Show of the week: Killer Women with Piers Morgan

Although known for turns on Got Talent and The Apprentice, Piers Morgan is a journalist by trade, and brings that expertise to bear in this new true crime show.

Over two parts, Morgan speaks to three convicted killers. One is in prison for slaying her family, one for killing her spouse, and another for murdering her daughter. Morgan gets one-on-one time with each of the killers, conducted from inside of the maximum-security prison in which they are incarcerated.

He also speaks to the other people touched by the crimes, as well as revisiting the crime scenes and details of each case.

The show is produced by Plum Pictures, the prodco that has made a series of successful crime two-parters with veteran UK news presenter Trevor McDonald, including The Mafia with Trevor Macdonald, which has now sold into 55 territories.

Hat Trick International is selling the Piers Morgan series and has already shopped it to Nine Network and TV3 in Australia and New Zealand respectively.

The Scandis, well known for their noir drama, have also taken to the series with sales secured with TV4 in Sweden, DR in Denmark and MTV in Finland.

“There are a lot of crime docs about men, but the hook is that these are killer women,” says Hat Trick International sales director Sarah Tong.

“This is also about did they do it, as they each claims they didn’t; it really asks the question did they do it, and if they did then why?” Over its two-week primetime run on ITV in the UK, Killer Women with Piers Morgan averaged 4.8 million, a 20% share, giving Hat Trick’s Elfyn Morris good supporting numbers for his NATPE sales pitches.

The show: Killer Women with Piers Morgan
The producer: Plum Pictures
The distributor: Hat Trick International
The broadcaster: ITV (UK)
The concept: Two-part factual special in which Piers Morgan gets up close with female killers