PICK OF THE DAY

The Pembrokeshire Murders

Monday-Wednesday, ITV, 9pm Almost from the start, we know the identity of the guilty man in this three-part police thriller based on real events. The finger of suspicion had long pointed to convicted serial burglar John Cooper (played by Keith Allen) as being responsible for two double murders and a rape in Pembrokeshire between 1985 and 1996.

Though finding the proof had evaded the investigators for years, in 2006 senior police officer Steve Wilkins (Luke Evans, right with Alexandria Riley) takes charge, determined to unearth the evidence that would eventually close the book on the horrific crimes that had left this secluded, beautiful corner of Wales terrified and bewildered.

There’s a grim fascination in the tense process of police work, and a sensationfree approach to the story. The drama is flawed only by too much subplot about Wilkins’ relationship with his son.