Lucan - ITV1

[Amandine29]

Anyone watching?

An inquest jury decided Lucan was guilty a year after his disappearance. There was a disclaimer broadcast at the start of the programme along the lines that some of the feature was based on real events but some of it was conjecture.

Just because Lucky was popular and likeable doesn't mean he wasn't capable of murder. The circles he moved in swiftly closed ranks. The same decade Erin Pizzey was writing "Scream Quietly Or The Neighbours Will Hear" and it came as a shock to many that DV was happening behind closed doors in civilised Britain. If a peer's marriage was disintegrating and the threat of a messy divorce was very real it isn't a huge leap to imagine a desperate man with powerful friends might plot to kill his estranged wife.

valium, my bad English. I believe one of the sons supported the programme. That was all. The wikipedia entry on Lucan is a pretty good fair description of what might have happened.
Lucan alleged in letters after that by terrible coincidence he arrived home when an intruder was kiling the nanny. His wife however said immediately after Lucan had done it. Also the metal bar was found in Lucan's car and there was no forced entry to the house so unlikely an intruder would be the explanation. I thought there was more about the children going out to Africa so he could see them from afar in the press recently than the wiki entry gives, something about children's passports showing the trips but may be that was wrong.

Very good TV. Looking forward to the second instalment. I think the focus switches to the police POV but may have it mixed up with something else

Mary-ok, thanks. I read your post as you knew Veronica and was all excited

I had a good old google about this, and it was Aspinal's secretary who came forward fairly recently to say that she had organised the trips for the children. She'd had to do it on either fake or duplicate passports for them, and it was so their Dad could see them from afar, so they wouldn't have come face to face with him. The children have claimed that the trips never took place.

It's all deeply sad, not only about the Nanny's death but that the children effectively lost their father over this. I really feel for his wife as well, it seems as though she just didn't stand a chance against Lucan and his support network, even if they supported him firmly believing him to be innocent.

One thing I found strange was when Aspinal ripped up Lucan's cheque and he kissed him, seemed very 'European' iykwim and not something that was done back then?

I enjoyed it and am looking forward to next Wed's concluding part. I was surprised it covered so much ground in Part 1. I'm wondering what they'll focus on in Part 2.

I remember the case when it happened.

The one person who is always forgotten in this case is Sandra Rivett's little son.

Ah yes, womma, I remember that in the press. The son says he was 18 when he had an Africa trip and the secretary's suggestions do not tally with the dates suggested. Perhaps we will never know.

Yes, the kissing of Lucan by A was very strange. I don't think there is any suggestion he is gay (and he married 3 times) unless they meant all his going on about alpha males might be some kind of bluff to cover up homosexual tendencies? I don't think so.

I think it was to show how close they were but it seemed so wrong for that time.

Sandra Rivett had two sons. One was brought up by her family, the other was adopted when he was a baby and didn't know he was her son until after his adoptive mother died not that long ago.

According to a good article in Radio Times last week, Sandra Rivett's adopted son has become obsessed with the case and had some depression which is very sad. Imagine finding out that was what happened to your mum when you were 40? He has got to know Lucan's youngest daughter, Camilla, who I think is a barrister and they are both opposed to this programme. I have to admit that I enjoyed it but feel a little guilty thinking about the families who are still suffering the fall out. I remember when it happened and the name"Sabdra Rivett" was certainly well known and I think she was mourned. I think people of my age would still know the name and what happened to her (without seeing this programme). I always thought he killed them both. What did Lady Lucan have to say I wonder?
I thought Christopher Ecclestone's accent was excellent and so was he as usual but what an unpleasant character.

I think Lady L was against the programme as profiting from other people's misery and has never or not often spoken to the press.

I though Christopher Ecclestone's posh accent was laughable, it ruined an other wise excellent production imo.

God, that scene on the beach where he hit her was so realistic it was harrowing to watch!

I can't remember who CE is but it was very well made. I agree about the beach scene. Men like that do it and then carry on as if nothing has happened at all - it was very accurately protrayed.
I think the wikipedia entry shows more the problems Lady L had, real mental health issues, rather than invented ones and perhaps is a little more balanced.

CE played Apinal.

Aspinal I mean

Ah, yes. He certainly said a lot of silly things about alpha males but that might be exactly how he was. I'll listen out for his accent in the next episode.
Did anyone suspect Lady L killed her nanny and then her husband and hid husband's body or was that never a theory?

I think the whole alpha male thing was said to illustrate his knowledge about gorillas.

Iirc that was ruled out as Veronica was minute compared to Lucan who was a biggish man. I'm sure I read that and haven't just made it up...

That certainly seems likely. It usually is a relative or spouse that kills not an intruder so the wife and husband would be obvious suspects.

Aspinall was an incredibly interesting character.

If you want an idea of just how interesting have a read of his obituary in the Guardian

Aspinall Obituary

Liked the bit about the swinging balls

Her daughter Frances was also with her. It's too far-fetched to think she could have killed Lucan and Sandra with a length of pipe and would have had to 'plant' a similar but unused piece of pipe in Lucan's borrowed car.
Then she'd have to have given an Oscar-winning performance for the customers of the Plumbers Arms.
Even Aspinall is alleged to have agreed before his death that Lucan did it.
The new piece of information for me was the programme said Aspinall had access to a boat at Newhaven. That's jus a few miles south of Uckfield where he visited SMS after the murder and is the crossing point to Dieppe. His car was found in Newhaven.
I think he survived. It's incredibly difficult to prevent a body being found. I remember at the time they said that if he'd drowned the body would wash up and even if it was weighted, some evidence would eventually surface.
I think he went to Gabon or Mozambique.

And if lady Lucan had done it, what was he doing in the house anyway? Unless she then went round to where he lived, killed him and his the body. Surely SHE knew it was him, didn't she say so??

Yes, seems like Lucan did it so I cannot understand why his children and I think the ex wife now say no court of law proved it, although I suppose technically that is accurate.

It's odd that his children don't believe their mother who claims to have seen him in the house and who they then lived with for 10 years and prefer to believe she is lying.
I presume that as their aunt got custody of them 10 years after the event and they are estranged from their mother she isn't an easy woman to get on with and is probably too sympathetically portrayed in the TV drama and Lucan maybe had good reason to want custody of the children. if that is so had he left them with her he'd have eventually gained control anyway or they'd have chosen to be with him, although at least he vanished when there was some money left, had he continued to gamble they'd have all been destitute and maybe his kids wouldn't have been so sympathetic towards him.
I think Chris E's accent is fine, posh people sounded much posher in those days and accents from then do sound rather forced, especially the very posh. Aspinall is much more interesting than Lucan and the one who really deserved to go to prison, a total psychopath, charming but egocentric and no concern for the consequences of his actions.