Fact or fiction?

We all know how a crime drama plays out. The villain commits a crime, the police investigate, and the perpetrator gets caught and punished. Whether it is in a book, a movie or on television, we almost always know that a crucial piece of evidence will allow the heroic investigator to identify the villain and crack the case. Simple. But popular media is frequently guilty of simplifying the complexities of real life. It is one of the reasons why in 2016 the Leverhulme Research Centre for Forensic Science (LRCFS) was established at the University, with the mission of, amongst other things, promoting a realistic understanding of the field of forensic science to the public. So when the opportunity to influence a new British crime drama – Traces – came about, the Centre’s Director, Professor Niamh Nic Daéid, was keen to learn more.

“The original idea for Traces came from a piece of work the University did with the author Val McDermid,” she said.

“That gave her the idea for Traces, and she asked if we would get involved. We said we would, but only if we could ensure that the forensic science presented in the series was as accurate as possible.”

Filmed in 2019, the series was set in Dundee and focused on the work of the fictitious Scottish Institute of Forensic Science and Anatomy. After a successful initial run, a second six-part series was completed in 2022, with the show having been aired on BBC One, the Alibi channel, and also available to watch on the BBC’s iPlayer streaming service.

Niamh said that the production team were very receptive to the input of the LRCFS staff and that the two worked well together to ensure scientific accuracy while still creating an engaging and entertaining series.

“We worked closely with the script writer, the actors, and the props team to ensure that everything was realistic,” she continued.

“For example, labs are often portrayed as having lots of equipment, however forensic science laboratories need clear open bench space to spread seized items out for initial examination.

“Another issue we wanted to emphasise was the time that things take. Some shows depict analysts putting samples into a machine and then have a result a moment later. That obviously helps to move the story on but in reality, analysis of samples often takes much longer.”

LRCFS experts have advised on several television shows and crime novels, ensuring that expectations of what can and cannot be achieved by forensic science are portrayed accurately.

As a society of prospective jurors, many of us only know about forensic science as it is depicted in popular media. That means that maintaining high standards of accuracy and ensuring that the public has a realistic understanding of what forensic science can and cannot achieve, is crucial. This ensures that the LRCFS team’s work with crime writers, production teams, actors and others involved in the development of popular media, is always worthwhile.

The work of the LRCFS is deeply rooted in the development and communication of robust science to underpin the justice system and has a far-reaching range of projects. Current projects include working in collaboration with Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design (DJCAD) on the implementation of Virtual Reality at crime scenes, the School of Science and Engineering in exploring computing applications to link bullets to guns, and with the School of Life Sciences in the identification of new psychoactive substances to develop a deeper understanding of how materials transfer and remain on different surfaces.

The Centre is also an award-winning public engagement engine with the team involved with experts across the UK in projects relating to digital evidence. The LRCFS works extensively with the local and national community, including the distribution of hundreds of free forensic chemistry kits to secondary school pupils, providing an insight into life as a forensic scientist.