Rillington Place
| Rillington Place | |
|---|---|
| Genre |
Biographical crime drama |
| Directed by | Craig Viveiros |
| Starring |
Tim Roth Samantha Morton Nico Mirallegro Jodie Comer |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of series | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 3 |
| Production | |
| Production location(s) |
London, England Glasgow, Scotland Paisley, Scotland Dumbarton, Scotland |
| Running time | 58 minutes |
| Production company(s) |
BBC Bandit Television |
| Distributor | BBC |
| Release | |
| Original network | BBC One |
| Picture format | 16:9 1080i |
| Audio format | Stereo |
| Original release | 29 November – 13 December 2016 |
Rillington Place is a three-part biographical crime drama about the case of serial killer John Christie, and the wrongful execution of Timothy Evans. It premiered on 29 November 2016 on BBC One.[1]
Premise
The miniseries revolves around the home life of John Christie[1] and his wife Ethel as he commits a string of murders during the 1940s and early 1950s. The three episodes each tell the story as seen by the three main characters: Ethel, Timothy Evans and John Christie. Episode 1 is called Ethel. Episode 2 is called Tim. Episode 3 is called Reg.
Cast
- Tim Roth as John Christie
- Samantha Morton as Ethel Christie
- Nico Mirallegro as Timothy Evans
- Jodie Comer as Beryl Evans
- Eiry Thomas as Mrs Probert
- Gilly Glichrist as Detecive Chief Inspector
- Sandy Welch as Christmas Humphries
- Justin Salinger as Malcolm Morris
- William Hoyland as Mr Justice Lewis
- Timothy Bentick as Dr Odess
- Christopher Hathenrall as Harry
- Sonya Cassidy as Janice
- Lisa Ellis as Mrs Dawes
- Sagar Arya as Dr Petit
- Erin Armstrong as Hectorina
- Toby Wharton as Alex
- Hellen Mallon as Rita
- Bryan Parry as PC Everly
- Connor McCarry as PC Ledger
- John Hodgkinson as DCI Griffin
- Robert Whitelock as Prison warden
- Richard Addison as Judge
- John Paul Hurley as Pierrepoint
Broadcast and reception
On 29 November 2016, the first episode premiered on BBC One, to largely positive reviews from critics, who applauded the performances and the storytelling.[2] However, it also attracted mixed reactions from some viewers who complained about the "mumbling" and the "inaudible dialogue" of the actors.[3]
Following the second episode on 6 December, Sarah Doran of RadioTimes.com noted that several viewers had been confused by Mirallegro's use of two different accents while portraying Evans, as the actor switched between Cockney and Welsh accents.[4] However, writers Ed Whitmore and Tracey Malon told the website this had been deliberate, since it was a trait adopted by Evans himself in an attempt to fit into his surroundings: "Tim moved to London from Wales around the age of eleven, his half-sister told us he was very keen to fit in and soon adopted a London 'barrow-boy' accent, but that he could slip back into his childhood accent when around members of his Welsh family. Nico [Mirallegro] wanted to reflect Tim's malleability and that desire to fit in by using different accents according to who he was talking to."[5]
Internationally, the series premiered on BBC First on 8 February 2017.[6]
References
- 1 2 Dickson, E Jane. "Rillington Place actor Tim Roth on playing serial killer John Christie: II think it was too disturbing for some at the BBC'". Radio Times. Retrieved 29 November 2016.
- ↑ "Viewers moan about 'mumbling' in serial killer drama Rillington Place".
- ↑ Metro.co.uk, Amy Duncan for (30 November 2016). "Rillington Place gets rave reviews despite Tim Roth's 'mumbling'".
- ↑ Doran, Sarah (6 December 2016). "Timothy Evans' Rillington Place accent confuses viewers — but there's an explanation for the Cockney and Welsh switch". Ratio Times. Retrieved 9 December 2016.
- ↑ Harrison, Ellie (6 December 2016). "Why does Tim Evans' accent keep changing from cockney to Welsh in Rillington Place? And why did he confess?". Radio Times. Retrieved 9 December 2016.
- ↑ Purcell, Charles (2 February 2017). "New This Week (Feb 6): Legion, Nashville, Black Sails, Big Cat Week, Super Bowl and live sport". The Green Room. Foxtel. Retrieved 3 February 2017.