We have another streaming pick for you (Picture: Patrick Redmond/ITV)
Key Points
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- Crime drama The Widower, based on true events, has climbed the Netflix top 10 since its release on the platform
- Reece Shearsmith and Sheridan Smith were praised for their chilling and compelling performances in the ITV drama
- The Widower was well received by viewers although some questioned the authenticity of Reece’s performance
Created with AI assistance. Quality assured by Metro editors.
Looking for something creepy to watch as the nights grow darker and the weather turns foul this winter?
Well, the good folks at Netflix have you covered.
They’ve recently added the sensational drama The Widower, which first aired on ITV back in 2014.
This shocking crime drama is based on the real-life murders of Malcolm Webster, who murdered his first wife, Claire and then attempted to kill his second wife, Felicity, for the life insurance money.
The show, which was created by Oscar nominee Jeff Pope and stars ReeceShearsmith as Webster, while Sheridan Smith plays Claire, and Kate Fleetwood plays Felicity.
Since being added to the streaming service on November 17, The Widower has flown up the Netflix top 10, currently sitting in seventh place on the TV rankings.
The picture of happiness…(Picture: Patrick Redmond/ITV)
Looking at fan reviews, it’s easy to see why the series has proved so popular.
On a Reddit post celebrating the show, one user commented: I highly recommend it if you haven’t watched it. Reece’s performance is superb – it’s all in the subtle expressions, the chilling looks, the deceptive charm, the brazen confidence of the pathological liar.’
‘Watched it a few times through and LOVED it,’ another added. ‘Reece is such a masterful actor – he is truly terrifying in this role. Massive props to Sheridan Smith as well, she sells true fear so well.’
It doesn’t last… (Picture: Patrick Redmond/ITV)
On IMDb Moviegoer19 wrote: ‘I knew nothing about this case before watching The Widower. I found it to be compelling, yet appalling viewing.’
Iainsmith-1806 gave it 10/10, calling it excellent and praising the acting, but warning it may shock people when they realise this is a true story.
Speaking to The Custard back in 2014 about the pressure to tell this story in a respectful way, Reece admitted he felt ‘the weight of responsibility’.
The series has been described as genuinely creepy (Picture: Patrick Redmond/ITV)
‘We had to get this right for the people who were involved,’ he explained.
‘I didn’t question whether I should be doing it because everyone involved in his original crimes was on board with the script before we started filming.
‘You’ve got to be careful not to make it salacious or enjoy it too much. I hope people can see that I was trying to be very ordinary. I concentrated on his Doctor Jekyll side rather than Mr Hyde.’
Claire’s brother, Peter Morris, would praise the performance of the cast in an interview with the Mail on Sunday, calling out Sheridan’s performance in particular.
The Best Sheridan Smith shows
Metro TV reporter Robert Oliver shares his picks for the best Sheridan Smith shows…
The Royle Family: While The Royle Family didn’t give Sheridan Smith her first major role, it was arguably the TV show that gave her career the biggest push in the early days.
First appearing in the season two finale in 1999, Sheridan played Emma Kavanagh, boyfriend to Ralf Little’s character Antony Royle (or Lurky, as he was known to his dad Jim).
Two Pints of Lager & A Packet of Crisps: The 2001 sitcom, which also starred Will Mellor and her Royle Family co-star Ralf Little, followed the lives of five 20-somethings in Runcorn, Cheshire.
Sheridan starred as Janet Smith in the sitcom that put sex, beer, cigarettes, and takeaways at the forefront of British comedy at the start of the new millennium, and sent its cast to stardom.
Inside No. 9: In 2015, Sheridan starred as Christine in the episode titled The 12 Days of Christine, which saw her character’s life ‘unravel’ after bringing a man home from a party.
As the story continues, memories of Christine’s life play out in unusual ways, while strange hallucinations threaten to break her sanity.
The C Word: The C Word was formed from a series of blogs posted by Lisa Lynch, a cancer patient who gave her followers a candid view of what it’s like to live with the disease.
Lynch sadly died in 2013, shortly before the BBC had finished adapting her blogs into a TV film starring Sheridan Smith alongside Paul Nicholls and Stephanie Vogt.
Cilla: Cilla was a three-part drama commissioned by ITV in 2014, which followed the life and professional career of Cilla Black throughout the 1960s.
Sheridan was widely praised for her performance by TV critics, and she was rewarded for her work by winning the 2015 Bafta for best leading actress.
Read more here
Reece has been praised for his performance (Picture: Patrick Redmond/ITV)
‘Sheridan captured Claire completely,’ he explained. ‘I miss that camaraderie of a sibling, and I thank Sheridan for giving that back to me for a while.
‘I feel as though if I want to see Claire again, all I have to do is switch on this drama. At one stage, off-set Sheridan hooked her arm through mine, and I told her it was exactly how Claire did it.’
However, not everyone was pleased with the show.
Felicity told RNZ that Reece made the character too unlikable, arguing Malcolm was ‘good company, extroverted and fun’ and that was what made him so dangerous.
The Widower is now streaming on Netflix.
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