TV & Film
Line of Duty’s Martin Compston to star as serial killer in ITV drama starting tonight
Compston is back on our screens, though his role hasn’t been without controversy…
Line of Duty star Martin Compston will be portraying the role of real-life serial killer Peter Manuel in a series set to air on ITV tonight.
In Plain Sight will see Compston as the evil Peter Manuel, who was convicted of seven murders back in 1958. Douglas Henshall stars as detective William Muncie who eventually brought the killer to justice.
Manuel, who had been dubbed ‘the beast of Birkenshaw,’ was born to Scottish parents in New York City before moving back to Scotland where he committed the string of horrifying attacks.
The three-part mini-series about Manuel’s exploits, arrest and eventual execution was first broadcast on STV, a Scottish channel part of the ITV network, in 2016 and was filmed in locations across Compston’s hometown of Glasgow.
ITV
And this week, starting tonight, it is set to air once more for British audiences on ITV.
However, the series, written by Nick Stevens, hasn’t been without its controversy.
A relative of three of the women murdered by Manuel recently implored TV bosses not to show the ‘horrendous’ drama on the criminal again.
Stuart Reid’s father Robert was the brother of Marion Watt and Margaret Brown, who, along with Marion’s daughter, Vivienne, were all killed by Manuel. Upon hearing the plans to re-show the programme tonight, the seventy-six year-old spoke out, saying the remaining family ‘can’t believe’ the decision to re-air the show.
Stuart told the Daily Record: “They’re going to show this programme again from 2016 called In Plain Sight about the murderer Peter Manuel who murdered my dad’s two sisters and his cousin.
ITV
“All we want is for someone to stop this horrible decision. I was twelve at the time, I will be seventy-seven at the end of this month – it’s terrible that this is still going on. Me and my brother David are the last of my dad’s family. We don’t want to see it again.
“If my dad was alive today or any of his brothers he would certainly not be pleased to see this again on national TV.”
An ITV spokeswoman said: “Before the drama commenced filming, the production team set out to trace and contact as many surviving relatives of Manuel’s victims as they could, but unfortunately we were unable to find the Reid brothers, hence them learning about the drama from pre-tv publicity.
“At the time we spoke to the brothers to reassure them that we fully respect and understand their views.”
In Plain Sight is set to air tonight on ITV at 9pm. The second and third parts will be broadcasted on Tuesday, June 8th and Wednesday, June 9th.
TV & Film
Ant and Dec’s new ITV show is looking for contestants from Greater Manchester
The new game show is billed to have ‘life changing’ prizes up for grabs
Ant and Dec’s production company is on the look out for brave contestants from Greater Manchester to take part in a new game show.
The new show, titled Fortune Favours the Brave, has been billed as a ‘life-changing show’ thanks to the amount of money up for grabs, and will feature familiar games viewers will recognise but with a unique twist.
The call out for contestants tells potential players they need ‘nerves of steel’, ‘good general knowledge’ and a ‘risk-taking attitude.’
ITV
The show is looking for pairs of players, with an assistant producer telling ChronicleLive: “People can apply with a parent, sibling, partner, housemate, neighbour, colleague or bestie.
“There are massive, life-changing amounts of money to play for – and it’s a fun, fast-paced entertainment quiz-based show – with a huge twist!”
Fortune Favours the Brave has been commissioned by the Geordie duo’s production company, Mitre Studios, though it isn’t yet known if they’ll actually be hosting the show.
ITV
Reckon you’re the perfect candidate?
Applications are being accepted now – filming will commence in London in October so, if successful, candidates will need to be free on certain dates. Transport will be included.
The deadline for applications is midday on September 17th, 2021. Any applications sent after this date will not be considered.
Send off your application here.
TV & Film
Netflix to air chilling new Dennis Nilsen documentary with never-before-heard tapes of killer
Another day, another Netflix true crime doc
Netflix’s latest true crime documentary offering will be delving into the chilling crimes of Scottish serial killer Dennis Nilsen with never-before-heard tapes from his police interrogations.
Directed by Michael Harte – the man who brought us the 2019 masterpiece Don’t F**k With Cats – Memories of a Murderer: The Nilsen Tapes will be offering a deeper look into the mind of the calculated killer and necrophile, who confessed to brutally murdering fifteen young men and boys between 1978 and 1983.
The official synopsis reads: “Over a five-year period, he picked up vulnerable young men, lured them back to his home and strangled them, before disposing of their bodies under the floorboards.
Netflix
“The truth about how and why he killed has been the subject of much speculation in books and documentaries over the decades since. Now, with unique access to a wealth of personal archive left in his cell after his death, including over 250 hours of never-before-published cassette tapes of his private recordings, this film will take us into Nilsen’s world.
“From a young boy growing up in a quiet Scottish fishing village to a cold-blooded murderer prowling the streets of London.”
The synopsis continues: “Set against the backdrop of 1980s Britain, when mass unemployment drew young men to London in search of their fortunes, only to find themselves destitute and easy prey, and weaving together interviews from police, journalists, survivors, bereaved families, and – for the first time – the killer’s own voice, this feature-length documentary explores how Nilsen was able to get away with multiple murders and attacks, unchallenged, for five years.”
Nilsen, who died at the age of seventy-two in 2018, was catapulted back into the spotlight last year when David Tenant portrayed him in the gripping ITV mini-seires, Des.
Speaking to the Radio Times ahead of the series’ release, Tenant said he felt it was ‘right and proper’ that Nilsen didn’t live long enough to see the series, saying: “After he was arrested, Dennis Nilsen became obsessed with was the legend of Des, the reputation that he left behind.
“Whenever he slipped out of public consciousness, there was almost a sense that he wanted to get back into it. That’s why I’m relieved he’s not alive. I would hate for this to go out and for him to be sitting in some cell somewhere imaging we were in any way glorifying him.”
Memories of a murderer: The Nilsen Tapes will be available to stream on Netflix from tomorrow, Wednesday August 18th.
TV & Film
Come Dine With Me is looking for amateur cooks from Manchester for new series
If you’ve got all the grace and decorum of a reversing dump truck without any tyres on, get applying!
Know your way around the kitchen? Reckon your curry is the best in all of Manchester? Or do you just fancy competing for a £1,000 cash prize?
Well, you’d best get your oven mitts at the ready because everybody’s favourite reality cooking show, Channel 4’s Come Dine With Me, is on the hunt for keen cooks for their next series.
First airing back in 2005, Come Dine With Me has evolved from your bog-standard cooking show into a cultural phenomenon in its own right.
Channel 4
The premise is simple – five contestants each take it in turn to host their own dinner party complete with a three-course menu and entertainment. After each evening concludes, contestants rate each other on the quality of their food and their hosting skills, with the winner eventually taking home a £1,000 cash prize at the end of the week.
Over the years, the show has provided countless iconic and brilliantly quotable moments – we all remember Jane and her sad little life, don’t we?
Well, you could be a part of the fun very soon (or become the latest viral sensation granted you shove a whole whisk in your mouth), as Channel 4 are now casting for the latest series.
Channel 4
The casting call isn’t fussy – you simply need to be eighteen years or older and be eligible to live and work here in the UK.
To apply, you’ll need to fill out an application form before the closing date on September 10th, 2021.
Reckon you’re up to the challenge? You can find the full details and application here.
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