The cast of Five Daughters talk about the three-part drama based on the Ipswich serial killings... Sarah Lancashire who plays Rosemary Nicholls mother of victim Annette Nicholls: “I didn’t meet Rosemary. From what I gather she didn’t want to be involved at that level. She is a very private woman. But I don’t think I would have considered taking on the role had she not been involved and given her blessing. I have had brief feedback from Rosemary. And with enormous generosity she thanked me. She sent me her love which was hugely humbling because at the end of the day I’m just an actor doing a role. For Rosemary obviously the connotations are completely different. It’s a relief to know that it has her approval. I am a mum and have sons who are 21 and 23. The fact that we do have this horrific drug culture in this country is a constant worry. But I can’t even begin to imagine how it feels to even watch a child go through what Rosemary watched, let alone have to do what she had to do in identifying her daughter’s body.” Jaime Winstone who plays victim Anneli Alderton: "Anneli was just 24 when she was murdered, the same age I am now. That’s why when I first read the script, I just instantly connected with her. I really wanted to do it and to be honest and truthful with it. It’s just so tragic, but there’s so much hope and faith in the story. It was one of the hardest, but also one of the most amazing jobs I’ve ever done. I’m a daughter, so I constantly had my mum and dad in mind, thinking that you don’t understand how precious you are. It’s just really shocking and upsetting and makes you think about your life a bit more.” Aisling Loftus who plays first victim Gemma Adams “These were normal girls, so you approach it in that way You try to find what they’re about and what is at their core and not the horrible little words that they're defined by, because that’s not who the girls were. Where they were going next wasn’t a predetermined thing, they could have gone any way or been anything. There was so much potential and that makes it all the more tragic that they had their lives so cruelly taken from them.” Simon Lewis, producer: “We have made the films because three of the families wanted us to make them. The fourth family, the Adams family, had no objections, but felt that they had said everything they wanted to say and the fifth family, Kerry Nicol, the mother of Tania Nicol, didn’t want to be involved and we respected her wishes. But, essentially they wanted their stories told and although I have worried at every stage that they might change their minds, they haven’t, and we recently showed them the films and that was still the case. They feel that there are important messages to get out: that these girls all came from loving homes, that drug addiction is a terrible thing and that nobody chooses prostitution as a career choice." *Five Daughters screens on Sunday nights at 9pm
