TV & Film
ITV’s new drama about the ‘worst serial killer Wales has ever seen’ starts tonight
“Two unsolved double murders from the 1980s cast a shadow over the work of the Dyfed Powys police force”
The Pembrokeshire Murders starring Luke Evans starts on ITV tonight and it promises to be your next favourite series.
Airing over Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday this week, The Pembrokeshire Murders follows Welsh actor Luke Evans as Senior Investigating Officer, Steve Wilkins as he reopens two unsolved double murders in Wales.
The synopsis reads: “Two unsolved double murders from the 1980s cast a shadow over the work of the Dyfed Powys police force. In 2006, newly promoted Detective Superintendent Steve Wilkins decided to reopen both cases,
“Employing pioneering forensic methods, Wilkins and his handpicked team found microscopic DNA and fibres that potentially linked the murders to a string of burglaries committed in the 80s and 90s.
“The perpetrator of those robberies was nearing the end of his prison sentence, but if Steve Wilkins was right, he was also a serial killer… Could Steve and his team find enough forensic evidence to charge their suspect before he was released to potentially kill again?”
Keith Allen plays John Cooper, the Welsh serial killer who was given life in 2011 for the 1985 double murder of siblings Richard and Helen Thomas and the 1989 double murder of Peter and Gwenda Dixon.
The true story gained significant media attention at the time when it was discovered that John had appeared on Bullseye in 1989, a factor which later became a crucial element in his identification.
Speaking about the show, Luke Evans admitted he was hooked from the start: “The story hooked me immediately. I mean, also, I’m a sucker for a true story and this isn’t just a true story, it’s a shocking, true story about the worst serial killer that Wales has ever seen.
“I got to use my own Welsh accent for the first time in many, many, many years and it was a great experience all around.”
He continued: “These stories do feel like they can’t be true, they can’t be real. But this one has so many twists and turns and it almost feels many, many times during the story that the whole thing is going to go cold once again, because the forensic evidence is so minimal and the budgets were running out and people were losing faith.”
The Pembrokeshire Murders airs tonight (Monday 11th January) at 9pm on ITV.