The 2010s is where it's at for brilliant British crime dramas. From the likes of Luther to Sherlock and even Lind Of Duty, if you haven't binged your way through the classics from over a decade ago, you're in for an absolute treat. And the good news is, national treasures Daniel Mays and Sarah Lancashire even worked together on a lauded BBC series called Five Daughters.
If you haven't seen it yet, here's what you need to know about the mini-series, from plot to cast and where you can watch it. You're welcome.
What is Five Daughters about?
Five Daughters is a 3-part mini series from the BBC which dramatised the real-life serial murders which took place in Ipswich in 2006, when five women were murdered by a man named Steve Wright. But rather than focussing on his horrific crimes or the police investigation, the series sensitively follows the victims, their families and friends, trying to give them a voice and centre their humanity.
The five women were struggling with substance abuse and involved in sex work, and Five Daughters shines a light on the impact of addiction on their lives, as well as the devastating effect their disappearances had on their families. The women were called Annette Nicolla, Paula Clennell, Anneli Alderton, Gemma Adams and Tania Nicol.
Who's in the cast of Five Daughters?
In the series, Sarah Lancashire plays Rosemary Nicholls, the mother of victim Annette, and gives a stellar performance. The rest of the cast includes:
- Ian Hart as DCS Stewart Gull, who was leading the police investigation
- Jaime Winstone as Anneli Alderton, one of the victims
- Eva Birthistle as Annette Nicholls, one of the victims
- Aisling Loftus as Gemma Adams, one of the victims
- Juliet Aubrey as Marie Alderton, Anneli's mother
- Martin Compston as Jon, Gemma's boyfriend
- Ruth Negga as Rochelle, a friend of some of the victims
- Vicky McClure as Annette's sister
Where can you watch Five Daughters?
WATCH NOW Although Five Daughters originally aired as a BBC drama, it's now streaming on AppleTV. There are three episodes which are an hour-long each.
What were the reviews of Five Daughters like?
Strong! The Guardian said it was "the BBC at their best", adding, "The BBC's three-part stripped dramatisation of the 2006 Ipswich serial killings has proved to be brilliant television – uncomfortable, emotional and at times frustrating viewing; its impact increased by the inevitability of its storyline: there was to be no sudden breakthrough that would save the murdered girls."
The Times added "This well-intentioned three-part drama, showing over the next three nights, tells the story of the five women who were murdered in Ipswich by Steve Wright in 2006. The writer Stephen Butchard was helped by three of the victims’ mothers in his research, which proves to be both a help and a hindrance — a help in that it gives us plenty of private detail; a hindrance in that it is difficult for the viewer to separate the truth from the memories of bereaved families."
