White House Farm (TV series)
White House Farm is a British crime drama television miniseries based on the real-life events that took place in August 1985. The series was produced by New Pictures for ITV and distributed worldwide by All3Media. It was broadcast by ITV on 8 January 2020.[1][2]
White House Farm | |
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Genre | |
Written by |
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Directed by | Paul Whittington |
Starring | |
Country of origin | United Kingdom |
Original language(s) | English |
No. of episodes | 6 |
Production | |
Executive producer(s) |
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Producer(s) | Lee Thomas |
Production company(s) | New Pictures |
Distributor | All3Media |
Release | |
Original network | ITV Hub (United Kingdom) |
Original release | 8 January – 12 February 2020 |
External links | |
Production website |
Premise
The series is based on true events from August 6, 1985. Five members of the Bamber-Caffell family are shot to death at White House Farm, Essex. The police, lead by detectives DCI Taff Jones (Stephen Graham) and DS Stan Jones (Mark Addy), are called in to investigate.
When questioning family member Jeremy Bamber, he claims that one of them, Sheila, who was suffering from schizophrenia, went "beserk", got hold of a suppressed rifle and killed their grandparents and six-year old children. As the murder case unravels, a devastating twist comes to light.
Cast
- Stephen Graham as DCI Taff Jones
- Freddie Fox as Jeremy Bamber
- Cressida Bonas as Sheila Caffell
- Mark Addy as DS Stan Jones
- Gemma Whelan as Ann Eaton
- Mark Stanley as Colin Caffell
- Alexa Davies as Julie Mugford
- Alfie Allen as Brett Collins
- Amanda Burton as June Bamber
- Nicholas Farrell as Nevill Bamber
- Scott Reid as DC Mick Clark
Episodes
No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date [3] | U.K. viewers (millions) |
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1 | "Episode 1" | Paul Whittington | Kris Mrksa | 8 January 2020 | 7.99 |
2 | "Episode 2" | Paul Whittington | Kris Mrksa | 15 January 2020 | 7.89 |
3 | "Episode 3" | Paul Whittington | Giula Sandler | 22 January 2020 | 7.79 |
4 | "Episode 4" | Paul Whittington | Kris Mrksa | 29 January 2020 | 8.27 |
5 | "Episode 5" | Paul Whittington | Guila Sandler | 5 February 2020 | 8.20 |
6 | "Episode 6" | Paul Whittington | Kris Mrksa | 12 February 2020 | 8.67 |
Production
The series was first reported on in August 2018, when filming had begun. Stephen Graham, Freddie Fox and Cressida Bonas were announced as being cast. Mark Addy, Gemma Whelan, Mark Stanley, Alexa Davies, Alfie Allen, Amanda Burton and Nicholas Farrell will also star in the series.[4]
Reception
Stephen Graham's portrayal of Welsh detective "Taff" Jones drew some criticism, with a number of pundits, including Carolyn Hitt of WalesOnline, stating that his Welsh accent was inauthentic.[5] Some online commentators described the accent as the "worst screen accent since Dick Van Dyke".[5]
Foreign sales
In November 2019, HBO Max closed a deal to air the miniseries on their service in the United States.[6]
References
- "When is ITV drama White House Farm on TV? What's it about?".
- "WarnerMedia's HBO Max acquires UK crime drama from All3Media". TBI Vision. 2019-11-29. Retrieved 2020-02-22.
- "White House Farm – Listings". Next Episode. Retrieved January 28, 2020.
- Stephen Graham & Freddie Fox To Star In ITV Drama 'White House Farm' From 'Catherine The Great' Producer New Pictures
- Hitt, Carolyn (2020-01-11). "We need authentic Welsh voices - not English actors mangling our accents". walesonline. Retrieved 2020-01-12.
- HBO Max Takes U.S. Rights To Stephen Graham-Fronted ITV Crime Drama ‘White House Farm’