Clapperboard three-parter to explore double murder from perspective of Maxine Carr
Channel 5 is to delve into the double murder of schoolgirls Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman from the perspective of Maxine Carr ‘the most hated woman in Britain’, in its first foray into true crime drama.
The case, often referred to as the Soham murders, became the subject of a media frenzy in the early noughties, sparking the biggest manhunt in British history.
The three-part series Maxine, from Clapperboard, will examine the investigation of school assistant Maxine Carr and her caretaker fiancé Ian Huntley, who was later imprisoned for the double murder of the schoolgirls and why she lied for him.
“The series marks a new venture into the true crime genre for Channel 5,” said UK Paramount deputy chief content officer Sebastian Cardwell, who ordered the series alongside recently appointed drama commissioning executive Paul Testar.
“[Maxine] will give viewers an in-depth examination of Maxine Carr and her role in one of the most notorious crimes in recent British history.”
Mike Benson and Julie Ryan are executive producing the series for Clapperboard, with Laura Way as director. Simon Tyrrell (The Spanish Princess) is writing the drama.
Benson added that “few crimes have embedded themselves in the national psyche more than the tragic events of Soham in 2002. It was a case which was unique in recent history in terms of the sheer scale of the media coverage and how this affected and nearly derailed the investigation and subsequent trial.”
Abacus Media Rights will act as international distributor for the series, which will commence shooting in Ireland in 2022.
The commission is Clapperboard’s latest drama for the broadcaster, with action thriller Desperate Measures and The Winter Child set to transmit in 2022.
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