Steeltown Murders is a mini-series about identifying a real-life serial killer. That murderer had killed three young kids in the area of Port Talbot in 1973, but he was never caught.
Since then, these true murder incidents in Port Talbot (in Wales of the United Kingdom) have haunted the community as well as the police for nearly three decades. Until the Police decided to re-open the said cold cases. Thus they began to re-investigate after the advent of modern-day technology.
Synopsis (official summary) of Steeltown Murders (2023) Mini-Series
Three murders – unsolved but never forgotten. Thirty years on, can DCI Bethall (Philip Glenister) and his three-member investigative team find the serial killer who terrorised 1970s Port Talbot?
Spoilers Free review of Steeltown Murders (2023) Mini-Series
These true crimes happened in the 1970s
This new crime drama is based on a real-life crime that took place in the 1970s in the United Kingdom. Its storyline runs parallelly – as this historical drama is set in both 1973 (when the true crime took place) and the early 2000s (when a police team is put in place to re-investigate these murders), even after the gap of so many years between the two events because of the inclusion of the DNA analysis in the Police probe.
In September 1973, two teenage factory workers Geraldine Hughes and Pauline Floyd were found to be raped, strangled and dead in the forest area in Neath Port Talbot, Wales. This crime of cruelty shocked not only the two families but also the entire small community living in that area. They feared for their young ones, the children and the teenagers.
Police were unable to catch the serial killer in the 1970s
Also, this heinous crime had a devastating impact on the lives of many people who survived this tragedy in this society. This unknown murderer was the first documented serial killer of Wales. Although the local police tried to find this killer, they were unsuccessful. However, they ran one of the longest-running murder hunts in the history of Wales, United Kingdom; the police could not catch the serial killer.
Police re-opened the said case in 2000s
Then in the 1990s and the 2000s periods, almost after a gap of three decades, the police focused its energy and resources on re-visit and re-examine all the available information about the three (the police added another victim killed similarly in the said area around the same time in 1970s) murders by the serial killer named “The Saturday Night Strangler” because of the technological advancements in the police investigations.
The police used advanced DNA evidence, DNA analysis and forensics processes to identify the elusive serial killer. And this time, backed by scientific methods and better investigative procedures, the police finally identified the elusive serial killer. The truth helped heal the wounds and gave much-needed closure to many families living in the area. It is about getting justice and redemption in the real world for the people.
The conclusion
Good acting by the lead actors and other members of the ensemble cast of this mini-series makes it an engrossing watch. The use of two timelines has been used smartly in its great script to highlight the differences and the signs of progress that have taken place in the police as well as the society. With only four episodes, it is perfect for a weekend-watch.
Ratings of this mini-series about the 1970s serial killer
| FM’s rating | 3.75/5 |
Spoiler Alerts – about Port Talbot & the Saturday Night Strangler
Focus on the Port Talbot town, where this heinous crime happened
Port Talbot
Well, according to the Britannica website, “Port Talbot, town, port, and urban area (from 2011 built-up area), Neath Port Talbot county borough, historic county of Glamorgan (Morgannwg), southern Wales. It is situated at the mouth of the River Afon on Swansea Bay (an embayment of the Bristol Channel) and adjoins the locality of Margam to the southeast. The town is the administrative centre of Neath Port Talbot county borough.”
Focus on the real story of the infamous Saturday Night Strangler
As this real life happened in the Port Talbot area in Wales, United Kingdom, we have decided to share the excerpts as well as link to the local news report, who know more about this case.
Saturday Night Strangler
More than 150 police officers had chased hundreds of leads on the so-called Saturday Night Strangler – and all had gone nowhere. With no mobile phones, no internet and no computers, the investigation soon became swamped in a sea of paperwork as officers struggled to keep tabs on thousands of leads.
Wales Online | News Report
It took nearly three decades of painstaking police work for the man who raped and murdered three teenage girls in the Port Talbot area to be revealed.
Poster of the Steeltown Murders (2023) Mini-Series
Key details of this mini-series about the 1970s serial killer
| Genre | Crime, Drama, Mystery |
| Released | May & June 2023 |
| Season | One (1) |
| Episodes | Four (4) |
| Cast | Philip Glenister, Steffan Rhodri, Priyanga Burford, Richard Harrington, Keith Allen, etc. |
| Network | BBC |
Trailer of the Steeltown Murders (2023) Mini-Series
If you like the real-life cases of the serial killers depicted in the mini-series from the United Kingdom, then do check out The Hunt For Raoul Moat mini-series, too.
Featured & Other Images: Steeltown Murders | BBC & IMDb.