Lawrence Film Another Coup for Secret Policeman Team

Tonight's BBC1 investigation into the Stephen Lawrence murder inquiry is another coup for the team behind the channel's Bafta-winning documentary The Secret Policeman.

The Boys Who Killed Stephen Lawrence set today's news agenda - making the front pages of the Sun, the Daily Mail and the Daily Mirror - with its allegations that the killers of the black teenager were shielded from conviction by police corruption.

Executive producer Simon Ford was inspired to make the documentary after meeting the murdered teenager's mother, Doreen Lawrence.

She was one of the first people to see The Secret Policeman, the 2003 investigation into racism among police recruits, one of whom was captured on film saying Lawrence deserved to die.

"We sat and watched it in the edit suite. It was one of the most disturbing and moving experiences of my life," said Mr Ford.

"I said at the time she was incredibly brave to give us permission to allow us to use the awful things said about Stephen by recruits in the programme. I said to her I promise you we will have another go at the Stephen murder itself.

"It is such a difficult one and it was tempting to think that everything had been said about it, but we have not dropped it. We said we were really going to throw some resources at it, and when we started talking to people there was a sense that there was still something new to be got."

The Lawrence investigation reunited Mr Ford with reporter Mark Daly, who whom he worked on The Secret Policeman, and alleges that one of the Lawrence inquiry's senior detectives had a corrupt relationship with Clifford Norris, father of one of the suspects, David Norris.

In the programme, a former officer, Neil Putnam, alleges that when he told his bosses that corruption had been a factor behind the botched murder inquiry, it was covered up. Det Sgt John Davidson, who is now retired, denies any claims of corruption.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission is to investigate the claims made in tonight's programme.

Mr Ford said the documentary was the result of 16 months' "good old-fashioned investigative journalism".

"We hammered every lead and looked at every single statement. It was close journalistic textual analysis, and we were able to do that because the BBC had given us the freedom and the space to do it."

"It is a big deal to be making this sort of accusation against a former policeman. A huge iceberg lies underneath it," said Mr Ford, whose other credits include Fighting the War, The Hunt for British Paedophiles and long-running documentary series Rough Justice.

"What we haven't got is the rearrest of suspects or a new witness who says they actually saw the wielding of the knife. Our job is to put the evidence in front of people and for the courts to follow it up. In this case the IPCC says they will follow it up."

The findings of the investigation led BBC1's 10pm news bulletin and Newsnight last night, and featured prominently on this morning's Radio 4 Today programme.

"I have been impressed that BBC News spotted the importance of the story to bring it to the maximum possible audience," Mr Ford said.

It has not always been that way, he added. "In the past it has been much more complicated." Mr Ford said.