''Steeltown Murders'' is a four-part factual drama television miniseries written by

Ed Whitmore Ed Whitmore is a British screenwriter. He has written for a number of successful British TV series such as ''Waking the Dead (TV series), Waking the Dead'' and ''Silent Witness''. Whitmore is an alumnus of Westfield College. Career In 2003 he wro ...

and directed by Marc Evans. It was produced for the BBC by Severn Screen based in Wales and aired on BBC One. It stars Philip Glenister and

Steffan Rhodri Steffan Rhodri (born 1 March 1967) is a Welsh film actor, best known for portraying Dave Coaches on ''Gavin & Stacey'', Reg Cattermole in ''Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1'' and as the voice of Drippy in '' Ni no Kuni: Wrath of ...

as detectives investigating the real-life murders committed by Joseph Kappen in Port Talbot in

South Wales South Wales ( cy, De Cymru) is a loosely defined region of Wales bordered by England to the east and mid Wales to the north. Generally considered to include the historic counties of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire, south Wales extends westwards ...

. It premiered on 15 May 2023 on BBC One, with all episodes immediately available on

BBC iPlayer BBC iPlayer (stylised as iPLAYER or BBC iPLAYER) is a video on demand service from the BBC. The service is available on a wide range of devices, including mobile phones and tablets, personal computers and smart televisions. iPlayer services del ...

Synopsis

Twenty-first century technological advances help detectives with a cold murder case from 1973. Geraldine Hughes and Pauline Floyd both left the Top Rank nightclub in

Swansea Swansea (; cy, Abertawe ) is a coastal city and the second-largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Swansea ( cy, links=no, Dinas a Sir Abertawe). The city is the twenty-fifth largest in ...

without ever making it home. Their bodies were discovered later in Llandarcy. Dubbed the case of the “ Saturday Night Strangler”, it became the first documented case of a serial killer in Wales. Joseph Kappen was the real-life perpetrator. As of 1 October 2024, Port Talbot no longer produces steel

Cast

* Philip Glenister as DCI Paul Bethell ** Scott Arthur as young DC Paul Bethell *

as DC Phil ‘Bach’ Rees ** Siôn Alun Davies as young DC Bach Rees * Keith Allen as Dai Williams ** Rhys Rusbatch as young Dai Williams * Sharon Morgan as Pat Williams *

Karen Paullada Karen Paullada is a Welsh actress An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and televisio ...

as DSI Jackie Roberts * Richard Harrington as Dr Colin Dark * Nia Roberts as Karina Bethell **

Elinor Crawley Elinor Crawley (born 8 November 1991) is a Welsh actress. She is best known for her role as Thyri in the television series ''Vikings'' and for portraying Cecily of York in '' The White Queen''. Early life and education Crawley was diagnosed w ...

as young Karina Bethell *

Priyanga Burford Priyanga Burford is a British actress, narrator and writer. Her acting credits include roles in '' No Time to Die'', ''A Long Way Down'', ''A Rather English Marriage'', '' The Thick of It'', ''Silent Witness'' and ''Casualty''. In 2015 she starre ...

as Sita Anwar ** Natasha Vasandani as young Sita Anwar * Kriss Dosanjh as Rohan Anwar * Calista Davies as Geraldine Hughes * Jade Croot as Pauline Floyd * Steve Nicolson as DI Tony Warren * Oliver Ryan as DCS Ray Allen * Richard Corgan as DS Chris Wynne * Rhodri Miles as John Dilwyn Morgan ** Ben McGregor as young John Dilwyn Morgan * Caroline Berry as Mrs Morgan ** Rosie Sheehy as young Mrs Morgan * William Thomas as Denver Hughes ** Gruffudd Glyn as young Denver Hughes * Mair Rowlands as Jean Hughes ** Amy Morgan as young Jean Hughes * Walter van Dyk as Mr Croiset *

Matthew Gravelle Matthew Ian Gravelle (born 24 September 1976) is a Welsh screen actor. Career Gravelle was born in Porthcawl. In 2003, Gravelle appeared in the BBC One drama series '' Holby City'' and was a regular in the acclaimed BBC Wales show '' Belongin ...

as Seb * Mia Khan as Maya * Richard Elfyn as DS Vic Jenkins ** Dyfan Dwyfor as young DS Vic Jenkins * Gareth John Bale as DC Geraint Bale * Joshua Jenkins as DC Si Owen * Morgan Hopkins as DC Nigel Parke * Rhys ap William as DS Jack Griffiths * Dewi Rhys Williams as ACC Tim Bailey * Phil Howe as DC Elwyn Wheadon * Terema Wainwright as Hodges * Lisa Victoria as Jane Marchant * Wyn Bowen Harries as Walter Watkins * Nicholas McGaughey as Thomas Willoughby * Matthew Aubrey as Phil Blunt * Maxine Evans as Jan Stiles *

Maria Pride Maria Pride (born 1970) is a Welsh television actress who plays the recurring character of Debbie Jones in the Welsh Language soap opera ''Pobol y Cwm''. She is a former pupil of Ysgol Gyfun Rhydfelen, near Pontypridd. In February 1999, she play ...

as Christine Kappen **

Remy Beasley Remy Beasley is a Welsh actress best known for playing Beyoncé Evans in the Sky1 TV comedy drama series ''Stella''. She comes from Chepstow Chepstow ( cy, Cas-gwent) is a town and community in Monmouthshire, Wales, adjoining the border ...

as young Christine Kappen *

Aneurin Barnard Aneurin Barnard (; ; born 8 May 1987) is a Welsh actor and musician. He is known for playing Davey in ''Hunky Dory'', Claude in '' The Truth About Emanuel'', Bobby Willis in '' Cilla'', Tim in ''Thirteen'', King Richard III in '' The White Quee ...

as Joseph Kappen * Francine Morgan as Suzie * Phylip Harries as Tony *

Arwyn Davies Arwyn Davies (born 8 April 1967) is a Welsh actor, best known for playing the character of Mark Jones since 1993 on the long-running Welsh-language soap ''Pobol y Cwm''. Arwyn Davies's father was the Welsh comedian, actor, musician, singer, and ...

as Rhys Webber * Amelia Donkor as Sylvia Kambray

Episodes

Production

The series is written by Ed Whitmore and made by Severn Screen. The four-part series is directed by Marc Evans with Hannah Thomas as producer in association with All3Media International. The executive producers on the series are Ed Talfan, Jon Hill and Ed Whitmore for Severn Screen with Helen Perry and Rebecca Ferguson for the BBC.

Filming

Filming began in South Wales in November 2022. The real life detective Paul Bethell was involved in the production and Philip Glenister said he felt “responsibility” to get the story right for the bereaved family members.

Broadcast

Steeltown Murders aired in the UK from Monday 15 May 2023 on BBC One, with all episodes becoming immediately available on

Reception

The series was chosen as “pick of the week” in '' The Sunday Times'' on 14 May 2023. Commenting that “the evolution of police work drives the drama, but a careful script keeps sight of the victims and their families”. Lucy Mangan in '' The Guardian'' gave the series four stars, saying that the script "does full justice to the painstaking and never glamorous policework that finally found the Saturday Night Strangler, and the difference integrity makes to a job and to a life". Rachel Cooke in '' The New Statesman'' said she was left “bored and furious”.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Steeltown Murders 2023 British television series debuts 2023 British television series endings 2020s British drama television series 2020s British television miniseries BBC television dramas British English-language television shows Television shows set in Wales Television series by All3Media