For the last couple of Sundays I have been gripped by a drama called Appropriate Adult, a controversial drama that looks at the relationship between serial killer Fred West and appropriate adult Janet Leach (a guardian who is brought into police interviews if the person being interviewed is young or vulnerable in some way). It was a very sensible and sobering but well-handed piece of drama that made for some of the year’s most compelling television. Dominic West and Emily Watson were both terrific in their lead roles and BAFTA nominations would be richly deserved.
The debate, however, remains about whether or not such a drama should have been made. It’s popped up everywhere – in newspapers, on websites, in magazines etc. – but it’s still surprising to hear about it being discussed on trivial ITV1 daytime program Loose Women last Monday after the first part of Appropriate Adult aired. My girlfriend brought this to my attention last night since she remembered seeing a bit of it on her lunch break at work.
It was a sensible discussion to a certain degree but I’m very keen on three points that were brought up in the conversation (chaired by Carol Vorderman with serial drama actors Denise Welch, Lisa Maxwell and Sherrie Hewson) that I think are disputable.
It’s too soon
Sherrie Hewson thinks that anything 15-20 years after an event such as this is still too raw and Lisa Maxwell, who I thought spoke the most sense out of anyone, summed up the conflicting emotions that I’m sure many people had by saying “maybe it should be left in the past”.
I think the issue of making a piece of art too soon after an event like this is almost redundant. What’s important is that what is created is not crass but instead tasteful. The panel seemed to agree that it wasn’t gratuitous so if that’s the case then why say it’s still too recent? Besides, if they think that’s too recent then they’d be taken aback at the amount of films that have been in a post-9/11 world like United 93, which received enormous critical acclaim. Similarly, films in a post-Iraq War world such as The Hurt Locker, a tremendous piece of cinema that deservedly took Best Picture at the Oscars in 2010, would be frowned upon also. Well, according to their logic anyway.
A documentary is fine but not a drama
Sherrie Hewson brought this point up and this is perhaps one of the most puzzling. Why is it okay for a documentary to be made about Fred West but not a TV film? Why is that out of the question? To the drama’s credit, the production team did four years worth of research in order to make sure that it was authentic. Dominic West has also stated in many interviews this year, including in the Radio Times, that the story of the serial killer is one that should be told and that the issues it raises are equally as important.
It’s important these stories are told. The sister of one of his victims wrote an article in The Guardian in the late 90s about him and she ended it by saying the worse thing is that people forget this case and don’t discuss it. And that was really my moral justification for doing the part. I think what that woman meant was – quite apart from the memory of the victims – that this stuff still goes on, on an enormous level. I mean child prostitution and child abduction. 10,000 people go missing in Britain every year, 3,000 are never seen again. Some of those must have been murdered. There are probably serial killers out there that we’ve never heard of. Fred West was around for 25 years doing his killing. It’s important to discuss these things, as long as one doesn’t do it in a way that glorifies them.
The families involved
Sherrie Hewson (again) continually stressed her worry about what the families of those involved must think of the drama and assumed that they were all horrified and disgusted. Some were – an anonymous e-mailer into the show was related to one of the victims and described it as a difficult watch whilst Janet’s son Paul and Gloucestershire Detective Superintendent John Bennett have criticised it for various reasons - but I’m sure this doesn’t necessarily apply to all of those involved. From my understanding Janet Leach was involved in the research in some way and it’s fair to say that it’s unlikely Appropriate Adult would have been made had she not been involved.
The brutal truth of the matter is this: many films and TV dramas based on real events will always be a difficult watch for those that were close to the main protagonists. They also wouldn’t have been made if it wasn’t for the consent of those around the main protagonists. An example would be the Ian Curtis biopic, Control, which was co-produced by Curtis’ wife Deborah and the late music mogul Tony Wilson, who brought Joy Division to the attention of a larger audience. It doesn’t always mean that everyone will like it – former band members Peter Hook and Stephen Morris had a few gripes with it – but it does ensure that a story can be told.
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Ultimately, those who criticise ITV1 for showing a drama about Fred West seem to be too focused too much on forgetting the past. The past has to be acknowledged from time to time. It’s those events that we learn from in order to create a better society. Appropriate Adult has won lots of acclaim and has raised many issues that deserve to be raised and presents itself as the perfect balance of acknowledging history and moving on from it.
But hey, as Denise Welch said, whatever opinions you have about Appropriate Adult, the make up team did an excellent job. And that’s surely what really matters.
