The three part series will star Reece Shearsmith (The League of Gentlemen) as Webster alongside Sheridan Smith (Jonathan Creek) in the role of his wife.

The Widower is co-written and executive produced by Jeff Pope (Mrs Biggs, Appropriate Adult) and tells how, over a thirteen year period, a seemingly mild-mannered male nurse, Malcolm Webster, set about poisoning and murdering his first wife, attempting to do the same to his second wife and moving on to a further scheme to deceive his third fiancée.

Jeff Pope commented: “This is a quite extraordinary story, far more chilling than any fiction. Webster was a banal, almost benign face of evil. He was so clever at hiding his tracks and presenting a plausible front to his friends, family and colleagues that he was able to do what he did without really attracting suspicion. The courage and tenacity of Webster’s second wife Felicity, and his last intended victim Simone, is all that stood between him and potentially more murders.”

Steve November, ITV’s Director of Drama Commissioning, added: “I’m delighted to be commissioning another compelling factual drama from Jeff Pope and ITVS. The combination of tautly written scripts and a fantastic cast makes this a really exciting addition to our 2014 drama slate.”

The Widower is set on the east and west coasts of Scotland, Auckland in New Zealand and Guildford, Surrey.

Are you looking forward to The Widower? Let us know below…