Why are we obsessed with crime?
CrowdScience
BBC
4.8 • 1K Ratings
🗓️ 6 March 2020
⏱️ 32 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Why are we obsessed with crime? Kay from Hamburg, Germany asks as every Sunday evening Germans pile into their local pubs to watch Tatort, a hugely successful crime drama which has been running for 50 years. Presenter Marnie Chesterton starts with the science and speaks with psychologists to get to the bottom of where this obsession might come from. Have we evolved to have an innate obsession with danger or are we addicted to feeling fear?
Or perhaps the dramatisation of crime fuels our obsession. Producer Caroline Steel visits the film set of BBC crime drama, Line of Duty. Producer Jed Mercurio explains what draws us to crime narratives and the techniques he uses to keep his audience captivated. But does the way we chose to represent crime in media match up with reality? And what is the impact of this on society and policy?
(Photo: body outline. Credit: Getty Images)
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Take some time for yourself with soothing classical music from the mindful mix, the Science of |
| 0:07.0 | Happiness Podcast. |
| 0:08.0 | For the last 20 years I've dedicated my career to exploring the science of living a happier more meaningful life and I want |
| 0:14.4 | to share that science with you. |
| 0:16.1 | And just one thing, deep calm with Michael Mosley. |
| 0:19.4 | I want to help you tap in to your hidden relaxation response system and open the door to that |
| 0:25.4 | calmer place within. Listen on BBC Sounds. |
| 0:29.7 | Okay, we've had a problem here. |
| 0:33.6 | I knew we were in deep trouble. |
| 0:36.0 | I literally got on my knees prayed. |
| 0:38.9 | Thirteen minutes to the moon, season two, coming soon. The home |
| 0:44.0 | season two. |
| 0:45.0 | What just happened? |
| 0:47.0 | What just happened? |
| 0:51.0 | What just kidnapped the mom to get her to safety? It still let me jump and I have no idea what's going on. |
| 1:01.0 | You're listening to crowd science from the BBC World Service, |
| 1:05.0 | where we answer science questions from all over the world. |
| 1:09.0 | I'm Marnie Jesterton. |
| 1:11.0 | That's producer Caroline and me, whispering, because we're in the back of a dark room |
| 1:16.0 | hoping to avoid annoyed glances from the roomful of Germans who like us have come |
| 1:21.3 | together to watch a crime drama that's been running for an incredible 50 years, |
| 1:26.3 | each episode investigating a murder. It's watched by millions every Sunday night, |
... |
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