When is ITV drama White House Farm on TV? What's it about?
The factual drama tells the story behind the horrific killings that took place in 1985
On a night in August 1985, five members of the same family were murdered in an Essex farmhouse. The horrific killings, which included two six-year-old boys, are now set to be the subject of a factual drama on ITV which aims to provide “fascinating insight” into how the incident unfolded.
Here is all you need to know about White House Farm…
When is White House Farm on TV?
The six-part drama White House Farm started on Wednesday 8th January at 9pm on ITV.
Part five airs on ITV on Wednesday 5th February 2020 at 9pm, with the sixth and final episode following the next week.
What is White House Farm about?
On the night of August 6th 1985, five people were gunned down and killed on White House Farm. The victims were all related, including parents Nevill and June Bamber, their adoptive daughter Sheila Caffell and her two sons, Daniel and Nicholas.
Police initially believed that Sheila, who suffered from schizophrenia, had committed the murders before killing herself. However, weeks later, her adoptive brother Jeremy Bamber was arrested in connection with the crime and was convicted of the murders in October 1986.
The jury’s verdict found that Bamber staged the scene to implicate Sheila and receive a large inheritance. He was given a life sentence with no possibility of parole, but he maintains his innocence to this day and his lawyers have made repeated attempts to have the case reviewed.
ITV’s dramatisation of the story is written by Kris Mrksa (The Slap) and Giula Sandler, with cooperation from Colin Caffell, whose wife and twin sons were killed in the murders.
Mrksa said: "This is an incredibly compelling true crime story, but it's the human dimension of these events that gripped my imagination, particularly after reading Colin Caffell’s book. So much discussion of the case has focused on contested legal details, but I wanted to tell this story in a way that did justice to the devastating emotional truth of what happened.”
ITV Head of Drama Polly Hill, who commissioned the series, said: “White House Farm is a fascinating insight into what happened on that fateful night in August 1985 and the subsequent search for the truth during the police investigation.”
She continued: “Kris Mrksa’s scripts are captivating and perfectly enhanced by the brilliance of Paul Whittington’s direction. I’d like to thank them and the brilliant cast, along with [Executive Producer] Willow Grylls and New Pictures, for making a truly outstanding drama that we are delighted to have on ITV.”
Who stars in White House Farm?
Convicted killer Jeremy Bamber will be played by Freddie Fox (Year of the Rabbit), while Mark Addy (Game of Thrones) takes the role of DS Stan Jones, the police officer who first doubted Sheila’s part in the murders.
The cast also includes Stephen Graham (The Irishman), Gemma Whelan (Gentleman Jack), Mark Stanley (Sanditon), Alexa Davies (Dead Pixels), Cressida Bonas (The Bye Bye Man), Alfie Allen (Game of Thrones), Amanda Burton (Waterloo Road) and Nicholas Farrell (Thirteen).
Is there a trailer for White House Farm?
Yes, you can watch it below.
Authors
David Craig is the Senior Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest and greatest scripted drama and comedy across television and streaming. Previously, he worked at Starburst Magazine, presented The Winter King Podcast for ITVX and studied Journalism at the University of Sheffield.
