The psychology of Charles Manson, an American cult leader whose followers murdered seven people in their California homes over two nights in August 1969. Detectives, lawyers and psychiatrists analyse what prompted the crimes, and examine how Manson was able to persuade his acolytes to take the lives of innocent people.

A psychological profile of former nurse Beverly Allitt, who is currently serving 13 life sentences for murdering four children and injuring nine others at Grantham Hospital in Lincolnshire in 1991. Psychologists and criminology experts explore the possible motives for her crimes, examining her behaviour during childhood, when she was known to be an attention seeker. The apparently caring nurse Beverely Allitt had only just joined the staff of Children's Ward 4 of Grantham Hospital when a substantial rise in young patient deaths began occurring. At first, no one could explain why children, some as young as six months, were arriving on the ward with only minor health problems, but leaving only days later dead. A shocked and seemingly uncomprehending public would eventually be informed the culprit was actually the very person who was meant to be caring for the children. During her 59 day stint as a nurse, 23-year-old Beverly Allitt, nicknamed The Angel of Death, attacked thirteen children, killing four. From a very early age, Allitt was known to be an attention seeker. Was her desire to be the centre of attention really the reason why she attacked such innocent children or was something far more psychologically disturbing the cause for this evil?

A profile of infamous serial killer Colin Ireland, who lured five gay men to their deaths and taunted the press and police as he heightened the intensity of each murder.

Hollywood has always had a dark side, but Kenneth Bianchi and Angelo Buono were perhaps its darkest. Serial killers usually work alone - Bianchi and Buono would defy all the rules. In the late 1970s, these 'killing cousins' would commit a series of brazen murders that leave the women of Los Angeles terrified to walk the streets. Their murders plumbed the depths of depravity, and their cold-heartedness and forensic awareness left detectives angry and frustrated. On his capture, Kenneth Bianchi would make an audacious attempt to convince the world he had multiple personalities and was not responsible for the murders. Bianchi and Buono would kidnap, rape, torture, and snuff out the lives of 12 innocent young girls, but what had led to this extraordinary collaboration in killing.

The psychology of Herbert William Mullin who murdered 13 people in southern California in the early 1970s but claimed his victims were sacrificed to save the lives of others. The programme explores how investigators brought an end to his crimes and experts discuss what might have driven him to kill. There is also an interview with Mullin himself. Last in the series., Serial Killing Saviour: Born to Kill. To Kill? Series profiling infamous serial killers. Was the heinous serial killer Herbert William Mullin driven by nature or nurture? Featuring a unique interview with the murderer himself.

Wichita, Kansas is in the Midwest, right in the Bible belt of America. This normally peaceful place was rocked to the core in 1974 when the city discovered they had a killer in their midst. A family of four were brutally slain in their home, and this was to prove the start of a vicious killing spree that terrorised the community for 30 years. Dennis Rader was a church deacon, Scout leader and a local family man. He was also a monster who murdered 10 people in cold blood. Through his own extraordinary testimony we uncover in intimate and chilling detail how this pillar of the community led a double life as a heinous sexual sadist and serial killer. Rader's childhood seemed completely normal, so what was it that drove him to such depths of depravity? Was Dennis Rader born to kill?

In the mid-1970s, the 'Black Panther' committed a string of burglaries, armed robberies and murders in north-east England.

In California in 1970, a doctor and his young family were executed and dumped in the swimming pool of their hilltop home. The killer believed that he was on a mission from God.

Cary Stayner was arrested following the disappearance of a group of female walkers who went missing in Yosemite National Park in 1999.

Patrick Mackay is a British serial killer who confessed to murdering eleven people in England in the mid 1970s. As a child, Mackay was frequently a victim of physical abuse at the hands of his violent, alcoholic father Harold. When Mackay was ten, Harold died from complications of alcoholism and a weak heart. His final words to his son were "remember to be good". Patrick was said to be unable to come to terms with the loss, telling people Harold was still alive and keeping a photograph of his father on his person. Later in his youth, he suffered from extreme tantrums and fits of anger, indulged in animal cruelty and arson, bullied younger children, stole from elderly women's homes and people in the street, and even attempted to kill his mother and aunt. He also attempted to kill a younger boy, and later said he'd have succeeded had he not been restrained, and attempted to set fire to a Catholic church. Because of such incidents, he spent his teenage years in and out of mental homes and institutions. At 15, he was diagnosed as a psychopath by a psychiatrist, Dr Leonard Carr. Carr predicted Mackay would grow up into a "cold, psychopathic killer". He lived in London and was frequently drunk or on drugs. In 1973, near his mother's home in Kent, he met and was befriended by Father Anthony Crean, a priest. Regardless, Mackay broke into Crean's home and stole a cheque. Arrested and prosecuted by the police, he was ordered to pay the fine back but never did. The incident caused a rift between the two and Mackay returned to London.It was around this time that Mackay said that he had drowned a tramp in the River Thames. On March 21, 1975, then aged 22, Mackay used an axe to kill Father Crean, hacking through the victim's skull and watching him bleed to death. He was swiftly arrested and was soon considered by police to be a suspect in at least a dozen other killings over the previous two years.

In 1979 a violent crime spree rocked the town of Richmond, Virginia. The discovery of a triple murder led police to a local gang of brothers.

When eccentric Hadden Clark was arrested for the murder of a young girl in Maryland, he claimed he was responsible for many others too.