Proud detective shares ‘rewarding’ primetime TV experience

28 October 2026

When Federation member Gareth Lougher took over the south team of West Mercia Police’s Major Investigation Unit (MIU) two years ago, he expected the role to come with its usual challenges. What he didn’t expect was to have a film crew following him around for national television.

Stepping into the biggest role of his policing career to date – a decade in the making since he first became a detective in 2014 - Gareth’s attention was naturally on the responsibilities that came with it. He had colleagues to lead, complex cases to oversee and critical decisions to make.

However, as he settled into his position as DCI, Gareth found himself being filmed as part of the BBC’s Murder 24/7, a series offering viewers unprecedented behind-the-scenes access to the police response to major crime and homicide.

He wasn’t the first MIU south lead to experience it. His predecessor, Leighton Harding, had also taken part in the series, giving Gareth some idea of what to expect – although that didn’t stop him from having some initial reservations about the filming process.

Federation member Gareth Lougher

Now, speaking to the Federation afterwards, Gareth was much more positive about the finished programme and how it portrayed his team's work.

“When I took over from Leighton, I was aware this would be part of the role – the crew have been working with the Force for a few years now. Compared to my incoming priorities, though, I just didn’t give it that much thought,” he admitted.

“Besides, I knew it was something I would just have to get used to – and that’s exactly how it played out. It was certainly a strange feeling at first, but over time, you just adapt to it.

“What’s come out of it is an excellent set of episodes which I am really proud to have played a part in.

Crime scene

“They show not only the work of myself or the MIU, but the work of the call handlers, first responders, crime scene investigators and more, and how the whole organisation comes together to get the outcomes we did.”

The third season of Murder 24/7 aired over the summer, with Gareth featuring in its fourth, fifth and sixth episodes.

When it came to the cases which made up this content, he explained how he was just as unaware of what would make the final cut as the crew themselves, who shot countless hours of footage of which only a fraction was taken any further.

Before production, the only detail of the season already determined was that it would switch over from BBC Two to BBC One, thanks to the success of the show’s previous two entries – putting even more primetime eyes on the likes of Gareth.

“You can’t get much more of a national audience than that,” he continued.

“There was no way of knowing for sure which cases would be covered, but with the particular one at the centre of episodes five and six, I had a strong suspicion early on. I am captured saying that the videos we found of the incident were some of the worst I’d seen in my career.

“My team were brilliant in how they handled that, and in fairness, so were the crew. You have to remember they are not police trained, so I felt it was important to make sure their welfare was being picked up too by their employers.

Rewarding

“By the end of filming, the mutual trust we had built with them as professionals was strong and was one of the most rewarding aspects of the whole process for me.”

As well as a sense of care and respect for his film crew counterparts, Gareth added he was also mindful of the victims at the centre of the cases put under the microscope by Murder 24/7.

The seasoned detective, who originally joined the Force in 2005, went as far as to say his favourite parts of the entire programme were the moments it heard from the loved ones of these victims. 

“For me, they were the most impactful, because in all the shock and mystery, these people don’t usually have much of a voice. The show gave them one, and I think that deserves a lot of credit.

“As for my appearances on screen, I’ve had quite a few messages from family and friends saying they’re sick of seeing me all over their iPlayer accounts.

“Aside from the banter, everyone has been really lovely and supportive about it. I’ve even had a few friends outside of policing tell me they didn’t know exactly what I did at work, and now they do.

“Overall, I think the show continues to portray West Mercia Police in a positive light, and in a time when everyone has something to say on how our profession does things, that is extremely valuable.”

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