A major three-part true-crime drama about the notorious John Cooper Pembrokeshire murders is due to air early next year.

Luke Evans takes the lead in true crime drama The Pembrokeshire Murders, a three-part mini-series depicting the pursuit of a cold-blooded serial killer.

The drama is adapted from the book Catching the Bullseye Killer, written by Senior Investigating Officer Steve Wilkins and ITV news journalist Jonathan Hill.

Luke Evans (Dracula Untold, The Alienist, The Great Train Robbery) takes the role of Steve Wilkins and John Cooper is played by Keith Allen.

The Pembrokeshire Murders will be broadcast over three days Monday, January 11, Tuesday 12 & Wednesday 13 at 9pm on ITV.

The series has been commissioned by ITV’s Head of Drama, Polly Hill, the drama is from the makers of Line of Duty and Bodyguard, World Productions, and will be executive produced by Simon Heath, the company’s CEO.

The mini-series is written by Nick Stevens (In Plain Sight) directed by Marc Evans (Manhunt, Safe House) and produced by Ed Talfan (Hinterland, Hidden) for Wales-based Severn Screen.

As Pembrokeshire residents well know, two unsolved double murders from the 1980s cast a shadow over the work of the Dyfed-Powys police force.

Brother and sister Helen and Richard Thomas were killed in 1985 and husband and wife Peter and Gwenda Dixon in 1989.

In 2006, newly promoted Detective Superintendent Steve Wilkins decided to reopen both cases.

Employing pioneering forensic methods, DS Wilkins and his handpicked team found microscopic DNA and fibres that potentially linked the murders to a string of burglaries committed in the 80s and 90s.

The perpetrator of those robberies was nearing the end of his prison sentence, but if DS Wilkins was right, he was also a serial killer.

Could DS Wilkins and his team find enough forensic evidence to charge their suspect before he was released to potentially kill again?

Luke Evans said earlier this year: “It is a privilege to be playing the role of Steve Wilkins in The Pembrokeshire Murders and working again with Simon Heath, his team at World Productions and ITV."