Steeltown Murders: release date, plot, cast and all we know about the true crime drama

Steeltown Murders, a "poignant and compelling" true crime drama, tells the remarkable story of the hunt for a serial killer who murdered three women in Port Talbot in 1973.

Philip Glenister (Life On Mars) leads the cast for the four-part miniseries, which is set across two timelines, one in the 1970s when the crimes were committed and one in the early 2000s, when the case was finally solved thanks to a breakthrough in DNA testing.

Written by Ed Whitmore (Manhunt, Safe House) and made by Severn Screen the production company who brought us The Pembrokeshire Murders, the series was filmed at several locations in South Wales in 2022.  

"Ed’s scripts are a poignant and compelling read," says Philip Glenister. "The drama balances the tragic events alongside the revolutionary advances in DNA profiling, which were crucial in this case and many others since."

Here's everything we know...

Steeltown Murders release date

The four-part series will premiere on Monday 15 May at 9 pm on BBC One, with new episodes on subsequent Mondays. The entire four-part series will be available as a box set on BBC iPlayer after the first episode airs. 

There are no details yet on if the drama will air in the US. 

Steeltown Murders plot — what's it about? 

The four-part drama will tell the real story of murders committed by the so-called "Saturday Night Strangler" in 1973. A press release from the BBC reads as follows... 

"Set in both 1973 and the early 2000s, Steeltown Murders centres on the hunt to catch the killer of three young women in the Port Talbot area and the remarkable story of how — in the first case of its kind — the mystery was solved almost thirty years later using pioneering DNA evidence.

"Contrasting the policing methods of the 1970s with the forensic breakthroughs of the early Noughties, Steeltown Murders is a portrait of a town dealing with the repercussions of an unsolved case three decades on, and asks if justice can ever truly be found."

Steeltown Murders cast — who's in it? 

Philip Glenister (Life On Mars, State Of Play) will lead a cast packed with Welsh acting talent, as DCI Paul Bethell, who took up the investigation in the 2000s, with Steffan Rhodri (In My Skin, Gavin & Stacey) playing fellow detective Phil ‘Bach’ Rees.

Their younger selves will be played by Scott Arthur (Good Omens, Borg McEnroe) and Siôn Alun Davies (The Sandman, Hidden) respectively. 

They will be joined by Keith Allen (The Pembrokeshire Murders, Marcella), Priyanga Burford (Industry, No Time to Die), Sharon Morgan (Yr Amgueddfa, Gangs of London) and Nia Roberts (Red Rose, Yr Amgueddfa).

Elinor Crawley (Vikings, Ordinary Lies), Gareth John Bale (35 Awr, Y Pris),  Kriss Dosanjh (The Larkins, Casualty), Matthew Gravelle (Silent Witness, Broadchurch), Amy Morgan (Mr Selfridge, Showtrial) and Dyfan Dwyfor (A Very English Scandal, Bang) complete the cast. 

Steeltown Murders trailer

There's no trailer for this one at the moment, but we'll be sure to post it here as soon as it lands!