‘The Pembrokeshire Murders’ recap: What happened in Episode 1?

The Pembrokeshire Murders began in the UK tonight.

From the makers of Line of Duty and Bodyguard, the new three-part mini-series tells the true story of the pursuit for a cold-blooded serial killer.

Two unsolved double murders from the 1980s cast a shadow over the work of the Dyfed Powys police force. In 2006, newly promoted Detective Superintendent Steve Wilkins decided to reopen both cases.

Watch the trailer:

The Pembrokeshire Murders is based on the true crime book Catching the Bullseye Killer and stars Welsh actor Luke Evans (Beauty and the Beast, The Alienist).

The cast also includes Keith Allen as John Cooper, Owen Teale as Gerard Elias, Alexandria Riley as Ella Richards, Caroline Berry as Pat Cooper, Oliver Ryan as Andrew Cooper, and David Fynn as ITV News journalist Jonathan Hill.

Here’s a plot recap for the first episode, which aired on ITV at 9pm on Monday 11th January 2021:

Newly returned to Pembrokeshire, Detective Superintendent Steve Wilkins looks into a brutal double murder which was never solved.

Known locally as the Coastal Path murders, he is shocked to discover links to two other notorious unsolved crimes.

The prime suspect, a local man named John William Cooper, was imprisoned for a number of burglaries and robberies in 1998.

If Steve is right, and Cooper is not just a murderer but a serial killer, the team must find the crucial evidence they need to charge him before he is granted parole.

Steve Wilkins’ book Catching the Bullseye Killer is available on Amazon.