Tapes of double murderer Colin Howell's confession are heard for the first time
Year: 2026
Certificate: 15
The confession of convicted murderer Colin Howell is heard for the first time in this two-parter. In 2009, he walked into a police station to report a double murder - of his wife Lesley Howell and Trevor Buchanan, the husband of his lover Hazel Stewart - that had been recorded as a suicide pact almost 20 years previously.
As well as the tapes of Howell's confession, there's a thorough look at the involvement of Stewart, who was also convicted at trial in 2011. Hazel denied being a murderer and we follow her lawyers as they petition for an appeal, with her involvement reframed as being down to coercive control from Howell who, by his own admission, had a 'strong influence' on Hazel that also extended to drugging her for sex.
In addition to the tapes, which are so revealing of the kind of man Howell was, we hear from friends and colleagues of the victims, as well as the journalists, investigators and legal experts with deep knowledge of the case. It is the very best kind of true-crime documentary, filled with careful reporting and illuminating detail. (Two episodes)
