BBC Orders Factual Drama ‘Steeltown Murders’ Starring Philip Glenister & Steffan Rhodri
The BBC has ordered ‘Steeltown Murders‘ (working title). a new factual drama starring Philip Glenister and Steffan Rhodri set in the 70s and 00s about the repercussions of an unsolved serial murder case.
The four-part series is written by Ed Whitmore (‘Manhunt’, ‘Safe House’) and made by Severn Screen (‘The Pembrokeshire Murders’, ‘Hidden/Craith’) for the BBC in association with All3Media International. Marc Evans (‘The Pembrokeshire Murders’, ‘Hinterland’) directs.
Set in both 1973 and the early 2000s, the drama centres on the hunt to catch the killer of three young women in the Port Talbot area and the remarkable story of how – in the first case of its kind – the mystery was solved almost 30 years later using pioneering DNA evidence.
Contrasting the policing methods of the 1970s with the forensic breakthroughs of the early Noughties, ‘Steeltown Murders’ (w/t) is a portrait of a town dealing with the repercussions of an unsolved case three decades on, and asks if justice can ever truly be found.
Philip Glenister (‘Life On Mars’, ‘State Of Play’) and Steffan Rhodri (‘In My Skin’, ‘Gavin & Stacey’) lead the cast as DCI Paul Bethell and Phil ‘Bach’ Rees, with their younger selves played by Scott Arthur (‘Good Omens’, ‘Borg McEnroe’) and Siôn Alun Davies (‘The Sandman’, ‘Hidden’) respectively.
“Ed’s scripts are a poignant and compelling read, balancing the tragic events alongside the revolutionary advances in DNA profiling which were crucial in this case and many others since. I’m also very happy to be part of a production filmed in south Wales where I have my own family connections,” commented Glenister.
Rhodri adds “I’m honoured to be teaming up with Marc Evans again to work on this moving new drama. It’s a harrowing story set in the community where I grew up, and the dedication and innovation shown by those who finally cracked the case make it a fascinating venture for me.”
The drama also stars Keith Allen (‘The Pembrokeshire Murders’, ‘Marcella’), Priyanga Burford (‘Industry’, ‘No Time To Die’), Sharon Morgan (‘Yr Amgueddfa’, ‘Gangs Of London’), Nia Roberts (‘Red Rose’, ‘Yr Amgueddfa’), Elinor Crawley (‘Vikings’, ‘Ordinary Lies’), Gareth John Bale (’35 Awr’, ‘Y Pris’), Kriss Dosanjh (‘The Larkins’, ‘Casualty’), Matthew Gravelle (‘Silent Witness’, ‘Broadchurch’), Amy Morgan (‘Mr Selfridge’, ‘Showtrial’), Dyfan Dwyfor (‘A Very English Scandal’, ‘Bang’), and more.
“We are hugely grateful to the BBC, All3Media International and Creative Wales for their support on the project,” said Executive Producer Ed Talfan of Severn Screen. “We are thrilled to be collaborating with Ed Whitmore and Marc Evans, and look forward to delivering a compelling and compassionate drama. The most important aspect of this project is remembering that the events of 1973 are still fresh in the minds of many people. Ed Whitmore and Marc Evans have worked on a number of challenging fact-based dramas and are working closely with our incredible cast and crew to bring this true story to the screen.”
Produced by Severn Screen for the BBC, ‘Steeltown Murders’ is written by Ed Whitmore and directed by Marc Evans, with Hannah Thomas (‘Hidden’, ‘I Am Not a Witch’) serving as producer in association with All3Media International. Executive producers are Ed Talfan, Jon Hill and Ed Whitmore for Severn Screen, and Rebecca Ferguson and Helen Perry for the BBC. All3Media International will distribute the series internationally, additional funding support has been provided by Welsh Government via Creative Wales.
‘Steeltown Murders‘ (working title) does not yet have a premiere date, but will air on BBC One and iPlayer in 2023. If you want to keep track of this or any other show, you can add it via our Never Miss system, and you’ll be notified when it gets a UK premiere date.
