The BBC has announced it is axing Crimewatch after 33 years.

Over those years the groundbreaking show , which saw the public help track criminals through reconstructions and a rogues gallery, has helped solve some of the country’s most notorious crimes.

But one case it has been unable to crack was the murder of its own host Jill Dando, who was gunned down on the steps of her home in Gowan Avenue, Fulham , on April 24 1999.

Latest crime headlines

Barry George, who lived nearby, was convicted of her murder, but it later emerged he was the victim of a miscarriage of justice and he was released from prison years later after his conviction was quashed.

In one of the most emotional episodes of the programme’s history, Nick Ross, who co-presented Crimewatch with Ms Dando, appealed for help in finding her killer.

Jill Dando was killed in 1999

The appeal aired in May 1999 and included interviews with her fiancé Alan Farthing and investigating officer DCI Hamish Campbell, as well as featuring eyewitness accounts and a reconstruction.

Speaking to the camera and dressed in black, Ross said: “This is a sombre and, for me, a surreal Crimewatch UK.

"For all of us here it can be gruelling coping with crimes against victims who are strangers.

"It’s been almost unbearable dealing with Jill’s death.

“Jill Dando was much more than a colleague. She was everyone’s friend."

Video Loading

”Crimewatch is poorer without her, but this programme was her passion," Ross added.

"And now, as Jill helped others, we hope we can do the same for her, for her family and for her fiancé, Alan.”

Mr George was wrongly handed a life sentence for her murder in 2001, before the conviction was quashed in 2007 and he was acquitted following a retrial in 2008.

Barry George
Barry George had his conviction squashed and was acquitted at a retrial

He has since gone on to urge police to capture the real killer .

The daytime series Crimewatch Roadshow will continue, the BBC said.

Keep up to date with the latest news in west London via the free getwestlondon app.

You can even set it to receive push notifications for all the breaking news in your area

Available to download from the App Store or Google Play for Android now.