Game Show Serial Killer: Police Tapes - ITV

Game Show Serial Killer: Police Tapes
(Image credit: ITV)

Susanna Reid hears the police recordings made during the search for serial killer John Cooper, who took part in TV show Bullseye in 1989

In December 1985, brother and sister Richard and Helen Thomas were shot in the head and their farmhouse was burnt down around them.

Four years later the same unknown killer struck again, tying up holidaymakers Peter and Gwen Dixon, robbing them on a Pembrokeshire coastal lane and then shooting them, again in the head.

Unluckily for John Cooper (pictured above), three weeks before that murder he’d appeared on TV gameshow Bullseye, then one of Sunday evening’s most popular shows. Even more unluckily, he looked almost the spit of an artist’s impression of the killer – who had been seen using the Dixons' cash card.

Game Show Serial Killer: Police Tapes - ITV

John Cooper appears on Bullseye and matches an artist's impression of the murder suspect

‘I’d never seen a match as close as this’, said DCS Wilkins, who was assigned to the investigation.

Presenter Susanna Reid investigates the bizarre case of the killer caught by teatime TV.

TV Times ratings: ****

Mandy Cooper
TV Times Highlights Editor

As TV Times Highlights Editor I get to hear about all the latest TV shows coming soon. Here at TVT HQ we are in the privileged position of selecting the best programmes from across all the channels and streaming platforms. Our mission is to make it easier for our readers to decide what to watch - and give them lots of choice of genres - all the latest shows, plus some nostalgic choices we call hidden gems, too. My career began with a postgraduate degree in periodical journalism (ahem, yes old school!) in 1991 and I’ve worked in TV media since 2000.