AN Ealing lecturer who uncovers facts behind the unexplained deaths of drug lords and Hollywood stars has taken his talents to the screen in a crime drama series airing this week.

It stars the Unversity of West London’s forensic science lecturer Dr Brian Hook.

The Curious Life and Death of… uses modern investigative techniques to shed new light on a series of famously unexplained or high-profile deaths.  

Dr Hook explores the lives and deaths of drug lord Pablo Escobar, Hollywood starlet Brittany Murphy, magician Harry Houdini and Rolling Stone Brian Jones.

As well as performing virtual autopsies, experimenting with blood samples and interviewing witnesses to reconstruct events, the team compares forensic techniques from then and now. 

Brian, who spent 30 years with the Met Police, also served as a forensic crime scene manager before taking up a teaching position at UWL in 2006. 

Speaking about his latest on-screen project, he said: “We show just how far techniques have come and hope to inspire a new generation to take an interest in the processes and the impact this sort of work can have in criminal investigations.”