After delays in scheduling and a name change, Four Lives, the BBC drama based on the murders of Stephen John Port, better known as 'The Grindr Killer', is finally coming.
The three-part series will focus on the crimes committed by Port from the perspectives of the families of the victims.
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In a departure from his usual comedic roles, Stephen Merchant will portray the serial killer, who killed four men, Anthony Walgate, Gabriel Kovari, Daniel Whitworth and Jack Taylor, after meeting them on dating apps.
He then raped them and gave a fatal dose of GHB in his flat in Barking, East London.
The series - produced by Jeff Pope and Neil McKay - was to be called The Barking Murders after the location where the murders were committed.
However, producers decided to change the names in order to honour the four lives that were lost and their families.
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"With a title like The Barking Murders, the creators thought it might have sounded too much like a conventional police procedure drama," a source told The Sun.
"The show is very much about the four young lives snuffed out and the deaths that could have been prevented."
Sheridan Smith will play Sarah Sak, the mother of one of Port's victims, Anthony Walgate, and other cast members including Jaime Winstone, Rufus Jones and Stephanie Hyam.
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According to the BBC, the "factual drama will go beneath the headlines to shed new light on this story by telling it from the point of view of the families of Stephen Port's victims, focusing on their fight to uncover the truth about what had happened to their lost sons and brothers in the face of a now widely criticised police investigation."
Stephen Merchant called it a "privilege" to play the role, saying: "This is a story that can't be ignored - how four young lives were lost and their families' brave attempt to uncover what happened.
"This factual drama will shed light on their story, so it's a privilege to be a part of telling it with the brilliant combination of Jeff Pope, Neil McKay and the BBC."
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The drama was first announced in August 2018, and was expected to be released later that year, but has experienced significant delays.
There's no date as yet when Four Lives is coming to screens (apart from that it's some time this year), but Tyla has reached out to BBC for comment.
Stay tuned...
Featured Image Credit: BBCTopics: Entertainment,