Firecrest secures court access for BBC’s ‘Murder Trial’ series exploring Brenda Page killing

Brenda Page (Source: Firecrest, Kirsty Macfarlane)

The BBC has commissioned a third instalment of its Murder Trial series with a new show exploring the murder of Brenda Page in Scotland.

Firecrest Films is again producing for BBC Scotland and BBC Factual, with Jack Warrender attached as producer and director, alongside exec producers Iain Scollay and Vari Innes.

The series, which is due to air on BBC iPlayer, BBC Scotland and BBC Two later this month, tracks the murder of Dr. Brenda Page in 1978, who was then a 32-year-old leading scientist at Aberdeen University.

Now, four decades later, her 80-year-old ex-husband Christopher ‘Kit’ Harrisson is finally standing trial, accused of her killing, with Firecrest permitted access to shoot from inside the High Court Aberdeen during proceedings.

Vari Innes, executive producer at Firecrest Films, said: “It’s a privilege to have been granted access to film in the Aberdeen High Court for this high-profile trial. A huge thanks to Brenda’s family and the legal teams for sharing their time around this challenging case, allowing us to highlight the importance of justice and conversations around domestic abuse.”

Emma Loach, commissioning editor for BBC Documentaries, added: “The last two series of Murder Trial have been utterly gripping and I’m delighted it is back with another case. This time the team at Firecrest are bringing us remarkable access to a challenging and high profile trial that takes us right to the heart of justice in action as well as raising important issues around abusive relationships.”

The show follows Firecrest’s Murder Trial: The Disappearance Of Renee And Andrew MacRae, which aired this year, and Murder Trial: The Disappearance Of Margaret Fleming, which debuted in 2020.

The latest instalment was commissioned by David Harron for BBC Scotland and by Loach and David Hodgkinson for BBC Factual.