Stephen Graham and Mark Addy have been confirmed for ‘White House Farm’.
The upcoming true crime drama – which is based on killer Jeremy Bamber – sees the two actors star as detectives ‘Taff’ Jones and Stan Jones respectively, with Freddie Fox joining them as the infamous murderer.
The six-part ITV series revolves around one night in August 1985 when Bamber killed five members of his family at their Essex farmhouse, and scriptwriter Kris Mrksa admitted Colin Caffell – whose wife Sheila and sons Daniel and Nicholas were among the victims – was a vital part of telling this story.
He said: "This is an incredibly compelling true crime story, but it’s the human dimension of these events that gripped my imagination, particularly after reading Colin Caffell’s book ‘In Search of The Rainbow’s End’.
"So much discussion of the case has focused on contested legal details, but I wanted to tell this story in a way that did justice to the devastating emotional truth of what happened."
Essex Police originally believed that Sheila – whose parents Nevill and June Bamber were also killed – was to blame, but DS Stan Jones doubted the murder-suicide theory.
Eventually, Jeremy – who is currently surviving life imprisonment with no possibility of parole – was charged and convinced of the five murders, but still maintains his innocence.
Willow Grylls, executive producer for New Pictures, said: "This notorious case has been the subject of much debate, and our programme focuses on the impact of the human tragedy.
"I’d like to specially thank Colin Caffell as without his collaboration this would not have been possible. We have also been blessed by the talent of our director Paul Whittington and an incredible cast."
Gemma Whelan, Mark Stanley, Alexa Davies, Cressida Bonas, Alfie Allen, Amanda Burton and Nicholas Farrell will also star in the drama.
ITV’s Head of Drama Polly Hill, who commissioned the series, added: "’White House Farm’ is a fascinating insight into what happened on that fateful night in August 1985 and the subsequent search for the truth during the police investigation.
"Kris Mrksa’s scripts are captivating and perfectly enhanced by the brilliance of Paul Whittington’s direction.
"I’d like to thank them and the brilliant cast, along with Willow Grylls and New Pictures, for making a truly outstanding drama that we are delighted to have on ITV."
‘White House Farm’ will air on ITV in early 2020.
White House Farm casts Stephen Graham and Mark Addy
