Each episode focuses on a distinct murder that transformed once-idyllic landscapes into infamous crime scenes forever imprinted in local memory.
Through in-depth interviews with locals, forensic experts, and journalists, the series unravels the chilling details of each crime: from the relationships between perpetrators and victims, to the meticulous investigations and courtroom dramas that followed.
The stark contrast between the serene geography and the darkness of human acts becomes a poignant backdrop, echoing the profound impact these tragedies have had on the tight-knit communities they struck.
The Britain’s Countryside Killers episodes share a common theme in that they focus on cases which have achieved significant notoriety in rural areas of the United Kingdom. Although each case will be different in content, they all share common geography, making the countryside not only the stage where these crimes occurred but an important character that will feature throughout the series.
By filming in rural areas, the programmes capture both the characteristically wild and untamed nature of the locations, as well as the unique community and characters of the place and how the comfort of ordinary, everyday life is shattered by a story of violence. Providing context to each murder by touching on the human stories that imbue these locations, we will offer a sense of foreboding into the particulars of each case.
EPISODE 1: BEHIND THE MASK
Teenager Alex Davies was brutally murdered by Brian Healless, whom he met on a dating app. Healless, suffering from untreated paranoid schizophrenia, was sentenced to 24 years in 2020. This case raises important questions about mental health, criminal responsibility, and the complexities within the justice system.
EPISODE 2: BETRAYAL AND MURDER
33-year-old Katie Kenyon vanished from her home in Padiham, Lancashire. A chilling investigation revealed her manipulative ex-boyfriend, Andrew Burfield, 50, had trapped her in a cycle of fear. The documentary chronicles Burfield's deceitful lies to police and his eventual confession, leading authorities to Gisburn Forest where he had buried her body.
EPISODE 3: LAST SEEN
22-year-old Sian O'Callaghan vanished from a Swindon nightclub. This documentary details her last moments captured on CCTV and the grim discovery of her body. Insights from detectives illuminate the investigation, leading to the arrest of taxi driver Christopher Halliwell, while also revealing connections to another victim, Becky Godden-Edwards.
EPISODE 4: A LIFE CUT SHORT
18-year-old Ellen Higginbottom was murdered by 52-year-old Mark Buckley in Orrell Water Park, Wigan. After fleeing the scene with her laptop and phone, Buckley was caught by police. He confessed to the brutal attack but gave no motive. Buckley was sentenced to at least 31 years in prison.
EPISODE 5: LOST INNOCENCE
In this episode of Britain's Countryside Killers, we explore the tragic murder of 18-year-old Lily Sullivan in Pembroke, Wales. After a brief encounter with 31-year-old Lewis Haines, whose dark intentions led to violence, Lily's life was cut short.
EPISODE 6: FATAL ATTRACTION
Sarah Williams, whose obsession with Ian Johnston leads to the murder of his new partner, Sadie Hartley. Enlisting her friend Katrina, Sarah meticulously plans the crime, resulting in a brutal attack that devastates the quiet community of Helmshore.
EPISODE 7: THE COLD CASE
In December 2013, the peaceful village of Bosham in West Sussex was rocked by the murder of Valerie Graves. Cristian Sabou, linked to the scene, was arrested in Romania and extradited to the UK, where he pleaded guilty to Valerie's murder, exposing his violent intentions.
EPISODE 8: DARK DECEIT
Michael O'Leary is murdered by his best friend Andrew Jones after an affair with Andrew's wife. Lured to Andrew's farm under false pretenses, Michael is ambushed and executed.
EPISODE 9: THE TRAPPED
Georgia Williams, a 17-year-old from Shropshire, murdered by Jamie Reynolds. He, a disturbed individual with an obsession with violent pornography, meticulously planned her death under the guise of a photo shoot, revealing a chilling reality of premeditated violence and its devastating consequences.
EPISODE 10: THE VANISHED
Emma Caldwell, a 27-year-old sex worker whose body was found in Limefield Woods in 2005. Iain Packer, a sign installer with a violent past, evaded justice for years. Thanks to investigative journalism by Sam Poling, Packer was arrested in 2022 and convicted in February 2024, bringing some closure to Emma's case.