BBC One Orders Historical-Crime Series My Grandad Was Innocent

BBC One has commissioned the historical-crime series My Grandad Was Innocent from Chalkboard TV for a launch in early 2018.

The 10×1-hour series sees two top criminal barristers, Sasha Wass and Jeremy Dein, investigate historical murders where the convicted went to the gallows pleading their innocence. They join forces with a living member of the convicted criminal’s family to re-examine the crime and evidence, employing modern forensic techniques to ask whether the original conviction was safe.

Dan McGolpin, the controller of BBC programming and daytime, said: “This series is based on an ambitious and powerful idea. Ten families who believe that their relative may have been falsely convicted of murder and hanged will get the opportunity to clear their name.”

Lindsay Bradbury, BBC’s commissioning editor for daytime and early peak, said: “It’s not often that an idea like this one comes along. It’s got a real sense of public service, stacks of emotion and a huge pull through to the end.”

Mike Benson, director of Chalkboard and executive producer of My Grandad Was Innocent, added: “We’re hugely proud of this show. There are thousands of historic cases where individuals were sent to their death on purely circumstantial evidence and we are giving the families of these individuals a chance to re-examine the evidence through a modern, forensic prism. The crack team we’ve brought together to investigate these cases will use scientific tools and techniques such as DNA and ballistics to uncover the truth about historical crimes. It’s riveting television, but it’s more than just compulsive drama—My Grandad Was Innocent has the potential to right wrongs, set the record straight and hold the criminal-justice system to account.”