Lucan (ITV 2013, Rory Kinnear, Catherine McCormack)

Lucan is based on the life of flamboyant aristocrat and suspected murderer John Bingham, 7th Earl of Lucan, who disappeared without trace on November 8 1974. Rory Kinnear stars in the title role, while Christopher Eccleston takes the role of the peer’s lifetime friend John Aspinall. A distinguished cast also includes Michael Gambon, Paul Freeman, Rupert Evans and Gemma Jones.

The drama tells the story of Lucan’s exploits as a member of the infamous Clermont set and focuses on his escalating gambling debts and the collapse of his marriage to Veronica, Countess of Lucan (Catherine McCormack). Lucan resorts to desperate measures to try and win custody of his children, with deadly consequences.

One night, the body of Lucan’s children’s nanny, Sandra Rivett (Leanne Best), is found bludgeoned to death in the basement of the family’s London home in Lower Belgrave Street. When Lucan vanishes at the same time, he soon becomes the prime suspect in a murder investigation. It is thought that he may have mistaken Sandra for Veronica, his intended victim. Lucan’s whereabouts and eventual fate have remained a mystery for nearly four decades, but the public’s fascination with the vanished peer remains undiminished.

production details
UK / ITV / 2×75 minute episodes / Broadcast 11 December 2013

Writer: Jeff Pope / Book: The Gamblers by John Pearson / Producers: Francis Hopkinson, Chris Clough / Director: Adrian Shergold

cast
Rory Kinnear as Lord Lucan
Catherine McCormack as Lady Veronica Lucan
Christopher Eccleston as John Aspinall
Michael Gambon as John Burke
Paul Freeman as John Pearson
Rupert Evans as Dominic Elwes
Jane Lapotaire as Susie Maxwell-Scott
Gemma Jones as Dowager Countess of Lucan
Leanne Best as Sandra Rivett
Ann Bell as Lady Osborne
Andrew Woodall as Bill Shand-Kydd
Claudia Harrison as Christine Shand-Kydd
Alistair Petrie as Jimmy Goldsmith
Olivia Llewellyn as Kiki