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The Pembrokeshire Murders (2021)

2021 · Crime,Drama,History · dramatized-true-crime, crime-procedural

The Pembrokeshire Murders poster

The Pembrokeshire Murders is a sober, methodical ITV true-crime drama in three parts, following a Detective Superintendent who reopens two 1980s murder cases against a single suspect, John Cooper, using modern DNA techniques. Anchored by strong lead performances from Luke Evans and Keith Allen, it prioritises procedural authenticity over spectacle — no car chases, no gunfights, just painstaking evidence-gathering, interrogation, and a tense courtroom climax. The Welsh landscape lends atmosphere, and the show sits comfortably alongside ITV's recent run of acclaimed real-event dramatisations. It plays almost like a documentary in places: restrained, unembellished, and quietly gripping for viewers who value fidelity to process over dramatic invention.

From the reviewers

Real police work, as shown in this series, is a slog gathering and analysing the evidence to prove the case.
Keith Alan portrayed a believable devious character. The Pembroke landscapes added further credibility to the story, which culminated in a tense court room outcome.
it is different to most cop shows as it shows most of the behind the scenes things and not chases and gun fights which was something really different.
Unexcited and simple. And that is exactly the strength of this mini-series. All in all, not a classic crime thriller, but sober, straightforward and without surprises, almost like a documentary.
Wilkins himself had some small part in seeing that the series stuck to the truth without sensationalising anything that had happened. As well as this, Cooper's son met with one of the screenwriters. The authenticity of the drama shows

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