Best of 2023: Interviews (Part 2)

Steven is a former Scotland Yard Detective Inspector who joined the Metropolitan Police in 1991.

He joined Scotland Yard's elite Anti-Terrorist Branch in 2002, where he spent three years investigating terrorism.

In 2005 he received a commendation from the then Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis, Sir Ian Blair, for his work in the aftermath of the London 7/7 Bombings.

In 2009 he joined Scotland Yard's Murder Investigation Team, where he remained for 12 years, building up a vast knowledge of what it takes to catch killers and bring them to justice.

After retiring from the police in 2021, Steven created 'Murder Academy', the world's first school dedicated to educating true crime fans on how murders are solved.

Robin is a London-based journalist and true crime author who contributes to documentaries such as Murder by the Sea, Voice of a Killer, The Real Prime Suspect and Dark Son: The Hunt for a Serial Killer.

He is currently working on a book about corruption and how the hit BBC drama Line of Duty echoes real-life wrongdoing in the police.

Nicola has been praised for her approachable and empathetic manner. Throughout her career in journalism, she has developed – and continues to develop – long-lasting relationships with people from all walks of life. Her ability to make people feel at ease has proven invaluable when collaborating with new authors.

Nicola has been a journalist for over 20 years covering crime features, news and investigations. She has written for several national publications and websites.

Her books have received hundreds of five-star Amazon reviews and ratings, making her one of the UK's top ghostwriters.

Bethan is one half of the top true crime podcast Seeing Red. The podcast features discussions about true crime cases with co-host Mark, a new episode is released each week and the show has been running for several years.

'The New Millennium Serial Killer' is Bethan's first book.

Neil worked undercover between 1993 and 2007, befriending and gaining the trust of some of Britain's most violent and unpredictable criminals. He's now an active member of the international drug policy reform movement.

With the insight that can only come from having fought on its front lines, Neil saw the true futility of the War on Drugs - that it demonises those who need help and empowers the worst elements in society.

Neil is a board member of the Law Enforcement Action Partnership (LEAP) in the USA and the U.K. (LEAP UK).

LEAP is a growing international organisation that advocates an evidence-based drug policy and related criminal justice reforms. The group is made up entirely of serving and former police and other law enforcement.

Since joining Sky News for its launch in 1989, Martin has delivered a series of exclusive reports while covering the Cromwell Street killings, the murder of TV presenter Jill Dando, the trial of terrorist Carlos the Jackal, the London 7/7 bombings, the disappearance of Madeleine McCann and the Hatton Garden diamond heist.

Before Sky News launched, he was chief reporter at the Sunday Mirror and worked for local newspapers in Kent.

Martin is known for his unparalleled connections and specialist knowledge that allow him to see beyond a specific crime and view the context in which it has been committed.

Dr Nixon is chartered by the British Psychological Society (BPS), registered as a forensic psychologist with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) and an associate fellow of the BPS. She has almost 20 years’ experience working in the areas of psychological services, policing and treatment.

Following her extensive work in policing, academia and prisons, Dr Nixon moved to a private hospital as a consultant forensic psychologist and senior manager where she was quickly promoted to clinical lead of the Male Mental Illness and Personality Disorder Service.

She quickly gained a reputation for her ability to engage with, and treat, complex, challenging and often dangerous patients.

Dr Nixon is now passionate about applying all her experience in risk assessment, treatment, policing, training and engagement to her consultancy work. She is the sole director of Nixon Consultants Ltd.

Dr Townshend (BA (Hons), MSc, PhD) is a presenter, researcher and lecturer whose recent research projects have looked into illicit substance use, gender identities and crime, the dark web, and deviant subcultures.

She has a background in studying all elements of criminology, from theory to criminal justice, and has multiple papers and book chapters published across various topic areas.

She has also been a presenter and expert criminologist for programmes across Channel 4, Channel 5, Discovery, Crime + Investigation, Vice World News and Amazon Prime.

Having worked for 16 years in a high-security women's prison dealing with the likes of Rosemary West and Myra Hindley, Vanessa Frake-Harris thought she'd seen it all. That was until she was transferred to the notorious Wormwood Scrubs.

Thrust into a 'man's world', her no-nonsense approach and fearless attitude saw her swiftly rise through the ranks. From dealing with celebrity criminals and busting drug rings to recruiting informers and being subject to violent attacks, her hard-hitting but often humorous memoir reveals all about life behind bars in unflinching detail.

Vanessa was awarded an MBE for her work for the prison service in 2012. She retired early from the prison service, after 26 years, while the Government funding was still in place and things were going well in her job as she wanted to go out on a high.

More recently, in a complete career change, she baked cakes at Angela Reed's Cafe in Saffron Walden and volunteers at Wood Green Animal Sanctuary.

As a cameraman, Rhys has won many awards and received three BAFTA Cymru nominations for Best Factual Photography. He started with the international TV production and distribution group Tinopolis, filming in 40 countries and shooting over 1000 items for the magazine programme 'Heno'.

Since then, as a freelancer, he's filmed hundreds of factual and entertainment programmes and built a reputation as a documentary filmmaker.

The transition began in 2014, when Rhys's first documentary, 'A Good Bitch' won the prestigious Reed.co.uk Short Film Competition, at the time, the biggest prize of its kind in Europe.

Since then, his short films have been screened at festivals worldwide, from New York to Helsinki. In 2019, he won Best Documentary at the Celtic Media Festival for Chdi, Fi ac IVF – a film he directed, shot and edited, charting the hopes and heartaches of a couple undergoing a whole IVF treatment cycle.

The same year, he joined forces with Gwion to form DocShed, with several new projects in the offing.

Paul was born in Sydney and has worked as an educator in several correctional centres in Australia. He has also worked as a teacher in the juvenile justice system.

He never held a political position on the prison system and knew very little of the workings of a jail. Through his debut book, 'The Criminal Class: Memoir of a Prison Teacher', Paul has created a thought-provoking tale based on his surreal and eye-opening experience that is - all at once - tragic, amusing and entertaining.

The film and television rights to Paul's book have been acquired by Bondi Beach Productions, a multi-award-winning Film and TV production company with offices in Sydney, Los Angeles and New York.

April is a writer of historical crime, crime fantasy and medieval and Tudor non-fiction.

She was born in the historic county of Lincolnshire and caught the history bug from a young age. She has always been fascinated by the physical manifestation of past events, particularly the Tudor period.

That interest deepened when she discovered one of the most important events of Henry VIII's reign, the Lincolnshire Rebellion that led to the Pilgrimage of Grace in 1536, which started eight miles from where April was born.

Dan is the VP of Programming at A+E Networks UK.

Diana is the Commissioning Editor and Head of Talent at A+E Networks UK.

Nicky is an internationally renowned expert trainer, specialising in communication, negotiation and influencing skills. She has taught professionals worldwide how to maximise their ability to improve relationships through communication.

After spending 20 years in the Metropolitan Police, she became a hostage and crisis negotiator after completing an incredibly intensive two-week course in December 2008.

In 2012, Nicky joined an elite team focusing on hostage and crisis negotiations, collaborating with the government, and in 2013 became the Director of UK Hostage and Crisis Negotiation Training.

Retiring from the police in 2018, Nicky has transformed a local garage into a community hub with a coffee shop, gym, and communication/negotiation coaching. For her meritorious service to the community during Covid, Nicky received a British Empire Medal (BEM) in 2022.