ITV has commissioned a two-part drama based on the life of flamboyant aristocrat, Lord Lucan.
Lucan will be written by award-winning writer Jeff Pope (Mrs Biggs) and will star Skyfall’s Rory Kinnear as Lucan.
Former Doctor Who star Christopher Eccleston and Michael Gambon will also star in the drama which is being produced by ITV Studios/GroupM Entertainment.
The drama will tell the story of Lucan’s exploits as a member of the infamous Clermont set and will focus on his marriage collapse to Veronica, the Countess of Lucan.
With his marriage disintegrating, Lucan became obsessed with regaining custody of his children. Ultimately the drama will reveal what happened on that fateful night in November 1974 when his children’s nanny, Sandra Rivett, was cruelly bludgeoned to death in the basement of the family’s home in London’s Lower Belgrave Street as she made her way to the kitchen to make a cup of tea.
To this day Lucan is thought to have mistaken Sandra for his wife Veronica, whom he blamed for the fractures in his family life. His whereabouts and eventual fate have remained a mystery for nearly four decades, captivating and intriguing the public whose fascination with Lucan is undiminished.
The drama is inspired by and based upon the book, The Gamblers, written by author John Pearson who conducted exhaustive interviews with those most closely connected to Lucan at the time of Sandra’s murder.
Francis Hopkinson, ITV Studios Creative Director and Executive Producer commented: “This extraordinary and tragic event has fascinated people for 40 years. Jeff Pope’s script, based on John Pearson’s book The Gamblers, brings new insight and revelations, which will surprise the audience. We are delighted that a top cast and director have come together to tell this story.”
Richard Foster, Managing Director or GroupM Entertainment, added: “We are delighted to continue to build on our relationship with ITV Studios and to be moving into drama with them – especially when that drama is based on such an intriguing and ultimately tragic story and written by such a talented writer.”
Filming will begin in August 2013 in and around London.
