The star presents The Guilty Innocent with Christopher Eccleston, looking at two miscarriages of justice.
In The Guilty Innocent, Christopher Eccleston (True Detective: Night Country) bring us an in-depth contemporary investigation of an infamous case of wrongful conviction.
The show uses archive footage, talking head interviews with historical experts and reconstruction to bring each story to life. It will explore why and how the system got the wrong person and what it says about our world today.
George Davis
In the first episode, Eccleston will introduce viewers to the story of minicab driver George Davis. He eas arrested for the armed payroll robbery of the London Electricity Board in Ilford, Essex.
The actor will interview those who campaigned tirelessly for Davis’ release and for his conviction to be overturned. And in a TV exclusive, Davis will break his fifty-year silence with his first ever long-form TV interview.
James Hanratty
The series will also examine the controversial case of James Hanratty. He was one of the last men to be hanged in Britain, for the murder of Michael Gregsten and attempted murder of Valerie Storie, in August 1961.
Eccleston will retrace the extraordinary twists-and-turns of this notorious case, revisiting the evidence which put Hanratty’s neck in the hangman’s noose. His death sparked a concerted campaign to end capital punishment in the UK once and for all.
Christopher Eccleston said:
“The pursuit of justice is a subject matter which has peppered my career with dramas that remain special to me and have, in their own way, swayed public opinion. The Guilty Innocent is another project which pursues justice, or the lack of it, through a new medium which has allowed me to explore another means of storytelling.”
The series’ creator is actor and filmmaker Nathanael Wiseman, the producer is Victoria Williams Co-CEO of Redeeming Features. Executive producers are Brian Hill for Century Films, and Deep Sehgal for GroupM Motion Entertainment.
The Guilty Innocent with Christopher Eccleston premieres on Sky History with two hour-long episodes in May 2024.