Appropriate Adult

Appropriate Adult is a British crime drama television film shown in two parts on ITV, on 4 and 11 September 2011. It is based on the true story of Gloucester serial killer Fred West and his wife Rosemary West. It dealt with the events between the Wests' arrests in February 1994 and Fred's suicide in Birmingham's Winson Green Prison on New Year's Day 1995. The series stars Dominic West, Monica Dolan and Emily Watson as the protagonists of the story, Fred and Rose West, and Janet Leach, respectively. The series was named after the role of Janet Leach as an "appropriate adult" during the questioning of Fred West. The senior investigator wanted to ensure that there could be no suggestion that West did not understand any part of the process, so arrangements were made so that he had an "appropriate adult" present to ensure this at all times. It was well received critically and received eight BAFTA television award nominations, with West and Watson winning the best actor and actress awards respectively, Dolan the best supporting actress award and co-producer Kwadjo Dajan the breakthrough talent award. Plot In Gloucester in February 1994, social worker Janet Leach is an appropriate adult, someone present during police interviews with children or vulnerable adults. She attends a police interview with Fred West, who confesses to killing his daughter, Heather, in 1987 and burying her in his back garden. Fred privately tells Janet there were more victims, but appropriate adults cannot share conversations. After the police find the remains of several women buried at the West home, Fred says that one of them is a lodger, Shirley Robinson, killed in 1978 when she was pregnant with his child.