BBC Scotland’s flagship crime series Murder Case is back this autumn with a new three-part run, digging deep into two of the country’s most disturbing homicide cases. The award-winning documentary will premiere on BBC Scotland and BBC iPlayer and is once again produced by Firecrest Films.
The new series focuses on the 2017 disappearance of charity cyclist Tony Parsons and the 2023 murder of Lucretia “Kiesha” Donaghy. Both investigations are examined in detail, tracking the police work that led to convictions, with access to the families, media, and the Major Investigations Team at Police Scotland.
Parsons’ case unfolds across two episodes. The 63-year-old was killed by a drunk driver during a solo charity ride and buried in a shallow grave on a Highland estate. His body remained undiscovered for three years until the killer’s girlfriend tipped off police, marking a dramatic turning point in the investigation.
The third episode centres on Donaghy, a 32-year-old mother-of-two bludgeoned to death in her Elgin home. Her friend, Owen Grant, was later convicted after using the hours following the murder to buy cocaine. The court described the killing as “exceptionally savage.”
Filmed over two years, the series captures the timeline from first response to court verdict. The production team worked with the victims’ families throughout, securing their backing to share the story in full.
Commissioned by David Harron at BBC Scotland and executive produced by Vari Innes at Firecrest, the new run follows strong iPlayer performance across the genre. Murder Case titles consistently rank among BBC Scotland’s most requested documentaries, with nearly 3 million combined streams to date.
This year’s top-performing BBC true crime titles include Murder Trial: Girl in the River and The Hunt for Peter Tobin, underscoring continued demand for high-access factual storytelling.
Further editions of Murder Case are in development for 2026.
