Channel 4 to feature Britain's Newest Crime Agency

Channel 4 has commissioned independent production company Blast! Films (999: What’s Your Emergency?) to make the first ever series about the National Crime Agency (NCA), Britain’s top crime fighting body. The NCA’s cases target the most challenging, complex and dangerous criminal groups: from international child exploitation rings to multi-million pound drug smuggling networks. Revisiting three of the biggest stories that have played out in recent years, the new series will interview officers inside the NCA and show how their investigations were undertaken across the world.

The NCA became operational in October 2013. With national and international reach and a mandate and powers to work in partnership with other law enforcement organisations, the Agency leads UK law enforcement’s fight against serious and organised crime; bringing to justice those serious and organised criminals who present the highest risk to the UK.

Blast! Creative Director Ed Coulthard says: “Many people are aware of the existence of the National Crime Agency but few people know how it really operates . It’s very exciting for us to be able to show how it has tackled some of the biggest criminal cases in the UK and across the world.”

The series has been ordered by Channel 4 Documentaries Commissioning Editor Anna Miralis, who says : “Criminal investigations of this kind are normally kept behind closed doors – and it’s usually only through drama that we’ve been able to imagine what really goes on. I’m delighted the NCA has decided to let Blast Films and Channel 4 give a true picture of some of the biggest cases they’ve been handling.”

The series will be Executive Produced by Ed Coulthard and Alex Sutherland, with Harriet Bird Producing. Toby Trackman, lead director on the first series of 999:What’s Your Emergency? will direct the first two episodes.