''Maxine'' is a British three-part television drama miniseries, based on the story of Maxine Carr's involvement in the 2002

Soham murders The Soham murders were a double child murder committed in Soham, Cambridgeshire, Cambridgeshire, England, on 4 August 2002. The victims were two 10-year-old girls, Holly Marie Wells and Jessica Amiee Chapman, who were lured into the home of a l ...

, where 10-year-olds Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman were killed by Carr's boyfriend Ian Huntley. It was first broadcast in the United Kingdom on Channel 5 in October 2022.

Cast

The series features

Jemma Carlton Jemma Carlton is an English actress. She made her screen debut in the titular role of the Channel 5 and Netflix true crime drama '' Maxine'' (2022). She has since appeared in The Cleaner for BBC (2023), as Cathy Swire alongside Colin Firth in th ...

, in her first television role, as Maxine Carr, and Scott Reid as Ian Huntley. Other cast members include

Steve Edge Steve Edge (born 2 November 1972) is an English actor, writer and former stand-up comedian. He is most famous for his work on '' Starlings'', '' Phoenix Nights'', '' The Cup'', '' The Visit'', '' Peep Show'', ''Benidorm'', ''The Madame Blanc ...

, Barry John Kinsella and Kate O'Toole.

Critical reception

The series was received poorly by critics, with a review by

Lucy Mangan Lucy Mangan (born 1974) is a British journalist and author. She is a columnist, features writer and TV critic for ''The Guardian'' and an opinion writer for '' i'' news. Early life and education Mangan was born in 1974 and grew up in Catford, ...

in ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'' describing it as "a show about the Soham murders that is both pointless and dangerous", while ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

'' quoted a viewer as labelling it as being in "absurdly bad taste". According to the ''

Daily Mirror The ''Daily Mirror'' is a British national daily Tabloid journalism, tabloid newspaper. Founded in 1903, it is part of Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN), which is owned by parent company Reach plc. From 1985 to 1987, and from 1997 to 2002, the tit ...

'', "several Channel 5 viewers found it hard to stomach, particularly as they claimed that the drama seemed to be portraying Carr as a 'victim'". Channel 5 defended the decision to produce the series, with director of programmes Ben Frow being quoted as saying "it's not about the murders, it's about a woman who came from a very challenging upbringing" and "I think we have been deeply respectful to the victims, whilst shining a light on some very challenging issues".

References

External links

* {{IMDb title 2022 British television series debuts 2022 British television series endings 2020s British crime drama television series 2020s British television miniseries Channel 5 (British TV channel) television dramas Cultural depictions of British people British English-language television shows Television series set in 2002 Television shows set in Cambridgeshire True crime television series