13. Background image for Beverly Allitt
    7.3/10(19 votes)

    #12 - Beverly Allitt

    S1:E4

    Beverley Allitt was thought to be a 'model' nurse.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  14. Background image for Clare Wood
    7.3/10(12 votes)

    #13 - Clare Wood

    S5:E6

    In April 2007, Clare Wood met George Appleton on a dating website and they embarked on a relationship together. Unbeknownst to her, Appleton was a criminal with a severe history of violence against women. Several months later Clare decided to end the relationship, but Appleton was furious and began to torment Clare at home. Although she was interviewed by police several times, Clare's pleas for help went unheeded and her burnt body was discovered at her home in Salford in February 2009. Appleton had raped Clare, and then strangled her to death before setting her body alight. A police man-hunt for Appleton ensued, but after 5 days he was found hanged in a derelict pub, escaping justice. After years of hard work, a group of campaigners – this included Clare’s father, politicians and journalists - successfully launched Clare’s Law, a renewed version of a national scheme that allows people to find out if their partners have a history of violence. The programme contains exclusive interviews with Clare's father, Home Secretary Theresa May, and journalists and police officers instrumental in changing the law to give domestic violence sufferers ‘the right to know’.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  15. Background image for Harold Shipman
    7.1/10(23 votes)

    #14 - Harold Shipman

    S1:E1

    General Practitioner Harold Shipman was convicted of killing 15 patients in 2000. An official report after his sentencing took that figure to 215. He was sentenced to life in prison and committed suicide in his cell 2004. This exclusive documentary lifts the lid on the shocking discoveries made by his colleagues in early 1998; how police were alerted but the killer was left to murder three more women before finally being arrested in September 1998.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  16. Background image for Stephen Lawrence
    6.8/10(13 votes)

    #15 - Stephen Lawrence

    S4:E1

    Documenting the landmark case of Stephen Lawrence, who died at the hands of a racist gang on 22 April 1993 while waiting for a bus in Eltham, south-east London.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  17. Background image for Stephanie Slater
    6.7/10(21 votes)

    #16 - Stephanie Slater

    S1:E2

    Estate agent Stephanie Slater was abducted in 1992 whilst showing a man around a house. For eight days she was locked in a makeshift coffin, raped and tortured before remarkably being released after a £175,000 ransom was paid by her boss. In this episode Stephanie relives her experience, giving detailed accounts of the time as well as how her life changed after the incident. We also reveal an exclusive interview with her father and police who were involved in the case.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  18. Background image for Wrongly Released
    6.6/10(6 votes)

    #17 - Wrongly Released

    S7:E1

    In this special episode, we focus on those criminals who have been brought to justice for one crime only to be released to commit further terrible acts. We speak to legal professionals to discover if the system is at fault or have these killers exploited legal loopholes. We talk to victims and relatives of killers who preyed on their loved ones – if the perpetrators had been kept inside – would their loved ones still be alive? And we discuss with campaigners what can be done to ensure the justice system can both rehabilitate but also ensure our safety.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  19. Background image for John Sweeney
    6.6/10(6 votes)

    #18 - John Sweeney

    S7:E6

    Double murderer, John Sweeney, brutally murdered two of his girlfriends, dismembered their bodies and dumped them in canals. Handed two life sentences he was told he will die in prison. In a macabre twist, a key detective on the case tells how Sweeney allegedly hid clues to his killings in abstract paintings he produced, and how FIVE other girlfriends of his are currently missing as well.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  20. Background image for Sarah Payne
    6.5/10(24 votes)

    #19 - Sarah Payne

    S1:E6

    Eight year-old Sarah Payne's disappearance and murder shocked the nation.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  21. Background image for Dunblane Massacre
    NaN/10(0 votes)

    #20 - Dunblane Massacre

    S2:E1

    No description available

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  22. Background image for The Murder of Rhys Jones
    NaN/10(0 votes)

    #21 - The Murder of Rhys Jones

    S2:E2

    The parents of innocent 11-year-old Rhys Jones, shot on his way home from football club in Liverpool 2007, speak about the harrowing day when they lost their son.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  23. Background image for The Murder of Jill Dando
    NaN/10(0 votes)

    #22 - The Murder of Jill Dando

    S2:E4

    The unsolved murder of TV presenter and newsreader Jill Dando, who was shot outside her house in Fulham, London, in 1999.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  24. Background image for Jeremy Bamber
    NaN/10(0 votes)

    #23 - Jeremy Bamber

    S2:E5

    Investigation into Jeremy Bamber's brutal murder of his family in Essex in 1985. Sentenced for life, he still maintains he is innocent.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  25. Background image for The Murder of Stephen Cameron
    NaN/10(0 votes)

    #24 - The Murder of Stephen Cameron

    S2:E6

    Gripping documentary examining the fatal stabbing of 22-year-old motorist Stephen Cameron during an altercation on the M25 in 1996.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  26. Background image for Rachel Nickell
    NaN/10(0 votes)

    #25 - Rachel Nickell

    S3:E1

    No description available

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

Best Episodes Summary

"The London Nail Bombings" is the best rated episode of "Crimes That Shook Britain". It scored 10/10 based on 1 votes. Directed by Unknown and written by Unknown, it aired on 3/27/2011. This episode scored 2.0 points higher than the second highest rated, "The Philpotts".