TV Crime Log: Lucan

Murder and aristocracy is an intoxicating combination. For nearly 40 years, the media has speculated about the events that led to the death of Lord ‘Lucky’ Lucan’s children Nanny, and his subsequent disappearance.

ITV’s new two-part drama, Lucan, begins on Wednesday night at 9pm. Featuring a terrific cast, including Rory Kinnear, Christopher Eccleston and Michael Gambon, it recounts Lucan’s exploits as a member of the infamous Clermont set and focuses on his marriage collapse to Veronica, the Countess of Lucan.

Here’s the blurb:

With his marriage disintegrating, Lucan became obsessed with regaining custody of his children. Ultimately the drama reveals what happened on that fateful night in November 1974 when his children’s nanny, Sandra Rivett, was cruelly bludgeoned to death in the basement of the family’s home in London’s Lower Belgrave Street.

To this day Lucan is thought to have mistaken Sandra for his wife Veronica, whom he blamed for the fractures in his family life. His whereabouts and eventual fate have remained a mystery for nearly four decades, captivating and intriguing the public whose fascination with Lucan is undiminished.

The drama is inspired by and based upon the book, The Gamblers, written by author John Pearson who conducted exhaustive interviews with those most closely connected to Lucan at the time of Sandra’s murder.

It’s written by Jeff Pope, who has written a number of TV dramas based on real-life crimes , including Mrs. Biggs, Murder In The Outback and Appropriate Adult.