Here are 10 good reasons why the babe factor plays a big part in solving crimes, writes David Campbell.

What is it about women and crime that kept blokes glued to their TV sets night after night watching the many American whodunits that dominated our screens (and our most-watched lists) during 2004?

A shapely lab coat looming over a blood-spattered corpse? A cotton bud in feminine fingers seeking a DNA sample from a tattooed tough? A large gun gripped by an attractive but steely-eyed blonde?

In truth, probably all of the above and much, much more. In our own spirit of scientific investigation, here, in reverse order, are the top 10 most-watchable crime-busting women from the past year.

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At No. 5 is the hauntingly wistful Jorja Fox as investigator Sara Sidle in CSI. Nobody handles a forensic clue as deftly as Sara, nor does anyone manage that puzzled-but-hurt look quite as effectively. Poor Sara not only has to deal with baffling murders, she has to cope with the infuriatingly brusque non-attention of William Petersen as senior forensics officer Gil “Married to the Job” Grissom.

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So there they are: ratings for the top 10. Not that this represents my opinion, of course. I’ve compiled the list by listening to the comments of other blokes. You see, I watch these shows exclusively for the brilliance of the scripts and the quality of the acting.