The Widower is a three-part drama from itv Studios based on the crimes of convicted murderer, Malcolm Webster, played by Reece Shearsmith (Psychoville, The League of Gentlemen, A Field in England).
After escaping justice and cashing in on a £200,000 life insurance policy, he relocates to New Zealand and is soon walking down the aisle with new bride, Felicity Drumm (Kate Fleetwood). He moves her back to Scotland, and while Felicity is busy organising their finances for a new house to raise a family, Malcolm is trying to gain access to her savings to hide the fact that he is broke again. He plies her with sedatives, as he did with Claire, but stops short of killing her when he discovers she is pregnant.
The birth of their son brings a temporary reprieve to the drugging, but when Felicity turns up the heat for him to account for his finances, Malcolm returns to his old ways. However, Felicity is spirited and refuses to give up on her dream home.
When Malcolm exhausts his excuses, he decides to deal with the problem once and for all. But will he succeed?
Speaking The Widower Reece Shearsmith says:
“It was a really big part for me, and a real challenge…although it was really exciting to read the script, it was also quite scary – I thought, ‘God, do I really want to be in that world?’ It’s a horrible thing to take on. But I couldn’t not try.
“With The Widower I felt I needed to capture the spirit of Malcolm Webster – I’m not trying to do an impression of him. I also felt a responsibility because he is a convicted murderer and people were profoundly affected by his actions. There’s a duty of care that he is not presented frivolously.”
