Review for Lady Killers: The Complete Series 2

Not to be confused with the marvellous Ealing Comedy 'The Ladykillers', 'The Lady Killers' was actually a historic drama which aired in 1981-1982. The first series featured the trials of killers (of men) who were ladies. The second series twisted this theme ever so slightly and features killers (of ladies) who were men.
I didn't see the series when it aired and I haven't seen the first series though on the strength of this I may well pick it up.


Whilst this is clearly a budget production fixed in just two studio locations - a prison cell and a courtroom. As a result they play out a little like theatrical plays, but this is no bad thing. Hosted by Robert Morley (a very pale and unconvincing tribute to Alfred Hitchcock presents perhaps) who talks to camera at the front and back of most episodes, and occasionally in-between where some unfilm able link in the story needs clarifying. He is a poor choice, reading unconvincingly from autocue and looking perhaps a tad over his sell by date. But the bad performances pretty much stop there. With a really stellar cast in each of the four one hour episodes on the disc I received to review (you'll get two if you buy it!) these compelling tales are a really intelligent combination of actual fact (hence the trial footage) and psychology.


We get to spend time with the accused in their cell between appearances in court and in each case a fascinating picture builds.

So Dr.Crippen is featured, for example, the notorious poisoner who buried the remains of his decapitated victim in his cellar - or was his mistress to blame? Some doubt has recently been thrown on the validity of the original conviction. John Fraser makes the role his own and is ably supported by the surprisingly good Hannah Gordon as his mistress.


Other highlights include the seemingly cheery bigamist George Joseph Smith, convicted of the murder of three of his wives - with a fourth blissfully convinced that they merely met their deaths as they took baths during the wrong time of the month,


And perhaps best of all, the concurrent trials of Ronald True and Henry Jacoby, murderers from opposite ends of the social spectrum whose subsequent treatment sparked anger and controversy. Though the focus is almost entirely on True, a slightly mad aristo who formed a 'Murder Club' and bludgeoned a poor woman to death with a rolling pin.


It's all highly entertaining stuff , avoiding any re-enactments of the murders themselves, though whether they are factually accurate from a historical perspective I don't know. The format (all post-arrest) works really well and each episode fits the sixty minute format perfectly. You'll see some fine turns too with a surprising array of familiar faces (incuding the wonderful Geoffrey Bayldon, better known to most for his role as 'Catweazle').


Picture quality is acceptable to good for a series of this vintage shot, as it was, on video.


The set is very reasonably priced too for seven hours of excellent drama so well worth a punt of it sounds like your kind of thing.