S4C is set to air a new season of true crime documentaries over the coming months, exploring some of the most shocking and significant criminal cases to have impacted Wales and the UK at large.

Available to viewers across the UK on S4C, BBC iPlayer and S4C Clic, the series will delve into a range of stories – from murder and drug trafficking to assault and organised crime. The documentaries aim to offer more than just the facts, providing emotional insight, forensic detail, and often unheard perspectives from those directly affected by the crimes.

There will be six programmes in all, with the first tby MultiStory Media Cymru, airing on October 21st, called Ruth Ellis: Y Cariad a’r Crogi (Ruth Ellis: A Love and a Hanging 1 x 60’).

It will be followed by Cwmni Da Ltd and Awen Productions Pwy Laddodd Hilda Murrell? (Who Killed Hilda Murrell? 2 x 60’); and Lazerbeam Productions’ Ymgyrch Seal Bay(Operation Seal Bay 2 x 60’); Captain Jac’s Curo tu ôl i’r Drws (Behind Closed Doors 1 x 60’); Cwmni Da and Awen Productions’ Con Jones: Twyllwr Gorau’r Byd? (Con Jones: World’s Best Con Man?) and Darlun’s Fy ffrind ar Death Row (My friend on Death Row 1 x 60’). 

Llinos Wynne, Head of Docs and Specialist Factual for S4C, commented: “True crime is more popular than ever, and Wales has its fair share of these stories. We’re drawn to these stories because it’s in our nature to be instinctively curious – we want to uncover the who, what, when, and where. We’re fascinated by the motives behind the crimes, how the perpetrators were caught, and the ripple effects these cases have had on our justice system and society as a whole.”

Episode details:

Ruth Ellis: Y Cariad a’r Crogi – Welshwoman Ruth Ellis was the last woman to be hanged in Britain. Born in Rhyl, this documentary traces her life – from her childhood and the club scene in the 1950s to her stormy relationship with David Blakely and the murder that shook Wales and England. With new interviews and fresh research, the programme offers an emotional look at Ruth’s story and the impact her crime had on society and the law. 

Pwy Laddodd Hilda Murrell? – A documentary series looking at the murder of anti-nuclear campaigner and famous rose breeder Hilda Murrell, aged 78, in Shrewsbury in 1984. We get a glimpse of the shortcomings of the police investigation and the conspiracy theories. Was there a connection with the secret services and did the correct murderer get caught? 

Ymgyrch Seal Bay – In 1983 a sleepy Pembrokeshire fishing town became the unlikely setting for an audacious drug smuggling plot worth millions of pounds. A gang of international drug runners planned to traffic tonnes of cannabis via the remote coastline of West Wales. But despite meticulous planning the smugglers overlooked two important factors: the curiosity of the locals and the determination of the rural detectives who tried to hunt them down.  Told by the people who were there, this is the story of how a small Welsh community and a local police force came together to take on an international drugs ring.    

Curo tu ôl i’r Drws – Dyfed-Powys Police deal with approximately 214 cases of domestic violence each week and the fact that this is a rural area doesn’t make it an exception. Through the eyes of some of the police officers who work within the Domestic Violence teams at Dyfed-Powys Police, this revealing documentary tells the stories of victims of domestic abuse and the work being done by the police to investigate all crimes, so that all victims get justice and in time able to rebuild their life.

Con Jones: Twyllwr Gorau’r Byd? – Kenner Elias Jones – “the best conman I ever met,” according to a US immigration official – has spent five decades swindling across continents, leaving betrayal in his wake. Deported, banned, and wanted in multiple countries, he slips through the cracks under false identities. Today, he’s still at large.

Fy ffrind ar Death Row – Rhys Williams is a seasoned cameraman who has spent years on the front lines in some of the world’s most dangerous conflict zones. To process the trauma of what he’s witnessed, Williams turns to an unlikely confidant – writing letters and emails to a trusted friend. That friend is Roderick Orme, a convicted murderer on death row in Florida, sentenced for the killing of a nurse in Panama City. This compelling documentary explores the unlikely bond between a man from Wales and a man awaiting execution. As Rhys investigates Orme’s case, he also meets civil rights activists who challenge the ethics of capital punishment. This film is a powerful exploration of friendship, empathy, and the human need for connection in the darkest of places.

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Tags: Documentary+, iPlayer, S4C, wales