The second of three episodes of Five Daughters will be shown this evening, 26th April 2010, at 9pm following last night’s first episode. The series will end tomorrow evening.
In the current issue of the Radio Times, Libby Purves, who reported on the actual murders in 2006, writes a sensitive, thoughtful and moving account of the girls, the drama and the terrible events. As Purves states: “The girls had families. They were daughters, sisters, three of them mothers.” And perhaps most tellingly: “They were girls in trouble.”
It is this tragic human story that the dramatisation of Five Daughters brings to a contemporary audience, just four years after the events.
Dramatising a Real Murder Case
With such a relatively recent case still very real in the families’ minds, it is a sensitive, and harrowing, subject to film. The writer, Stephen Butchard, has created a powerful drama that portrays the young prostitutes as real human beings who made bad choices. It also emphasises how difficult it is to escape from drug addiction and cravings once they have begun.
Only three of the families agreed to help with the making of the drama, by allowing personal testimonies and details. It is these three daughters, and those closest to them, whose lives are most dramatised. One of the families allowed the project to go ahead but did not become involved, while the remaining family did not give permission. Their daughters are alluded to in the drama, but not shown in the same detail.
Ipswich Murders of 2006
The Ipswich police force was one of the smallest in the country when they were about to hit the headlines for a terrible reason. When two young prostitutes vanished from the local red light district, they soon realised that they were linked. Then three more young women also vanished.
When the body of the second victim, Gemma Adams, was discovered, followed by the body of the first victim, Tania Nicol, the police knew they probably had a serial killer on the loose. And that all young prostitutes in the area were in danger. Shortly afterwards, the bodies of Anneli Alderton, Paula Clennell and Annette Nicholls were found.
Although the Ipswich police force was sometimes criticised for being slow to find the killer, it was only seventeen days after the discovery of Tania’s body when they arrested Stephen Wright through DNA evidence.
BBC Version of the Murders in Five Daughters
Although there is a certain amount of dramatisation in Five Daughters, most notable in the first episode with the story of Anneli Alderton, who was Gemma Adams’ friend, it is understated enough to allow the human stories of the girls and their families to shine through. It is completely focused on the victims, and never the perpetrator of the crimes.
The work of the police force is interspersed with the girls’ stories and is naturalistic in tone. The individuals, in particular DCI Stewart Gull, are depicted as hard working, bewildered officers who are faced with horrific crimes in their locale.
The overwhelming pathos in the dramatisation is the tragic stories of how some of these particular young women came to be prostitutes, and the terrible struggle they went through to try and change their lives. It is made even more poignant in the film, when the good intentions of Gemma, Anneli and Annette are depicted so convincingly, and then their lives are taken from them.
Five Daughters is an honest, sensitive drama that brings life to five young women who will always be remembered for the wrong reasons. It is a worthy testament to their lives.
There is an interesting interview with writer, Stephen Butchard, by a correspondent of the BBC, explaining why he decided to make the drama.
Rosemary Gemmell - Professional freelance writer of published short stories and articles in the UK, US and online. Author of historical romance and ...
Join the Conversation