It was something of a relief when the police were finally alerted to the sinister motives of Malcolm Webster in last night’s second episode of The Widower. ITV’s three-part dramatisation of the killer’s exploits (he was convicted in 2011 of murdering his first wife and trying to kill his second) raises interesting questions not only concerning how we tell stories about crimes from real-life, but whether we actually tell them at all.
Part One had ended with Webster's first wife dead following the staging of a car crash. Malcolm had miraculously survived as the vehicle started to burn, but before too long he’d reinvented himself in New Zealand and as the credits rolled was starting another fire – this one intended for the current Mrs Webster.
The casting of Reece Shearsmith as the quietly-spoken killer raised a few eyebrows with some people, but they needn’t have worried. As he’d shown in The League of Gentlemen and Psychoville, there’s a dark tone in his work which is captivating in comedy and works equally well with drama.
Living in New Zealand with new wife Felicity and her parents, Webster – who has been drugging her for months - begins a process of diverting her funds into his private account with the intention of buying a property in Scotland. Her suspicious parents spot the swindle, coupled with the nine life insurance policies he’d taken out on Felicity (the excellent Kate Fleetwood, pictured above).
“He’s cleaned her out. He’s going to kill her,” says Dad (James Laurenson). Knowing that their half-awake daughter and grandson have gone out “for a picnic” with a bloke whose first wife tragically died in a car fire, you’d think they’d be panicking by now. Grab the car keys, follow them; ring the police. No, instead they call her, saying simply that she ought to come home at once.
It was a wobbly moment in an otherwise enthralling story. Accused by in-laws and by Felicity herself of plotting her death, Webster responded: “If this is just going to be blame Malcolm the whole time . . .” before stomping off.
Fast forward five years and Webster has returned to the UK, still working as a healthcare professional and with a colleague in his sights: Simone Banarjee has a beautiful house, a yacht and a boyfriend with whom she is going through the motions. In an effort to ensnare Simone (Archie Panjabi, pictured left), Webster buys her a present, starts yet another fire, but "rescues" the elderly patient in his room and even convinces her that leukaemia has been diagnosed and he must travel to London for chemotherapy. The scene where Webster looked in the mirror and shaved his head to illustrate his treatment was one of the episode’s most powerful moments.
We know Webster isn’t going to get away with it (he was sentenced to 30 years in prison three years ago) but are thankful nevertheless when Felicity’s mother Jane Drumm (Federay Holmes) tells British police of her suspicions while visiting this country for a conference. “He’s very gentle,” Felicity tells a detective on the phone from New Zealand. “I don’t think he intended to inflict any pain on me.” The dialogue would have us believe the character hasn’t learned – even now – because actually he intended to cause a lot of pain to a lot of people.
Some would claim that The Widower makes entertainment out of tragedy, and therefore should be left well alone. But important true crime stories need to be told, and this is certainly one of them (co-writer Jeff Pope frequently uses real events as starting points for his scripts: Philomena with Steve Coogan and Mrs Biggs are among the most recent). Rightly or wrongly, I’m looking forward to seeing Webster’s smug face when he’s finally put behind bars.
