Mentorn Scotland, part of the Tinopolis Group, has been granted unprecedented documentary access to Scotland's specialist Cold Case Unit (CCU) and Police Scotland investigative teams, for a new three-part Channel 4 series.

The Cold Case Unit was created in 2011 at the instruction of Scotland’s Chief prosecutor, the then Lord Advocate, Frank Mulholland, to assist prosecutors from Scotland's Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) and Police Scotland to review unsolved historic murders.

Using the Scottish Homicide Database, that dates back to 1960, Prosecutors and Detectives apply modern forensic and other investigative techniques to historic murders, in an attempt to resolve some of Scotland’s most high-profile cases.

Since its conception, the unit working closely with Police Scotland, has achieved substantial successes: from the conviction of serial killer and sex offender Angus Sinclair for the infamous Worlds End Murders, to putting John Docherty behind bars for the 1986 killing of Elaine Doyle.

With access to the CCU, Police Scotland and forensic scientists, the 3x60 observational series, filmed over two years, will follow the investigation and prosecution process of historic murder investigations in Scotland, and the hunt for justice.

Commissioned by Amy Flanagan, Deputy Head of Documentaries at Channel 4, the series is produced and directed by Andrew Abbott, and the executive producer is Iain Scollay.

Amy Flanagan, Deputy Head of Factual at Channel 4, said: "With such unprecedented access this series is set to reveal the incredible skills of the Cold Case Unit. As their investigations into historic unsolved crimes unfold, we will gain a fascinating insight into how policing has changed over the years but also why justice matters to those families involved, even thirty years later."

Iain Scollay, Creative Director, Mentorn Scotland and Executive Producer said, "We are delighted to have secured this very privileged access to both Police Scotland and the Crown Office. The meticulous work that they do, re-opening and investigating historic cases, is extraordinary and will make for a compelling series."

The series is due to air in 2017.

NOTES TO EDITORS:

This series was originally commissioned by former commissioning editor Emma Cooper

About Mentorn Scotland

Mentorn Media set up Mentorn Scotland, its Glasgow office, in 2002. Since then it has had a continuous and substantial production and development base in Scotland devising and delivering some award-winning and compelling content, adding up to hundreds of hours of original content.

Mentorn Scotland has made a range of major series for BBC Scotland including RTS Award-winning and British Academy Scotland Award nominated, Scotland Decides: The Big, Big Debate and the popular BBC Scotland series Clans and How Scotland Works.

Scottish-based productions include the recently hugely successful, Robot Wars for BBC Two and key returning BBC One titles: Question Time, Traffic Cops, The Big Questions, along with other Mentorn Scotland productions like Cutting Edge documentaries for Channel 4, single films for ITV including Britain’s Poshest Nannies, daytime series and popular formats: Cowboy Trap for BBC One; Hotel of Mum and Dad for BBC Three, and primetime series Watermen: A Dirty Business for BBC Two.

Mentorn Media can be followed on twitter: @MentornMedia

About the Tinopolis Group

The Tinopolis Group is dedicated to the creation and global distribution of world-class content. It is one of the largest remaining independent television producers with significant business bases in London, Wales, Glasgow and LA, producing high quality content for all key networks in both the US and the UK and for a fast-growing stable of brands and agencies. Tinopolis produces and distributes over 2,500 hours of award-winning broadcast and online content from major producers, including A. Smith and Co, Firecracker Films, Magical Elves, Mentorn Media, Passion Distribution, Pioneer Productions, Sunset + Vine and Tinopolis Wales/Cymru.

www.tinopolis.com (opens in a new window)

Commissioning Editor: Amy Flanagan

Production Company: Mentorn Scotland (3x60)

Executive Producer: Iain Scollay