Five Daughters
Encyclopedia
Five Daughters is a British television drama mini-series starring Ian Hart
, Sarah Lancashire
, Jaime Winstone and Juliet Aubrey
. Set in 2006, it is about the five victims of the Ipswich serial murders and how the crime affected their families. It was written by Stephen Butchard and shown on BBC One
in three one-hour episodes from 25 to 27 April 2010
.
Press Office announced on 29 August 2009 that it had commissioned a three-part drama which would portray the events surrounding the 2006 Ipswich murders, and that it would be written by Stephen Butchard, whose credits included the 2008 mini-series House of Saddam
. Speaking about the drama, Butchard said; "Our hope is that this drama provides a glimpse of the real girls their families knew, and also leads to further debate on the impact of drugs and sex industries upon every town, every city in this country... and what action is, or isn't, being taken."
With the advice of police liaison officers, BBC drama producers approached the families of the five victims of Steve Wright
with a view to producing a drama about the case, and eventually secured the support of three of the families for the film. Stephen Butchard travelled to Ipswich
as part of his research, speaking to police, members of a local drug rehabilitation charity and the families of the victims in an attempt to piece together the final days of the five women who were Wright's victims.
Filming began in November 2009, and the series was broadcast on BBC One from 25 to 27 April 2010. Only a few days after the BBC's announcement of the drama, Brian Clennell, the father of one of the victims, Paula Clennell, expressed fears that it would portray the victims in "a bad light". Wright's brother David complained that it would jeopardise any future retrial.
It was directed by Philippa Lowthorpe whose previous credits include The Other Boleyn Girl
.
This episode focuses on Anneli Alderton, her mother and brother, while also introducing the other women and their families in the weeks leading up to their disappearances and deaths.
The discovery of two bodies in quick succession brings fear and panic to the streets of Ipswich.
Two bodies, thought to be those of Annette Nicholls and Paula Clenell, are discovered. This episode focuses on how their families coped with the unfolding tragedies and learn how, seventeen days after the discovery of the first victim, the police
finally closed the net on the murderer.
wrote; "This was well acted and sensitively told, but very hard to watch." A television review in The Guardian
said of the drama; "The three-part serial about the 2006 Ipswich killings was uncomfortable, emotional – and free of cop-show cliche", and that "Five Daughters was a masterclass in how to dramatise a recent news event." Tom Sutcliffe
of The Independent
said; "There's an established rhetoric for a crime like this in television drama and Five Daughters employed it – the sodium glare of street lights bouncing off wet tarmac, a car cruising like a shark down a rainy street, the camera tight on a pair of high heels teetering towards something dreadful. But what Butchard restored was all the moments when these women were something other than just the next victim."
The serial won particular praise for choosing to tell the story from the point of view of the victims and their families rather than from a police perspective. Typical of the comments comes from the Guardian, which said; "This haunting fact – that the women whose stories were now being told, for all the wrong reasons, would not be saved by a sudden police intervention – lay right at the heart of Five Daughters. This was not your usual police procedural, but the antithesis to it: a story about a serial killer where the drama came courtesy of the victims and their families, instead of the police and their investigation. There's an interesting contrast to be made between Five Days, the recent BBC drama broadcast in a strip of hour-long episodes that focused on police, and Five Daughters, where the detectives plodded and obeyed procedure and got lucky with some DNA." Andrea Mullaney, meanwhile, said "It's not just an interesting twist, of course" [...] "But it's also about redressing the wrong done to these victims, whose deaths meant that their lives were boiled down to the aspect they had in common, and which put them at risk: they worked as prostitutes and were, or had been, drug users."
Ian Hart
Ian Hart is an English stage, television and film actor.-Early life:Hart, the grandson of Irish immigrants, was born in Liverpool, Merseyside, England. He is one of three siblings and was brought up in a Roman Catholic family...
, Sarah Lancashire
Sarah Lancashire
Sarah Lancashire is an English actress, probably best recognised for her role as Raquel Watts in Coronation Street. She graduated from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in 1986.-Television:...
, Jaime Winstone and Juliet Aubrey
Juliet Aubrey
Juliet Aubrey is a British actress, best known for her role as Helen Cutter on Primeval .-Career:Aubrey attended to King's College London, where she studied Classics and Archaeology...
. Set in 2006, it is about the five victims of the Ipswich serial murders and how the crime affected their families. It was written by Stephen Butchard and shown on BBC One
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
in three one-hour episodes from 25 to 27 April 2010
2010 in British television
This is a list of events taking place in 2010 related to British television.-Events:-BBC:-ITV:-Channel 4:-Five:-Subscription Channels:-New Channels:-Defunct Channels:-Changes of network affiliation:...
.
Background
The BBCBBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
Press Office announced on 29 August 2009 that it had commissioned a three-part drama which would portray the events surrounding the 2006 Ipswich murders, and that it would be written by Stephen Butchard, whose credits included the 2008 mini-series House of Saddam
House of Saddam
House of Saddam is a 2008 drama that charts the rise and fall of Saddam Hussein. A co-production between BBC Television and HBO Films, the series was first broadcast on BBC Two in four parts between 30 July and 20 August 2008. The mini-series has been very well received across the Arab...
. Speaking about the drama, Butchard said; "Our hope is that this drama provides a glimpse of the real girls their families knew, and also leads to further debate on the impact of drugs and sex industries upon every town, every city in this country... and what action is, or isn't, being taken."
With the advice of police liaison officers, BBC drama producers approached the families of the five victims of Steve Wright
Steve Wright (serial killer)
Steven Gerald James Wright is an English serial killer, also known as the Suffolk Strangler. He is currently serving life imprisonment for the murder of five women who worked as prostitutes in Ipswich, Suffolk...
with a view to producing a drama about the case, and eventually secured the support of three of the families for the film. Stephen Butchard travelled to Ipswich
Ipswich
Ipswich is a large town and a non-metropolitan district. It is the county town of Suffolk, England. Ipswich is located on the estuary of the River Orwell...
as part of his research, speaking to police, members of a local drug rehabilitation charity and the families of the victims in an attempt to piece together the final days of the five women who were Wright's victims.
Filming began in November 2009, and the series was broadcast on BBC One from 25 to 27 April 2010. Only a few days after the BBC's announcement of the drama, Brian Clennell, the father of one of the victims, Paula Clennell, expressed fears that it would portray the victims in "a bad light". Wright's brother David complained that it would jeopardise any future retrial.
It was directed by Philippa Lowthorpe whose previous credits include The Other Boleyn Girl
The Other Boleyn Girl (2003 film)
The Other Boleyn Girl is a 2003 BBC television film, adapted from Philippa Gregory's novel of the same name.-Production:This was a low production budget of £750,000. The drama was shot using modern camera techniques and the cast spent four weeks in workshops improvising the script with the director...
.
Episode 1
Air date: 25 April 2010This episode focuses on Anneli Alderton, her mother and brother, while also introducing the other women and their families in the weeks leading up to their disappearances and deaths.
Episode 2
Air date: 26 April 2010The discovery of two bodies in quick succession brings fear and panic to the streets of Ipswich.
Episode 3
Air date: 27 April 2010Two bodies, thought to be those of Annette Nicholls and Paula Clenell, are discovered. This episode focuses on how their families coped with the unfolding tragedies and learn how, seventeen days after the discovery of the first victim, the police
Suffolk Constabulary
Suffolk Constabulary is the territorial police force responsible for policing Suffolk in East Anglia, England.Suffolk Constabulary is responsible for policing an area of , with a population of...
finally closed the net on the murderer.
Reception
The drama was generally received positively. Andrea Mullaney of The ScotsmanThe Scotsman
The Scotsman is a British newspaper, published in Edinburgh.As of August 2011 it had an audited circulation of 38,423, down from about 100,000 in the 1980s....
wrote; "This was well acted and sensitively told, but very hard to watch." A television review in The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
said of the drama; "The three-part serial about the 2006 Ipswich killings was uncomfortable, emotional – and free of cop-show cliche", and that "Five Daughters was a masterclass in how to dramatise a recent news event." Tom Sutcliffe
Tom Sutcliffe (broadcaster)
Thomas Sutcliffe is a British journalist and arts broadcaster.Sutcliffe studied English at Emmanuel College, Cambridge...
of The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
said; "There's an established rhetoric for a crime like this in television drama and Five Daughters employed it – the sodium glare of street lights bouncing off wet tarmac, a car cruising like a shark down a rainy street, the camera tight on a pair of high heels teetering towards something dreadful. But what Butchard restored was all the moments when these women were something other than just the next victim."
The serial won particular praise for choosing to tell the story from the point of view of the victims and their families rather than from a police perspective. Typical of the comments comes from the Guardian, which said; "This haunting fact – that the women whose stories were now being told, for all the wrong reasons, would not be saved by a sudden police intervention – lay right at the heart of Five Daughters. This was not your usual police procedural, but the antithesis to it: a story about a serial killer where the drama came courtesy of the victims and their families, instead of the police and their investigation. There's an interesting contrast to be made between Five Days, the recent BBC drama broadcast in a strip of hour-long episodes that focused on police, and Five Daughters, where the detectives plodded and obeyed procedure and got lucky with some DNA." Andrea Mullaney, meanwhile, said "It's not just an interesting twist, of course" [...] "But it's also about redressing the wrong done to these victims, whose deaths meant that their lives were boiled down to the aspect they had in common, and which put them at risk: they worked as prostitutes and were, or had been, drug users."