BBC’s Three-Part Crime Drama About One Of Britain’s Most Notorious Serial Killers Is “Spine-Tingling” – And The Real Story Is Even More Disturbing
A seemingly ordinary London apartment became the centre of one of Britain’s most horrifying murder cases – and a miscarriage of justice that cost an innocent man his life.
The BBC’s Rillington Place revisits the chilling crimes of John Christie, a serial killer who murdered at least eight women during the 1940s and 1950s. But the three-part drama doesn’t simply recount a string of brutal killings. It exposes how Christie manipulated those around him, concealed his crimes and helped send an innocent neighbour, Timothy Evans, to the gallows.
Starring Tim Roth as Christie, the 2016 series takes viewers inside a case that shocked Britain and continues to haunt its criminal history. Among its most disturbing details is the fact that Christie murdered his own wife, Ethel, while also playing a central role in the wrongful conviction and execution of Evans in 1950.
Inside 10 Rillington Place: The London Home Hiding A Terrible Secret
The drama takes its name from the West London address where Christie lived and carried out his murders.
The story initially follows John Reginald Christie (Tim Roth) and his wife, Ethel (Samantha Morton), as they move into the ground-floor flat at 10 Rillington Place after spending nine years apart.
Their new home is cramped and rundown, making the adjustment particularly difficult for Ethel. Despite the conditions, she tries desperately to make their marriage work, seemingly unaware of the horrifying reality of the man beside her.
WATCH: See the trailer for Rillington Place.
The narrative then jumps forward a decade, introducing another couple whose lives will become tragically entangled with Christie.
Newlyweds Timothy Evans (Nico Mirallegro) and Beryl Evans (Jodie Comer) move into the flat upstairs. Already under financial pressure following the birth of their daughter, Geraldine, the couple face an uncertain future as Beryl prepares to welcome their second child.
When Christie offers to help them, they accept.
It is a decision that brings the young family dangerously close to a killer living just downstairs.
“Surely Rarely Been Better Done”: Critics Praise The Drama’s Chilling Atmosphere
When Rillington Place first aired, its three episodes drew attention for their unsettling examination of psychological manipulation, control and the devastating consequences of Christie’s actions.
Writing for The Guardian, Lucy Mangan acknowledged that the notorious case had already been dramatised several times. However, she praised the production’s depiction of manipulation, entrapment, forced compromises and the misery created by one man’s evil.
She concluded that these elements had “surely rarely been better done”.
Sally Newall of The Independent also recognised the production’s strengths. Although she admitted it was hardly comfortable Tuesday-night entertainment, she praised the convincing sense of place and the performances of its cast.
However, the series did not win over every reviewer.
Writing for The Hollywood Reporter, Inkoo Kang questioned whether the drama offered enough psychological depth to explain its characters’ actions.
She criticised the writing by Tracey Malone and Ed Whitmore for presenting disturbing events without sufficiently exploring the motivations and emotional circumstances behind them.
While acknowledging the production’s ability to sustain an atmosphere of dread across two decades of Christie’s life, Kang felt it ultimately lacked the character development needed to make the story fully convincing.
Tim Roth And Jodie Comer Headline An Impressive British Cast
The production brings together several familiar faces from British television and cinema, with Tim Roth and Samantha Morton leading the story.
The principal cast includes:
- Tim Roth (The Hateful Eight) as serial killer John Christie.
- Samantha Morton (The Serpent Queen) as Ethel Christie.
- Nico Mirallegro (Hollyoaks) as Timothy Evans.
- Jodie Comer (Killing Eve) as Beryl Evans.
Roth and Morton portray the deeply troubled couple at the heart of the case, while Mirallegro and Comer bring the ill-fated young family to life.
The supporting cast also features Christopher Hatherall (Trigger Point), Chris Reilly (Slow Horses), Sarah Quintrell (Carrie & Barry) and Eiry Thomas (Keeping Faith).
The Murders That Destroyed A Family – And Sent An Innocent Man To His Death
The real events behind Rillington Place are considerably darker than any fictional crime thriller.
Between 1943 and 1953, Christie murdered multiple women, using methods including gassing and strangulation. Many of his victims were sexually assaulted before being killed, and he went to disturbing lengths to hide their bodies in and around his property.
Among the most horrifying crimes involved his upstairs neighbours.
In 1949, Christie murdered Beryl Evans, her daughter Geraldine and Beryl’s unborn son. He concealed Beryl’s body in an outhouse.
When Timothy Evans reported his wife’s death, he accused Christie of carrying out a botched abortion on her. Yet the investigation ultimately turned against Evans himself.
He was charged with murdering his daughter Geraldine, convicted by a jury and sentenced to death.
In 1950, he was executed.
Only after Christie’s own crimes came to light did the full extent of the injustice become clear. Evans later received a royal pardon, and his wrongful execution became one of the most prominent cases contributing to the eventual abolition of capital punishment in the United Kingdom.
The Discovery That Finally Exposed Christie’s Crimes
Christie’s killings continued after Beryl’s murder. He went on to murder his own wife, Ethel, followed by three more women.
The final victims were discovered after Christie had already moved out of 10 Rillington Place.
An upstairs neighbour named Beresford Brown began using Christie’s former kitchen. While working there, he peeled back wallpaper covering a kitchen alcove and stumbled upon a horrifying sight: the bodies of three women.
The discovery exposed the true scale of Christie’s crimes.
After his arrest, Christie initially confessed to only three murders. That changed when police informed him that skeletons had also been found in his back garden. He subsequently admitted to those killings.
He also confessed to murdering Beryl Evans, although he continued to deny killing her daughter Geraldine.
85 Minutes To Convict: John Christie’s Final Trial And Execution
Faced with the prospect of punishment, Christie attempted to escape conviction by pleading insanity.
His defence failed.
After just 85 minutes of deliberation, the jury found him guilty. The presiding judge sentenced him to death.
On 15 July 1953, John Christie was executed by hanging.
His death did little to erase the damage left behind: multiple murdered women, devastated families and the wrongful execution of Timothy Evans, whose case became a lasting symbol of one of Britain’s gravest miscarriages of justice.
More than seven decades later, Rillington Place revisits this horrifying chapter of British history.
What makes the three-part BBC drama particularly unsettling is not simply the number of lives Christie destroyed. It is the story of how one man’s manipulation helped conceal his crimes for years – and how an innocent neighbour paid the ultimate price.