MURDER TRIAL: DEATH OF A DOG WALKER
11 August 2026
MURDER TRIAL: DEATH OF A DOG WALKER
In 2024, the body of 65-year-old groundsman Brian Low was discovered on a country track in rural Aberfeldy, his beloved black labrador Millie by his side. Police assumed that Brian has suffered a medical episode, but six days later, the post-mortem revealed the shocking truth - Brian had been shot dead. Two years later, his former colleague and gamekeeper on the estate where he worked, David Campbell, now stands trial for his murder.
With the site of the murder exposed to the elements for days, police were unable to forensically link anyone to the deceased. The prosecution builds a case against the accused around smaller, individual strands of circumstantial evidence while working to convince the jury that he is guilty beyond reasonable doubt.
Murder Trial and its sister series Murder Case more than earn their keep on whatever channel they appear. In its assured handling of a long and difficult investigation and a complex trial, this latest two-part documentary from the Glasgow-based Firecrest Films team shows the formula at its best.... It is in the courtroom that Murder Trial comes into its own. Scotland has led the way in the UK in allowing cameras into court, and the series is a powerful reminder of the value of seeing justice at work. You will never read or hear reports of court proceedings in quite the same way after watching Murder Trial.
The Herald
The chief suspect was a retired gamekeeper named David Campbell, a man with scowling eyebrows and a five o'clock shadow whose behaviour in the dock was unlikely to do him any favours with the jury — rolling his eyes, smirking and, at one point, snapping at the prosecutor to 'stop calling me a liar'. Scottish law allows trials to be filmed, but the pictures are usually as flat and lifeless as CCTV. This was different — real wizardry was done in the editing room, rendering the courtroom footage tense with drama. At one moment, with the camera behind an expert witness as he gave evidence, we saw Campbell framed through the man's spectacles. That's a shot any Hollywood cinematographer would be proud of.
Daily Mail
Courtroom documentaries are rarely like the melodramatic court scenes that we see in TV dramas. Invariably they are more gripping — pieces of true crime theatre. Murder Trial: Death of a Dog Walker (BBC2) was no exception... The moment when the jury came back and delivered their verdict (and we’ll allow the second part to reveal this to those who don’t know it) packed more suspense than any potboiler. There were no shouts in court, no outbursts of anger, just an old man shuffling off, and it was more powerful than any stage play.
The Times
Pick of the Day
The Guardian, The Sun, The Observer, Daily Telegraph
Critic's Choice
Sunday Times, The i
Best new documentary... a series that digs deep into the investigations and follows every twist and turn in court
Daily Mail
Pick of the week
The Times
