Steeltown Murders

A very confusing beginning. Where music is often used to establish a time frame for a drama, the two songs used at the beginning of this one were from 1970. So I thought it was 1970, but then there was one from 1973. The latter being the correct one chronologically to map on to the events that unfolded.

But hang on, this was a flashback, so what year was the new investigative work taking place. It took a while, but I think it was 2003.

So, the start of the drama was very muddled, especially character wise.

Overall I thought it was one episode too long. The third part particularly dragged and the final couple of episodes could have been condensed into one.

Premise: 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 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.

If it hadn't been for the fact it was based on real events it would have seem cliched; young detective should be seen and not heard and not have anything to offer the operation being run by superiors who are seriously flawed policing wise.

A strong cast, particularly Philip Glenister, made this watchable.

DC Paul Bethel is part of a team investigating the murder of two young women, he tries to link a third woman, but his superiors block him, years later, with the advent of DNA testing, DCI Paul Bethel is given a lead.

This is a fantastic four part series from The BBC, being from the area myself I can confirm that this case did indeed cast a big shadow over the whole area.

I am a massive fan of writer Ed Whitmore, he has written some great dramas over the years, including the excellent Manhunt series, once again he gets the balance of fact and entertainment spot on.

Of course there are some dramatic changes, new characters etc, but the heart of the story is very much still here.

Production values are spot on, it looks fantastic, the music, sets, clothes and cars are all on point. There is one scene where my old haunt, The Top Rank on The Kingsway is recreated, again they got it spot on.

A super cast, Aneurin Barnard, Keith Allen and many others, Philip Glenister steals the show with a superb performance as Paul Bethel, at times it feels like we've got a real life Gene Hunt, less The Quattro.

9/10.

There can be no doubt that DNA has been a huge game changer in solving crimes. And in particular cold case crimes as shown in this four part true crime drama by the BBC.

The story evolves around the brutal murder and rape of three teenage girls in Port Talbort South Wales in 1973. With similarities to the hunt for the Yorkshire Ripper the only options were endless hours of door to door searches, index systems and eye witnesses and a hope that they somehow come up with a credible suspect. It's no wonder so many innocent people ended up in jail for crimes they didn't commit.

We move on 30 years and the still early days of DNA and the cold case detectives now can use samples to find matches in the DNA database, and before long a prime suspect emerges.

With nice attention to the 1970s it's a really interesting insight into how policing has changed over the last 30 years.

Despite a dodgy Welsh accent Phillip Glenister does a decent job as the lead detective to help put to rest a crime that many thought would never have been solved. 7/10.

An excellent production. Truly captures the essence of the eras portrayed and most importantly put the eras into contextz a seemingly overlooked aspect recenty. I really enjoyed this and thought that the program was excellently cast. The filming tone is superb. A very good insight into not only the Police but also the early use of DNA. Well done to all involved. The whole series had a good pace to it and shows the stress that these kind of events can have on not only the victims family but everyone associated with the incident and this is graphically shown here, better than any other program I can recall.

I recently watched Steeltown Murders, the latest crime drama to hit our screens, and I have to say, I was hooked from the start. The plot immediately drew me in with its mysterious killings and interconnected web of secrets in a small, industrial town. The stellar cast, led by Sion Alun Davies, Steffan Rhodri, and Aneurin Barnard, delivered captivating performances that made the characters feel authentic. I appreciated how the show tackled important issues such as corruption, poverty, and neglecting marginalised communities, although, at times, the execution felt heavy-handed. The gloomy atmosphere of the town was captured perfectly through the cinematography and production design. However, the series' pacing was a drawback, with some episodes lacking the necessary momentum to maintain my interest. Despite its flaws, the emotional depth explored in Steeltown Murders resonated with me, leaving me with a lingering melancholy. Overall, this series is worth a watch for fans of the genre.