In Denial of Murder


In Denial of Murder is a two-part British television crime drama series, written by Neil McKay and directed by David Richards, that first broadcast on BBC One on 29 February 2004. The series follows investigative journalist Don Hale as he attempts to prove that convicted murderer Stephen Downing was wrongly convicted for the murder of Wendy Sewell in 1973.
The series was based upon Hale's book Town Without Pity. Hale sold television rights to the book to Hat Trick productions in November 2000. The series marked the second time that Tompkinson and Catz co-starred together, having previously appeared in All Quiet on the Preston Front and later going on to star together in DCI Banks. Notably, the series has yet to be released on DVD.

Criticism

Letterbox'd's review of the series commented that "Stephen Tompkinson's Hale bitterly and cruelly spits throughout the drama, things the real Hale claims he never said, lending a deeply misogynistic air to the proceedings. And therefore, it is an unsympathetic light she is presented in overall."
Don Hale himself criticised the production, stating that "It is NOT a factual documentary and has been especially written for prime-time television. In my opinion, several crucial elements of the story have been omitted and I believe it fails to provide a wholly accurate version of events. The timeline has unfortunately been seriously amended without reason. These errors and others clearly present a false impression."
Following the series broadcast, Stephen Downing commented to the Daily Express, “I don’t know about no pity but it’s a town divided. Some people still think I did it. It is just something I have to live with. In many ways life was easier inside – you did not have to look for a job, you got money, three meals a day and a roof over your head. Since I left prison things have been hard. I don’t really have much of a life. Yes, I’m free but I am still paying for a crime I did not commit.”

Cast