223. Web-series Reviews – 70

More web-series reviews…

All are true stories. 

White House Farm – Came out in 2020.  Revolves around the true story of a fateful night in August 1985 when five members of the same family are murdered at an Essex farmhouse, and the ensuing police investigation and court case that follows.

One of the reviews from IMDB...

This true crime drama was a long time coming but was worth the wait. For true crime buffs who are old enough to remember the case and who have read both the official releases and the propaganda of Bamber's amen corner with a critical eye, it plays well.

The story ends with his conviction, but although there are some graphic crime scene photos, we do not see Bamber actually committing the murders, and there is absolutely no doubt that he did. The police can be criticised on two grounds; one is that they made a dog's breakfast of the crime scene; the other is that the man in charge of the investigation was much too quick to write it off as an open and shut case so he could get back to the golf course. This is always tempting when there is an "obvious" open and shut case, like when Lewis Sproston was arrested for the murder of his girlfriend in 2005, or when Rebecca Leighton was arrested for the Stepping Hill Hospital murders. A hundred or a thousand names could be added to that list. In the White House Farm case though, there were obvious pointers to the innocence of Sheila Caffell, the most obvious being that her father had fought desperately with his attacker, and even a Sheila given strength by madness would have been no match for him.

Anyone who has any doubts should read the 522 paragraph judgment in Bamber's failed 2002 appeal which in typically temperate legal language demolishes every one of its 16 specious grounds. It is difficult to understand the fascination posh white boy Bamber has for anyone at this stage, but his supporters are still there and still active, as can be seen from some of the gratuitously negative reviews posted here.

My Take – A worthwhile watch!

 

The Bambers – Murder at the Farm – Came out in 2021. While the earlier review is of the series, this series is the documentary that starts after the above series ends😊. The 1st episode is the entire series in documentary fashion while the rest of the episodes are subsequent happenings in the case.

On 7th August 1985, local police entered a secluded Essex farmhouse to find five dead bodies - young mother Sheila Caffell, her twin sons, and her parents. They'd been shot and killed. Initially it appeared to be the scene of a tragic murder-suicide committed by the troubled mother, Sheila. But fresh evidence would emerge to put Sheila's brother Jeremy Bamber firmly in the frame. Arrested, charged, and convicted of all five murders, he was sent to prison for life. However, for the last 35 years, Bamber has been fighting his conviction from his maximum-security prison cell, consistently maintaining his innocence. With access to previously unheard audio tapes of Jeremy Bamber, this four-part series will use first-hand testimony and unseen archive footage to explore evidence that has emerged since the original trial and to re-examine the shocking events at White House Farm.

One of the reviews from IMDB...

After watching each episode at least twice I would highly recommend this excellent documentary. It it by far the best to be made on the 1985 murders.

The makers have explored every avenue, and included new police and friends who have not appeared on previous documentaries, which creates compulsive viewing.

Pieces of evidence not covered in-depth before such as the police logs and no blood being present in the muzzle of the shotgun, reiterate that Jeremy Bamber must have been involved either directly or in-directly using an armed forces hitman (my theory), because of the accuracy of the shooting - apart from the shotgun silencer, an obvious oversight in the well-executed plan!

The murders were well-staged and set up with Sheilas mental health as an alibi. It is a shame that so many people still think she was the murderer, even though evidence states that she definitely wasn't.

My Take – A worthwhile watch!

 

The Salisbury Poisonings – Came out in 2020. This three episode drama from the BBC, tells the incredible true story of the assassination attempt on the double agent and spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia. It sent shockwaves throughout the city of Salisbury, and left the public services to deal with an unprecedented national emergency.

One of the reviews from IMDB...

In March of 2018, in the small town of Salisbury in Wiltshire, two Russian spies unleashed a deadly Novichok nerve agent, plunging the town in to a lockdown. Tracey Daszkiewicz (Anne-Marie Duff), the recently appointed local director of Public Health, is thrust in to the spotlight, taking tough decisions in the best interest of her local neighbours and friends, including local DS Nick Bailey (Rafe Spall) who is badly struck down with poisoning, while the situation takes its toll on her home life with her family.

For just under two years now, the whole of the country (and indeed the world) has been forced to adapt to a new way of life, in order to combat the outbreak of a deadly virus, but a couple of years before, in a small town in Wiltshire, a local community was forced to adapt their behaviour to control a situation contained only for them. Even if most of us didn't have to live through it, with the events of the last couple of years, there is at least now a sad air of relatability with this dramatisation of the time by director Saul Dibb.

Initially, in the first episode, Dibb goes for a minimalist, less is more approach, capturing the unfolding events in a docu-drama style fashion, presenting normal, everyday people going about their everyday lives, dealing with their individual problems and dramas, before being thrust in to a major crisis completely out of their control. While this does give it a realistic, outside world feel, it comes at the expense of any real effective character development, leaving us less able to relate and empathise with the characters as we should. He matches the mood and tone of the drama throughout with some appropriate dull, grey lighting, but is less consistent with the character portrayals, which by the second episode have become more screechy and melodramatic.

It's flaws sadly keep it from being the sum of its parts, but it's still elevated by what it gets right, along with some strong, raw lead and supporting performances.

My Take – A worthwhile watch!

 

Four Lives – Came out in 2022.  Stephen Merchant plays killer Stephen Port, a real-life murderer and serial rapist who was sentenced to life in prison in 2016. Based on extensive research, interviews and published accounts of the harrowing crimes, this gripping drama looks at the devastating impact Port's crimes had on the victims' loved ones..

One of the reviews from IMDB...

Four Lives is an incredibily accurate drama documentary that tells the story of what would become known in the media as The Barkingside Murders or Grinder Serial Killer. The killer in question preying on young men via gay dating apps and giving them too much GHB (also known as the date rape drug) to enable him to assault them.

The real story here though is the absolute bungling of the police investigation. Lessons from Lawrence had clearly not been learned and such familiar mistakes were further compounded by a poor approach towards LGBT sensitivities, a failure of due care towards the victims families and any effort to do the most basic of policework.

This story could not have been told in a single film, nor even as a two parter and somehow three still feels a little indequate but this essential story was well structured and gives great insight into the terrible blunders made by the police that will literally leave you screaming at the television.

Here it is the quality of the writing that stands out from the outset, as adequate screen time is given to each of the four young men who ultimately became Port's victims, so we feel invested in their lives and their futures. Equally we feel the loss by their friends, relatives and lovers. The show has a number of stand out performances including several from the lesser well known cast, among those which deserve special mention are: Rufus Jones (who you will reconogize as he never stops working) Samuel Barnett, Jimmy Bradshaw, Paddy Rowan, Michael Jibson and Ella Kenion bring some of the smaller roles to life with great skill, while Sheridan Smith, Holly Aird and Jamie Winston fill the shoes of the more meaty roles with their usual gutsy portrayals. The real stand out performance here though is Stephen Merchant as Port, whom I expect we will see a great deal more of in serious roles after this. The one moment in the show where he chooses to smile is truly chilling. Roberts Emms also gives a very emotive and raw performance as the partner of one of the deceased. The visit by the Police to his home is a scene which is hard to digest but one for which he brings a really visceral poignancy with his performance.

Four Lives is not an easy watch, and having watched both this and Anne practically back to back two days in a row, I felt something of an emotional wreck by the end of that journey. This show leaves you feeling angry towards the police by the end of it and really demonstrates, sadly, the days when you could just trust them to do their job are a distant memory. Hopefully this programme will reinforce to them the lessons that should have been learned from this story. An outstanding piece of drama and a credit to all involved.

My Take – A worthwhile watch!

Cheers till next time😊!!

Daffy Definition

Conclusion – A place where you get tired of thinking😊!!