ITV's planned Fred and Rosemary West drama upsets victims' families
By Liz Thomas
Last updated at 9:32 PM on 17th January 2011ITV is facing fresh controversy after it unveiled plans to make a new drama about notorious serial killers Fred and Rosemary West.
It is the first time the couple’s horrific sexual assault and murders of a string of young women - including his own daughter - will be dramatised for television.
But the broadcaster insisted that it would be handling the story ‘sensitively’ and focusing on how they were brought to justice.
Dominic West (left) will play Fred West (right) in the ITV drama. It is the first time the serial killer's sexual assault and murders have been dramatised for television
Appropriate Adult will document the time between the West’s arrests in 1994 and his suicide on New Year’s Day 1995 and how he confided in voluntary worker Janet Leach.
She took the role of an ‘appropriate adult’ – people appointed to sit in on police interviews with children or vulnerable adults – during his interrogation.
The Wire star Dominic West will play Fred, Monica Dolan will take the role of Rose, and Gosford Park actress Emily Watson will star as Miss Leach.
Both the West family and relatives of the victims admitted they were ‘concerned’ the programme would drag up ‘terrible’ memories but ITV insisted that there would be no reconstruction of or flashbacks to the period of the murders.
Monica Dolan (left) will play Rose West (right) in Appropriate Adult. Fred West committed suicide in 1995. Rose is still in prison
Peter Bastholm whose sister Mary is believed to have been killed by Fred West in 1968 said: ‘I am worried about how they will do it but they say it will be done sensitively.
‘I would rather things were not dragged up but a lot of time has passed and if there is an opportunity to tell the truth, to tell the story properly, then maybe people should know about it. ’
Executive producer Jeff Pope said: ‘Our intention is to produce a sober and thought provoking drama based on a true story.
‘We have developed the script over the past three years and it provides a unique insight into the police investigation which led to the conviction of Fred and Rose West and the crucial role Janet Leach played as the “appropriate adult”,’ he added.
ITV has worked with the Gloucestershire Police since the scripts were first commissioned for the drama four years ago.
A spokesman confirmed it had provided advice for the drama and acted as an intermediary between producers and some of the victim’s families about the programme.
Emily Watson will star in the drama as 'appropriate adult' Janet Leach
He added: 'We are assured that the producers are sensitive to the continued distress experienced by those who were both directly and indirectly affected by the horrific crimes committed by the Wests.’
Fred committed suicide while on remand in Birmingham’s Winson Green prison charged with 12 murders, including those of his first wife Catherine Costello, their daughter Charmaine, and the cousin of novelist Martin Amis, Lucy Partington.
Rose was convicted of 10 murders at Winchester Crown Court in November 1995 and is serving life in Holloway prison in north London and is set to remain in prison until she dies.
Her brother Andrew Letts told the Daily Mail: ‘Anything that brings up those awful events is awful. We are all trying to get past everything and no one wants to be reminded of what happened. The way I cope is to block it out.’
It is the third drama ITV – and the same in house production team – has made about the most notorious murder cases in Britain during the mid to late 20th Century.
The broadcaster was criticised by families of Myra Hindley’s victims after it broadcast a television film about the case entitled See No Evil: The Moors Murders.
But the production which starred Maxine Peake was also nominated for a Bafta, and the broadcaster also aired This is Personal: The Hunt for the Yorkshire Ripper.
Mrs Leach, from Cheltenham, sat in on more than 40 interviews over many months and listened to “the most harrowing and horrifying details” of West’s crimes.
She even went with West to his 25 Cromwell Street address, where many of his and his wife’s victims had been tortured, killed, dismembered and buried.
She was also taken to a field where the remains of one of the victims had been buried.
They formed such a close bond that he refused to speak when an another ‘appropriate adult’ was asked to sit on interviews because Mrs Leach was unavailable.
She later sued the police after claiming she suffered post traumatic stress disorder because of the case.
Multiple murders: Fred and Rose's victims included their daughter Heather (left) and Charmaine Costello (right), Fred's daughter from his first marriage
Meanwhile, the brother of one of Fred West's suspected victims has questioned why a programme about the multiple murderer is to be made now.
Peter Bastholm, 66, is brother of Mary Bastholm, who disappeared without trace from a bus stop in Gloucester, on January 5, 1968.
The 15-year-old waitress had been going to meet her boyfriend to spend the evening playing Monopoly.
Police have always believed she was likely to have been a victim of Fred West. And West’s son Stephen later claimed that his dad had claimed responsibility for the killing before he committed suicide in 1995.
Bastholm, from Hucclecote, Gloucestershire, confirmed ITV had contacted him over the dramatisation of the West killings.
The house of horrors: Fred and Rose lived at 25 Cromwell Street in Gloucester, although the house has since been demolished
The pensioner, who lives with wife Denise, also 66, said: ‘They phoned me a couple of days ago and said they would be making a programme about Fred West.
‘They said it would be screened around September time but did not say when it would be filmed.
‘I don't really have a problem with a programme being made although I'm not sure where they have got their timings from.
‘I just don't know why they have decided to make it now.
‘We don't want to be involved with the programme - we would rather let them get on with it. We probably will watch it.
‘The pain of losing Mary never goes away. Her memory is very much alive in our family,’ he added.
Explore more:
- People:
- Myra Hindley,
- Martin Amis,
- Rose West,
- Emily Watson
- Places:
- London,
- Birmingham
Add your commentsComments (53)
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They might as well go the whole hog and glorify Sutcliffe,Brady,Hindley and Huntley and damn the poor victims of those evil murderers.Whoever gave the go ahead to make this needs locking up with the very same people they are glorifying.I will not be watching this ITV drivel.
- Anon, UK, 17/1/2011 22:15
This should not be done, its just wrong. Sick. - Amanda, Kent, 17/1/2011 21:34 Things like this are done all the time, you will be surprised how many people will watch this, some people don't know what went on and watch it for this, just like programmes on jack the ripper and the yorkshire ripper, for a long time people have been engrossed by real life crime and murderers, what is the difference between this and a film like the Atlantic child murders back in the late 70's which over 20 children and young adults were murdered, this was turned into a mini series in the 80's and something was screaned about 6 months ago like a bigraphy or something simillar. Not for me personally but it will get viewers believe me.
- Daveyboy-uk, cannock, 17/1/2011 22:14
Who wants to watch this kind of trashy, made for profit show on television. NOT ME! No wonder we have more and more murders and horrific behaviour by people, when the media moguls turn this kind of horrific action into a sanitized profit machine. Don't watch it, let them lose a pile of money on it!
- Susan, London UK, 17/1/2011 22:13
Ahh, lovely. Entertainment for the whoile family once again. And it doesn't place the seeds of violence in anyone.
- Mr Veri Gullible, Dumb Down Valley, UK, 17/1/2011 22:07
Recent history, what is the problem?
- Robert Hitchcock, Currently in the Kingdom of Ting-Tong with an American King, and British PM!, 17/1/2011 22:07
This is exploitation at its worst. There should be some sort of Ombudsman to whom relatives can appeal in cases like this because it will be horrific for the poor families. How low can TV companies go in the name of 'entertainment.' Disgraceful.
- Suzanne Stokes, Wokingham, Berks, 17/1/2011 22:07
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Monday 17 January 2011
ITV's planned Fred and Rose West drama upsets victims' families | Mail Online
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