Unsolved (Scottish TV Series)
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''Unsolved'' (originally known as ''Unsolved: Getting Away with Murder'') is a British regional crime documentary television programme produced by
Grampian Television Grampian Television was the original name of the Channel 3 service for the north of Scotland founded in 1961 and which, decades later, was merged with the Central Belt channel STV. The northern region's coverage area includes the Northern Isle ...
(now ''STV North'') that aired in Scotland. The programme aired from 8 January 2004 to 30 November 2006.


Background

The series investigated some of the most baffling and intriguing murders in Northern and Central Scotland, where the killers have never been caught and in some cases, the bodies never found. The series was presented by ''
Taggart ''Taggart'' is a Scottish detective fiction television programme created by Glenn Chandler, who wrote many of the episodes, and made by STV Studios for the ITV network. It originally ran as the miniseries ''Killer'' from 6 until 20 Septe ...
'' star
Alex Norton Alex Norton is a Scottish actor. He is known for his roles as DCI Matt Burke in the STV detective drama series ''Taggart'', Eric Baird in BBC Two sitcom '' Two Doors Down'', DCS Wallace in '' Extremely Dangerous'', Gerard Findlay in '' Waterlo ...
, with series producer and former ''
North Tonight ''North Tonight'' was a Scottish nightly regional news programme covering the North of Scotland, produced by STV North (formerly Grampian Television). History During the late 1960s and 1970s, Grampian's regional news service consisted of daily 1 ...
'' presenter
Isla Traquair Isla Traquair (born 1 January 1980) is a Scottish television host, producer and journalist. She has worked with STV, Channel 5, and ITN. She is currently based between the UK and North America where she is the host of the TV show ''Buy.o.logi ...
hosting a special update programme at the end of both series. The programme was produced by STV in Glasgow. The show was created in order to help the police find out more information from the public on unsolved murders. Both series of ''Unsolved'' generated a huge public response and in some cases, led to a breakthrough. The show was a contributory factor in police deciding to dig up a quarry as part of the investigation into the murder of
Renee MacRae Renee MacRae (born Christina Catherine MacDonald, February 1940) was a Scottish woman who disappeared on 12 November 1976, together with her 3-year-old son Andrew. Their case was the United Kingdom's longest-running missing persons case, and w ...
and her son Andrew, and while their bodies were never found, Northern Constabulary filed a report to the
procurator fiscal A procurator fiscal (pl. ''procurators fiscal''), sometimes called PF or fiscal (), is a public prosecutor in Scotland, who has the power to impose fiscal fines. They investigate all sudden and suspicious deaths in Scotland (similar to a corone ...
naming the person responsible.


Developments

A number of unsolved cases aired on this programme, have since been solved since the original broadcast. An hour-long special was aired on 10 December 2008 following the conviction of
Peter Tobin Peter Britton Tobin (27 August 1946 – 8 October 2022) was a Scottish convicted serial killer and sex offender who served a whole life order at HM Prison Edinburgh for three murders committed between 1991 and 2006. Police also investigated T ...
for the murder of Vicky Hamilton. It was only because of the police investigation of the murder of Tobin's final victim Angelika Kluk, that led police to trace his history; they discovered that he was living in Bathgate at the time Vicky vanished in 1991. A more significant development that emerged in the years following the series was the possible link between Tobin and
Bible John Bible John is the moniker given to an unidentified serial killer who is believed to have murdered three young women between 1968 and 1969 in Glasgow, Scotland. The victims of Bible John were all brunettes between the ages of 25 and 32, all of ...
. It was speculated that Tobin was in fact, the unidentified man known only as Bible John who murdered three women in the late-1960s. David Wilson, a Professor of Criminology at
Birmingham University The University of Birmingham (informally Birmingham University) is a Public university, public research university in Birmingham, England. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Queen's College, Birmingham (founded in 1825 as ...
has spearheaded the thesis that both men are the same individual. Wilson states: "I didn't set out to prove Tobin was Bible John but I would stake my professional reputation on it." Former
Black Watch The Black Watch, 3rd Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland (3 SCOTS) is an infantry battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland. The regiment was created as part of the Childers Reforms in 1881, when the 42nd (Royal Highland) Regiment ...
sniper Michael Ross, who was 15 at the time of the crime was sentenced to a minimum of 25 years for the 1994 murder of Shamsuddin Mahmood in 2008. In January 2013, forensic experts exhumed a grave in a Coatbridge cemetery in the hope of finding the remains of Moira Anderson who vanished in 1957. No remains were found and it looks unlikely that it will ever be solved. However, child sex abuse campaigner
Sandra Brown Sandra Lynn Brown, née ''Cox'' (born March 12, 1948) is an American bestselling author of romantic novels and Thriller (genre), thriller suspense novels. Brown has also published works under the pen names of Rachel Ryan, Laura Jordan, and Eri ...
has always maintained that her own father, Alexander Gartshore, a convicted child sex offender and former bus driver who died in 2006, had abducted and killed Moira after she boarded his bus on her way to a nearby Co-op. She said in an interview with the BBC: "My dad was definitely a paedophile – and we're talking about the kind in the same mould as
Jimmy Savile Sir James Wilson Vincent Savile (; 31 October 1926 – 29 October 2011) was an English media personality and DJ. He was known for his eccentric image, charitable work, and hosting the BBC shows ''Top of the Pops'' and ''Jim'll Fix It''. A ...
." In March 2013, John Docherty was charged with the 1986 murder of Elaine Doyle. In August 2014, he was sentenced to a minimum of 21 years in prison. In May 2019, Zhi Min Chen now 44, was found guilty of the murder of Tracey Wylde in 1997. He was arrested after fingerprints taken from him, following an unrelated assault which connected him to the crime. In September 2022, William MacDowell was found guilty of the murder of Renee MacRae and her son Andrew. He was sentenced to a minimum of 30 years in prison. In March 2023, Brenda Page's ex-husband, Christopher Harrisson, was found guilty of her murder 45 years after her death. In December 2023, Robert O'Brien, 45, Andrew Kelly, 44, and Donna Marie Brand, 44, were convicted of Caroline Glachan's murder. All three had been teenagers at the time the crime was committed.


Episodes


References

{{Reflist


External links


''Unsolved: Getting Away with Murder''
at
stv.tv STV is a free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the STV Group. It is made up of the Central Scotland and Northern Scotland ITV public broadcaster licences, formerly known as Scottish Television (now legally STV ...
(Archive page) 2004 Scottish television series debuts 2006 Scottish television series endings British English-language television shows Scottish television shows Television shows produced by Grampian Television