Tonight Seven screens its next Australian drama in the form of The Claremont Murders.
Please note that The Claremont Murders is a fictionalised telemovie based on a real-life case.
When our story begins, it’s Valentine’s Day 1988. In a dark suburban backyard, a mysterious figure wearing a white kimono makes his way past a clothesline and into a house, attempting to assault a sleeping woman sexually. When his victim starts screaming he flees, ditching the kimono on the lawn.
Flash forward to Australia Day 1996 and 18-year-old Sarah Spiers (Hannah Penman) goes missing after a night in Claremont. After she fails to show up to work two days later, her parents Carol (Kate Ritchie) and Don (Erik Thomson) go to the police. Detectives Gavin Wyatt (Aaron Glenane) and Bobbi McAllister (Laura Gordon) are tasked with finding answers.
Five months later, 23-year-old childcare worker Jane Rimmer (Liv Richardson), who was partying with her friends, also disappears. With two young women missing, Wyatt and McAllister join Taskforce Macro, led by Detective Steve Kirby (Jeremy Lindsay Taylor) and Detective Tony Mitchell (Dalip Sondhi).
Then when 27-year-old lawyer Ciara Glennon (Ally Harris) goes missing nine months later, it’s clear the team are hunting for a serial killer.
And following this case from the day Sarah disappeared through the 25-year search for justice is journalist Alison Fan (Catherine Vãn-Davies).
From the creative team by Catching Milat and penned by Justin Mojo and Michaeley O’Brien, The Claremont Murders condenses one of Australia’s longest cold cases into a two-part drama that hooks from the beginning with compelling performances from all involved.
True crime buffs won’t want to miss this gripping piece of Australian drama.
3.5 Stars
The Claremont Murders airs Monday, 10 April at 8:35 pm and concludes Monday, April 17 on Seven.
