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A book published by criminal justice publisher Waterside Press about "Britain's first female serial killer", Mary Ann Cotton, has inspired producers at ITV to create a series called "Dark Angel" that airs tonight (31st October).
The book's author, criminologist David Wilson, a former prison governor and Scottish professor of Criminology at Birmingham City University, is said to have spent thousands of hours of research looking into Cotton's story.
Mary Ann Cotton: Britain's First Female Serial Killer, published in February 2013, tells of a troubled woman who relied on her good looks and sexual allure to draw victims in whom she then poisoned and stole from. She was executed in 1873 for the arsenic poisoning of three of her husbands and what is thought to be up to 18 more victims, adding up to more murders than Myra Hindley, Rosemary West, Beverly Allit or male predators such as Jack the Ripper and Dennis Nilsen. According to Waterside Press she is "quite possibly the UK’s first and most prolific female serial killer".
"Dark Angel", which airs its first episode at 9pm, is two-part drama starring Downton Abbey's Joanne Froggatt in the role of Victorian serial killer Mary Ann Cotton. It was directed by Emmy award-winner Brian Percival, and written by Golden Globe nominee Gwyneth Hughes, filmed in Hull's Old Town in September 2015.
Wilson said: "Mary Ann Cotton has dominated a huge part of my professional and academic life. Her story is largely forgotten, but is more fascinating than many of the serial killers who are, dare I say it, 'household names'. I believe I have gone deeper into research on Cotton than anyone else, hence why ITV approached me when they decided to make their series.”
He added: "As viewers will see, I was consulted throughout the production process and provide a wealth of commentary as one of the only living experts on Cotton. But I also want people to remember about my book, as this is what started it all.”