Family Forensics UK

Premise

The forensics team had access to the family's entire house and its contents for a weekend. The team looked through personal belongings, computer files, photos, financial records, and household rubbish. One of the family members assisted the producers by providing the cast members access to their home. The family member "in the know" ensured that the family would be out of the house long enough for the investigation to proceed by telling the other family members that they had won a vacation. The team took swabs, fingerprints, and other samples to piece together a picture of the entire family and presented the family with detailed personal profiles based on their findings. The UK supplier of crime scene equipment known as Tetra Scene of Crime was contracted as a consultant and managed all aspects of the forensic investigation. Phillip Ravell, also known as "Forensic Phil", used various cutting edge crime scene detection techniques to show the viewers actual investigation methods used by CSI members.

Production

The episodes were produced by the Twentieth Century Fox Television, totalling six hours of airtime was the relationship expert, and a retired policeman was also an adviser on the show. Charlotte Wheeler was the executive producer

Cancellation

In November 2005, after the first episode had been broadcast, the show was abruptly cancelled when the producers discovered that their private investigator, Michael Brown, had been convicted of six child sex offenses that October. Brown was in breach of his contract by failing to inform producers about the conviction. Living TV apologized for broadcasting the single episode and lost £600,000 in pulling the series. Brown also had previous convictions for another child sex offense, and for the possession of a knuckleduster. He was jailed in December 2005. The show was then re-filmed with a new team and broadcast in April and May 2006.

Reception

The Times stated, "If Kim and Aggie role-played as CSI agents, the result would be something like this nosy (and previously axed) series." The Telegraph called it, "A super, slightly nasty idea."

References

References

1. (2006). "Family Forensics". Twofour.
2. (25 August 2005). "Living bags US format, builds in-house development". C21Media.
3. (12 September 2005). "Jayne's crime scene show". Evening Chronicle.
4. "Christine Webber". First Artist Management.
5. (11 May 2006). "Retired police officer sets up business with a difference". Berwick Advertiser.
6. (24 November 2005). "Living TV show hit by sex conviction". Broadcast Now.
7. West, Dave. (22 November 2005). "Co-star's sex crimes get Middlemiss show axed". Digital Spy.
8. (16 December 2005). "TV man jailed for sex offenses". BBC News.
9. Chater, David. (17 April 2006). "Viewing guide". The Times.
10. Warman, Matt. (16 November 2005). "Today's TV & radio choices". The Daily Telegraph.