Two lives change in a heartbeat after a single punch fells a man outside a nightclub. The blow kills the victim and the police arrest the attacker. Cameras follow every twist and turn as police from the Major Crime Unit try to disentangle what really happened. Was the punch an unjustified and aggressive assault on an innocent man or an act of self defence with tragic consequences? This is real life drama at its most intense. 24 Hours in Police Custody, the critically acclaimed documentary series that follows the work of Bedfordshire Police around the clock, has returned with a new approach to their investigations into major crimes. Cameras follow each case in forensic detail as the officers race against time to disentangle the evidence and build a case, which they then put to their suspects in interview.

When does a row at home become a case of domestic violence? That's the tricky question the police face as they are called to intervene in the many domestic dramas that happen night and day behind closed doors in Bedfordshire. The force has seen a surge in the number of incidents of domestic abuse being reported to them, to over 200 a week. Domestic violence crimes have been given a high priority and the police have new powers to charge suspects, so they have their work cut out navigating very personal situations. The stakes are high; although many couples decide to make up, officers are all too aware of the tragic statistic that on average two women every week are killed at the hands of their partners. These issues around domestic abuse are often covered in television drama but for the police and the victims this is no drama; it's real life.