Evans to lead new TV drama about Pembrokeshire murders
IN the 1980s two double murders in Pembrokeshire shook the nation.
Now the brutal killings of Helen and Richard Thomas and Gwenda and Peter Dixon are to be turned into a true crime drama by ITV, called The Pembrokeshire Murders.
Luke Evans will play Senior Investigating Officer Steve Wilkins whose book, Catching The Bullseye Killer, forms the basis of the series.
Llanelli-born Twin Town actor Keith Allen will star as serial killer John Cooper, who was discovered to be the murderer after a stint in prison for a series of burglaries in the county during the 1980s and significant developments in DNA analysis.
One of the oddities of the case that contributed to Cooper’s conviction was his appearance on the ITV gameshow Bullseye, on which he detailed his knowledge of the west Wales coast and countryside – the Dixons were shot and killed near Little Haven in June 1989.
His other known victims were brother and sister Helen and Richard Thomas, who were shot at their Milford Haven manor house in 1985.
Unsolved, the cold case was reopened in 2006 when Wilkins was promoted and was able, with a hand-picked team, to employ pioneering forensic methods.
The Pembrokeshire Murders will be made by World Productions – maker of Line of Duty and Bodyguard – and will also star Owen Teale as Gerard Elias, Alexandria Riley as Jackie Richards, Caroline Berry as Pat Cooper, Oliver Ryan as Andrew Cooper and David Fynn as ITV News journalist Jonathan Hill – who co-wrote The Bullseye Killer.
Aberbargoed actor Luke Evans said: “It is a privilege to be playing the role of Steve Wilkins.
“It’s a huge responsibility for me as the drama depicts a true crime which to this day still affects the families of those whose lives were tragically taken.”
Filming for the show will start later this month.