Code of a Killer

Worthwhile 3-episode true story drama with wonderful performances all around. I've always loved John SIMM, and he's great as the scientist-hero Dr. Jeffreys. It's easy to forget how difficult forensic crime fighting was before the first application of 'genetic fingerprinting' in 1986. So the tension is heightened by the very newness of the technology. Will it work?

In the 1980s, Colin Pitchfork raped and murdered two teenage girls. The story of those horrific crimes has been minutely documented because this was the first time DNA fingerprinting/profiling was used in a criminal case. Although "Code Of A Killer" is presented as a dramatisation it contains little in the way of drama, nothing graphic, and is more of a documentary, following a number of similar historically accurate dramatisations on both sides of the Atlantic. It is also in effect two stories - that of the pioneering work of Alec Jeffreys, and of the hunt for a nascent serial killer.

The mentally challenged Richard Buckland who confessed to the second murder is renamed Gavin Hopkirk, which will certainly not please the real owners of that name, bar the fictional murderer from a 2014 ITV series. The name of the man who was duped into impersonating Pitchfork to donate blood has also been changed, even though it is widely known. He paid a heavy price for that act of misguided loyalty.

Beyond the scope of this dramatisation is the unthinkable release of this monster. In 2016 he was moved to an open prison and two years later was photographed in Bristol. He has since been denied parole, and the families of his victims have mounted a national campaign to put him back in a proper prison where he belongs.

First off, it's a very sad, interesting, and real life story. The first time in our history that DNA was used by the Police to bring about a conviction, hard to imagine nowadays.

I have to give real praise to the Director and screen writer, for telling the story in a realistic, informative, factual style, that lacked the usual sensationalism associated with modern dramas.

Superbly acted, John Simm and David Threlfall in particular are excellent.

Tragic crimes, brought to life, in a fast moving drama. 8/10

Great historical account of the forensic tool used so extensively today. Really enjoyed finding how this was used in the murder investigation. Sir Alec Jeffreys was knighted for this scientific discovery. Only thing I don't understand is why it was not worthy of a Nobel Prize.

I wasn't sure about watching this, but I'm so glad I did. It's a fictional account of the rape and murder of two young girls. The story shows how DNA testing used by the police first came about. Everything about the series was outstanding. Well worth less than 3 hours of your time.