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The Widower

  • TV Mini Series
  • 2014
  • TV-14
  • 45m
IMDb RATING
7.3/10
2.8K
YOUR RATING
The Widower (2014)
True CrimeCrimeDramaThriller

A three-part drama based on the crimes of convicted murderer Malcolm Webster.A three-part drama based on the crimes of convicted murderer Malcolm Webster.A three-part drama based on the crimes of convicted murderer Malcolm Webster.

  • Stars
    • Reece Shearsmith
    • Kate Fleetwood
    • James Laurenson
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.3/10
    2.8K
    YOUR RATING
    • Stars
      • Reece Shearsmith
      • Kate Fleetwood
      • James Laurenson
    • 10User reviews
    • 1Critic review
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 win total

    Episodes3

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    TopTop-rated1 season2014

    Photos29

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    Top cast32

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    Reece Shearsmith
    Reece Shearsmith
    • Malcolm Webster
    • 2014
    Kate Fleetwood
    Kate Fleetwood
    • Felicity Webster
    • 2014
    James Laurenson
    James Laurenson
    • Brian Drumm
    • 2014
    Federay Holmes
    Federay Holmes
    • Jane Drumm
    • 2014
    Archie Panjabi
    Archie Panjabi
    • Simone Banarjee
    • 2014
    Joanna Roth
    Joanna Roth
    • Trisha
    • 2014
    Juliet Alderice
    Juliet Alderice
    • Margaret Drumm
    • 2014
    John Hannah
    John Hannah
    • DI Charlie Henry
    • 2014
    Alex Ferns
    Alex Ferns
    • DCI Neil Thompson
    • 2014
    Paul Blair
    • DC Jarvis
    • 2014
    Sheridan Smith
    Sheridan Smith
    • Claire Webster
    • 2014
    Fiona O'Carroll
    Fiona O'Carroll
    • Lucy
    • 2014
    Frances Grey
    Frances Grey
    • Janice
    • 2014
    Roy Sampson
    Roy Sampson
    • David Orr
    • 2014
    Dinah Stabb
    Dinah Stabb
    • Odette Webster
    • 2014
    Robert Benfield
    • Alexander Webster
    • 2014
    Seamus Moran
    • Bailiff
    • 2014
    Kate Arnell
    • Elaine Henry
    • 2014
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews10

    7.32.7K
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    Featured reviews

    9Sleepin_Dragon

    A terrific adaptation of a horrific story.

    Malcolm Webster, found a formula for satisfying his craving for money, by doing away with his wives, based on a true story, this three part series tells the chilling story of Webster.

    I think this is a terrific series, first time I have watched it since it first aired, and it's as impressive as I remember. It get better and better as it develops, the third episode was my favourite.

    Some of the events are a little hard to believe, you will be left scratching your head, how on Earth did he get away with things for so long, but he did.

    Excellent acting, Kate Fleetwood and Archie Panjabi are particularly good, but Shearsmith is outstanding, this is the best of him as far as I can see, he is so good.

    Well worth watching. 9/10.
    7dedlin-696-890150

    A Great Start To The Story, And Then...

    I have been viewing this story as a TV mini-series here in New Zealand, where it made significant news due to relevant local connections.

    Whilst I cannot fault the work of the principal actors/actresses in the story, I do feel that a number of liberties have been taken in its production, leading it somewhat askew from the details of the events as they actually occurred.

    I refer here to the attempted murder of Ms. Drumm - Webster's second wife, in New Zealand, in 1999. From my recollection of the incident, the couple were driving in to the bank at which point Webster veered the car over two or three lanes of motorway before the car left the road as he pretended to be having a heart attack, not as the movie portrayed it, which involved parking up at a forest park where Webster was intending to torch the vehicle with Ms. Drumm inside.

    A further anomaly here is the funds Webster misappropriated from Ms. Drumm's account. The story clearly portrayed the amount of funds in the account as $240,000, yet in historical news reports this is stated as $140,000.

    I recall reading somewhere that some of the key witnesses were consulted prior to the making of this drama, so why did the production team find it so necessary to distort the facts in a case that will be remembered by so many for the events portrayed on-screen moreso than those given in the distantly remembered media coverage?
    6Prismark10

    Fire and smiles

    So often these true crime dramas tend to start slow, try to set the scene, establish character and the mood.

    Not so with The Widower. Sheridan Smith as Claire Webster marries Malcolm Webster (Reece Shearsmith) and is soon bumped off as she takes a close interest in her husband's financial affairs.

    Malcolm is a charmer but also controlling and a killer who likes to drug people and start fires. He made Claire's death look like an accident. He collected on her life insurance and went off to New Zealand to start a new life and find his next prey. The life insurance money did not last long. However his second wife's family were eventually on to him and his nefarious plans against his second wife did not succeed.

    Malcolm returned to Scotland and set his eyes on hospital administrator Simone Banarjee. By this time the police took a closer interest on Malcolm Webster.

    The story was condensed. It was 14 years from his first marriage until the police got a warrant to investigate his house. Webster was also involved in other relationships and other deaths such as some children in a hospital in the middle east where he worked as a nurse that is glossed over.

    However Shearsmith found it difficult to put over the charm because of how quickly the episodes moved. He just came across as too creepy especially as he talked to his drugged wives which was in effect a mechanism for internal narration.

    However this a cautionary tale of a needy charmer, fantasist who can smell money from a mile off and is prepared to kill for it.
    10iainsmith-18061

    Brilliant

    True life story which follows a mans hunger for greed ! Great acting & because it's a true story it'll leave you stunned at what lengths he will go to , to get what he wants .
    Franklie

    Fascinating.

    We were fascinated by how oblivious this man is. The first half of the film is pretty slow, so we ended up watching it on 1.5x which helped a bit. The actors did really well and the cinematography isn't dark, which is always great. Also, except for a couple of slips, the vocab, sex, and violence are PG, which is fantastic!! Loved seeing John Hannah. Wish the story had brought the investigation in sooner and had spent more time on it. Among the few things that are unbelievable are that they couldn't get some sort of word, even anonymously, to the third victim. Would have given it 7/10, but are so grateful that they left out the gunginess that most shows include these days, we gave it 9/10.

    Storyline

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    Did you know

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    • Trivia
      In the closing scenes when Simone is on her yacht which is supposed to be in Oban, Scotland, visible in the background is a green train, a DART: Dublin Area Rapid Transport; the scene was shot in Dun Laoire, Dublin, Ireland.
    • Connections
      Featured in The Wright Stuff: Episode #19.50 (2014)

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    FAQ16

    • How many seasons does The Widower have?Powered by Alexa

    Details

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    • Release date
      • March 17, 2014 (United Kingdom)
    • Country of origin
      • United Kingdom
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Вдівець
    • Filming locations
      • Dublin, County Dublin, Ireland
    • Production company
      • Octagon Films
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      45 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Stereo
    • Aspect ratio
      • 16:9 HD

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