Fred And Rose West: A British Horror Story is a three-part docuseries, directed by Dan Dewsbury, about the case of the title couple, who were linked to 12 killings that occurred from 1967 to 1987. Fred was directly linked to all 12, but he had help from Rose in the majority of those killings.
Opening Shot: A visual representation between a police detective in Gloucester, England and Fred West.
The Gist: The series starts on February 24, 1994, with Fred West being questioned by the police in Gloucestershire. At the same time, a team of law enforcement officials were digging up the back patio of the Wards’ home at 25 Cromwell St. That search was the result of a long process involving arrests, accusations of abuse, and the repeated statements by the Wests to their kids that their sister Heather, who disappeared eight years prior, was buried in the backyard, under the patio.
Much of the series consists of similar police recordings of both Fred and Rose West, interviews with journalists, attorneys and law enforcement officers who worked on the case, and police footage of the crime scene. In the recordings, we hear Fred finally admitting to killing his daughter Heather and burying her under the patio, but he refused to say if there were any other victims back there. But when a third thigh bone was dug up by law enforcement, it became pretty obvious that there was more than one victim buried there. What authorities didn’t know at the time, though, was just how many people died, who they were, and what Rose’s role was in their deaths.
What Shows Will It Remind You Of? Fred And Rose West: A British Horror Story is similar to any number of true crime docuseries about serial killers, so we’ll pick one: This Is The Zodiac Speaking.
Our Take: The case involving Fred and Rose West is extremely complicated, so instead of trying to build the couple’s history at the outset of the first episode, Dewsbury instead drops viewers right at the beginning of law enforcement’s search of the Wests’ property.
It’s a little disconcerting to figure out what sent them there and how they were able to get the warrant to dig up the patio. However, because the main feature of this series is the never before seen audio recordings of the Wests and video footage of the crime scene investigation at 25 Cromwell St., it was necessary for the filmmakers to get to the point almost immediately. The first episode is mostly about the cat and mouse game Fred plays with police as he only admits to causing his daughter Heather’s death, while authorities end up finding more bodies under the patio.
We suspect the second episode, which concentrates on Rose, will give more of the couple’s history of abuse and murder. Many of the victims were boarders at 25 Cromwell Street, or otherwise entered the universe of the Wests; one victim was Fred West’s stepdaughter. Many of the killings happened after the couple sexually assaulted the victim. It’s all pretty horrific stuff, but by not lingering over biographical details, the filmmakers give the Wests’ actions the correct level of impact.
Sex and Skin: None.
Parting Shot: Rose says to authorities, “You’ll never get a confession to things I haven’t done,” then she laughs.
Sleeper Star: Janet Leach, who was designated the “appropriate adult” during authorities’ questioning of Fred West (a common occurrence during police investigations in the UK) tells some harrowing stories of times Fred confided in her about what the police were finding in his backyard.
Most Pilot-y Line: There is a bit of a side story about one of the Wests’ other victims, Shirley Robinson, which feels unrelated. Once you find out about why she was one of their victims, though, a story that seems like an aside then becomes very relevant, as it speaks to just how depraved the Wests were.
Our Call: STREAM IT. Fred And Rose West: A British Horror Story does a good job of utilizing the audio and video recordings that are the docuseries’ centerpiece, while not getting in the weeds of what is a very complex story about the Wests and their victims.
Joel Keller (@joelkeller) writes about food, entertainment, parenting and tech, but he doesn’t kid himself: he’s a TV junkie. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, Slate, Salon, RollingStone.com, VanityFair.com, Fast Company and elsewhere.