Professor David Wilson returns to front C4 documentary In the Footsteps of Killers – but who is the criminologist and how did he find fame?
What TV shows has he appeared in, and where is he from?
Here’s everything you need to know about criminologist Professor David Wilson and his TV series.
The second series kicks off on Thursday, January 12, 2023 at 10pm on Channel 4 and sees David reunite with Emilia Fox to revisit the Templeton Woods Murders.
Who is criminologist Professor David Wilson?
Fans of Professor David Wilson will know that he’s a former prison governor.
Now, the well known criminologist specialises in serial killers.
David has worked alongside various British police forces and has numerous published books.
His non-fiction book, A Plot to Kill, tells the shocking story of the murder of Peter Farquhar.
He’s also written about Harold Shipman, Jack the Ripper, Fred West and Dennis Nilsen.
And he knows what he’s talking about…
David met some of the UK’s most notorious offenders while at HMP Woodhill – including Charles Bronson.
The former university professor has also made many appearances on TV as an expert.
TV viewers recognise him as one of the leading criminologists in the UK.
What TV shows has he appeared on?
David regularly appears on TV and radio as a commentator and presenter.
He also writes for The Guardian and the Daily Mail.
David presented four series of The Crime Squad for BBC One, as well as Leave No Trace and Too Young to Die?
On BBC Two, he presented Who Killed Ivan the Terrible? and was an expert on the game show Identity.
On Channel 5, he co-presented Banged Up, which was nominated for a Royal Television Society award.
He also developed and presented two series of Killers Behind Bars: The Untold Story.
Interview with a Murderer fans will perhaps know him best for presenting the C4 series.
The series focused on the murder of Carl Bridgewater.
How old is David Wilson and where is he from?
Professor David Wilson was born on April 23 1957.
He is currently 65 years old.
David is originally from Sauchie, Clackmannanshire, in Scotland.
He was actually raised on a dairy farm outside Carluke in South Lanarkshire,.
He was recruited directly from Cambridge to join Her Majesty’s Prison Service as an Assistant Governor at HMP Wormwood Scrubs in 1984.
By the age of 29, he’d become the youngest governor in the country.
Does criminologist Professor David Wilson have a wife?
David Wilson is married to lawyer Anne.
The couple live in Bucks and have two children.
Criminologist Professor David Wilson on lockdown
David believes the Covid pandemic has caused people to act in a “more extreme way”.
He said a number of serious crimes were committed due to an “extraordinary situation in which people were living their lives”.
As a result of the Covid crisis, criminals adapted to their new found surroundings.
David believes villains subsequently used the “crisis as an opportunity” to offend.
In the Footsteps of Killers on Channel 4
Emilia Fox and Professor David Wilson first teamed up in June 2021 to front the C4 series In the Footsteps of Killers.
In the series, they looked at several unsolved murders, using the latest in forensic science to shed new light on troubling cold cases.
They looked for new leads the original investigation may have missed, travelling to the locations of the crime to interview the witnesses, suspects and friends and family of the victims.
The opening episode saw the pair re-examine the 1996 disappearance of David Spencer and Patrick Warren.
Subsequent episodes saw them reexamine the murders of Rita Ellis, and Suzy Lamplugh.
Although some viewers accused the series of being in bad taste, it now returns for a second series.
In episode one of the second series, Emilia Fox, criminologist Professor David Wilson and ex-detective Dr Graham Hill revisit the Templeton Woods Murders.
In March 1979, passers-by discovered the body of 18-year-old Carol Lannen just outside Dundee.
Her killer had strangled her to death.
Less than 12 months later, the body of 20-year-old Elizabeth McCabe was found in the same area, also killed in the same way.
David, Emilia and Graham investigate both cases and uncover some explosive new evidence that convinces them that they know who’s responsible…
Read more: OPINION: After 26 years, is it finally time for Silent Witness to be axed?
In the Footsteps of Killers returns on Thursday, January 12, 2023 at 10pm on Channel 4.
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