One of the most sordid episodes in British history is painfully and graphically recounted in the Sundance Channel drama, “Appropriate Adult,” airing tonight.
The movie tells of the arrest and police interrogation of Fred West, a notorious killer who murdered 11 young women and children over a 20-year span, often burying his victims in his Gloucester garden. His wife, Rosemary, was his sometime-accomplice. Among the victims: West’s step-daughter.
Dominic West (“The Wire”) plays West with a sick gleam in his eye (in reality, West was a charismatic raconteur). “He was such an incredible storyteller. He drew people into him so brilliantly, but he was psychopathic,” says actress Emily Watson, who plays the pivotal role of Janet Leach.
“People thought he was a bit of a rogue. When you see photographs of him being taken into custody, everyone around him was always laughing.” Leach was a teacher recruited by the police to be present when West was questioned, in case he was mentally or emotionally unstable. During those unflinching sessions, Leach became West’s confidante.
“Fred sensed her vulnerability and knew exactly how to use it,” Watson says. “He intimates to her at one point that there are at least 20 victims.
“She never gets to the bottom of it and she is left with that information for the rest of her life.
“Most people would have walked away, but she knew she was the key to him divulging [information],” Watson says. “Janet was a really ordinary woman at the center of an unfolding national story. It was addictive for her.”
Fred West committed suicide by hanging while he was in prison.
Rosemary West was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison.