Tod Productions and STV Productions have secured the rights to a true crime book on the infamous ‘Jigsaw Murders’.
“We’re thrilled to have Tod as part of the STV Productions family and The Jigsaw Murders is a fantastic addition to their already strong development slate of distinctive, high quality shows. There’s a real appetite for true crime based drama and we’re delighted Elaine Collins at Tod has seen the huge potential in this exciting new work, which we know will hold tremendous appeal.” – David Mortimer, Managing Director of STV Productions
Tod Productions and production partner, STV Productions, have optioned The Jigsaw Murders: The True Story of the Ruxton Killings and the Birth of Modern Forensics – a new true crime book written by journalist and author, Jeremy Craddock. Due for release in 2021, the book throws new light on the murder mystery that electrified the public and press across the UK in the 1930s.
In September 1935, Dr Buck Ruxton murdered his wife and their nanny before disposing of their bodies in the Scottish borders. Sensationally billed as ‘the Jigsaw Murders’, it took the genius of Professors Sydney Smith and John Glaister in Edinburgh, and their ground-breaking forensic techniques, to painstakingly piece together and identify the bodies. But as justice closed in, and armed with the most famous lawyer in the land, could Ruxton escape justice?
In The Jigsaw Murders, author and journalist Jeremy Craddock tells for the first time in detail the story of these horrific killings. He brings to life all of the main players, from the enigmatic and charismatic Ruxton, to his victims Isabella Ruxton and Mary Rogerson; and the first-rate police officers, lawyers and scientists who grappled with a landmark case that led to the birth of modern forensics.
“I am absolutely thrilled that The Jigsaw Murders has been optioned for TV by Elaine Collins and Tod Productions. I am a huge fan of her work, especially Shetland and Vera, and I feel privileged that she has seen potential in my work. This is a story that has haunted me since I was a child, a landmark case that changed the way forensic pathologists help to solve murders. And yet it is a case that is largely forgotten today. Most previous accounts focus solely on the lurid aspects, ignoring the human drama behind it all. My book – and hopefully a TV drama – will tell the full story of the people behind the sensational headlines for the first time.” – Author of The Jigsaw Murders, Jeremy Craddock
