'Murder' at the BBC means a call to 999

The week-long series, which was aired on BBC Two until Friday (March 7), challenges six celebrities to learn the rules of writing a block-buster crime novel under the expert tuition of best-selling author Minette Walters - with the least impressive wannabe author being 'bumped off' at the end of each show.

Filmed in February, the show involves 'Strictly Come Dancing' star Brendan Cole, actress and presenter Sherrie Hewson, former tabloid editor Kelvin McKenzie, 'Rogue Traders' presenter Matt Allwright, 'Cutting It' star Angela Griffin and celebrity gardener Diarmuid Gavin experiencing life on the front line of murder detection; from training with the police and pathologists to meeting real life criminals and victims. Each celebrity was tasked with using what they learned in their training to complete daily writing assignments from which the overall winner, chosen by a judging panel of literary experts, will have their own crime fiction novel published as part of the Quick Reads series on World Book Day 2009.

In addition, the two celebrity finalists - Matt Allwright and Sherrie Hewson, who will go head-to-head in Friday's final showdown - were given an insight into creative design and spent the day working with the team at 999's London office where they received hands-on training in designing and producing their respective book jackets. Aileen Geraghty, managing director of 999 London, said: "We have worked with the BBC on a number of projects over the years and we were only too happy to be involved in Murder Most Famous, which provided the opportunity to demonstrate our creative skills and highlight the importance of good design to the celebrity finalists and the wider viewing public.

"Our remit was to design the book jackets for the finalists with the filming taking place in our office, which meant brainstorming with the celebrities off camera before working with them independently and sitting together at our computers to come up with and implement their ideas. We were delighted with the feedback that we received and we think whichever book is chosen by the judges will prove a worthy winner."

Liz English of BBC Learning said: "The enthusiasm and creativity that 999 Design has shown towards this project has been exceptional. Their challenge was to work with our celebrity finalists, none of whom had any design experience, and create two separate but equally visually engaging book jackets that, in the first instance, will capture the attention of the judges and, following publication, future readers. "The BBC has an excellent working relationship with 999 and their understanding of our brief from the outset ensured that they again produced fantastic work."