They’re among the most popular fictional heroes ever created and a staple of our TV viewing for over 50 years. In our crime-obsessed culture, the British love for TV detectives shows no sign of waning. But who is Britain’s favourite? Channel 4 has commissioned a new nationwide poll to find out. In this one-off programme we’ll tell the story of how these cult creations came to dominate our screens and what it is about these crime-fighting characters we love so much. Featuring contributions from a host of creatives, actors, writers, critics and pundits, we’ll be opening the case files on all types of cop show from Columbo to No Offence …. And many more in between. As we go through the decades we’ll unveil who is our favourite good cop, American, maverick, female, duo and non-police detective … before we unveil the overall winner