Skip to content
Surf Wiki
Save to docs
general

From Surf Wiki (app.surf) — the open knowledge base

Rillington Place

Rillington Place is a three-part biographical crime drama about the real life case of serial killer John Christie, and the subsequent wrongful execution of Timothy Evans. It premiered on 29 November 2016 on BBC One.


Rillington Place
Biographicalcrime drama
Craig Viveiros
Tim RothSamantha MortonNico MirallegroJodie Comer
United Kingdom
English
1
3
London, EnglandGlasgow, ScotlandPaisley, ScotlandDumbarton, Scotland
James Friend
58 minutes
BBCBandit Television
BBC One
29 November (2016-11-29) –13 December 2016 (2016-12-13)

Rillington Place is a three-part biographical crime drama about the real life case of serial killer John Christie, and the subsequent wrongful execution of Timothy Evans. It premiered on 29 November 2016 on BBC One.

The miniseries revolves around the home life of John Christie and his wife, Ethel, as he commits a string of murders during the 1940s and early 1950s. Each of the three episodes tells the story as seen from the respective point of view of the three main characters: Ethel Christie, Timothy Evans and John Christie.

  • Tim Roth as John Christie
  • Samantha Morton as Ethel Christie
  • Nico Mirallegro as Timothy Evans
  • Jodie Comer as Beryl Evans

As Rillington Place no longer exists (it was demolished in the early 1970s) the interiors of 10 Rillington Place were recreated at BBC Scotland’s Dumbarton Studios near Glasgow, whilst the exteriors of the street were shot on a set created in a parking lot at the same studio, though the exterior set of Rillington Place is scaled down with just eight houses recreated, (four on one side of the street and four on the other).

Other locations across Scotland were used to represent London. The Bo'ness & Kinneil Railway for the railway station and train, New Street in Paisley, West Princes Street and West Street in Glasgow, representing the link between Rillington Place and the rest of Ladbroke Grove in London. Filming also made use of the Western Baths Club. The Ballantine Castings Factory in Bo'ness was used for the bombed-out section of the factory at the end of Rillington Place.

On 29 November 2016, the first episode premiered on BBC One, to largely positive reviews from critics, who applauded the performances and the storytelling. However, it also attracted mixed reactions from some viewers who complained about the "mumbling" and the "inaudible dialogue" of the actors.

Following the second episode on 6 December, Sarah Doran of RadioTimes.com noted that several viewers had been confused by Mirallegro's use of two different accents while portraying Evans, as the actor switched between Cockney and Welsh accents. However, writers Ed Whitmore and Tracey Malon told the website this had been deliberate, since it was a trait adopted by Evans himself in an attempt to fit into his surroundings: "Tim moved to London from Wales around the age of eleven, his half-sister told us he was very keen to fit in and soon adopted a London 'barrow-boy' accent, but that he could slip back into his childhood accent when around members of his Welsh family. Nico [Mirallegro] wanted to reflect Tim's malleability and that desire to fit in by using different accents according to who he was talking to."

Internationally, the series premiered on BBC First on 8 February 2017.

  • Rillington Place at BBC Online
  • Rillington Place at IMDb
Want to explore this topic further?

Ask Mako anything about Rillington Place — get instant answers, deeper analysis, and related topics.

Research with Mako

Free with your Surf account

Content sourced from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This content may have been generated or modified by AI. CloudSurf Software LLC is not responsible for the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of AI-generated content. Always verify important information from primary sources.

Report