EXCLUSIVE: The BBC is developing a drama series about Bible John, one of Britain’s most notorious unidentified serial killers.
The as-yet-untitled show is understood to be in early-stage development with the BBC drama division. Buccaneer Media, which produces the likes of Irvine Welsh adaptation Crime and Paramount+ series The Burning Girls, is behind the development. The Pembrokeshire Murders scribe Nick Stevens was writing but is no longer attached, we understand.
Nicknamed due to his repeatedly quoting from the bible and condemnation of adultery while in the company of his final victim, Bible John is thought to have murdered three young women – Patricia Docker, Jemima MacDonald and Helen Puttock – between 1968 and 1969 in Glasgow, Scotland.
He has never been found, although several suspects have been linked to the case, including convicted serial killer and rapist Peter Tobin, but this was eventually disproved by DNA evidence.
The case has attracted plenty media attention in recent years as the 50th anniversary of the murders was reached, mostly from the BBC. A lengthy BBC Sounds podcast, Bible John: Creation of a Serial Killer, launched in 2022 and the year prior BBC Scotland broadcast two-part documentary The Hunt For Bible John. Four books have also been written about the case.
True-crime dramas on serial killers have proved popular in recent years, with Netflix’s Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story proving a hit for the streamer and also winning a BAFTA TV Award, while Zac Efron starred in a Netflix movie about Ted Bundy titled Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile. One of the BBC’s most popular drama series last year was Sarah Phelps’ The Sixth Commandment, a Timothy Spall-starring drama based on the murder and attempted murder of two church goers in middle England.
The BBC declined to comment on the Bible John development.