Inside No. 9's Steve Pemberton to star in Channel 4 drama about Tony Martin burglary case

Inside No. 9 and Benidorm star Steve Pemberton is to star in a one-hour Channel 4 drama about the famous Tony Martin burglary case.

In 1999, Martin – a 55-year-old farmer from Norfolk – was sentenced to life in prison after shooting dead a 16-year-old burglar called Fred Barras with a pump-action shotgun.

The court case became a national scandal, as it turned out that Martin owned his shotgun illegally. Also, the prosecution claimed that he opened fire without warning, shooting Barras in the back at close range in revenge for several other burglaries that Martin claimed had taken place in the past. In contrast, Martin said he was simply defending himself with reasonable force.

Following an appeal, Martin’s life sentence was reduced to three years, and the charge was revised to manslaughter rather than murder.

The drama, currently titled The Interrogation, will focus on the three days of police questioning that Martin faced immediately after the incident took place.

Pemberton said of the upcoming series: “This is a fascinating story which divided public opinion at the time – and is currently even more poignant.

“Now we finally get to hear the account directly from Tony Martin, I’m looking forward to being part of such a groundbreaking drama.”

“This is the missing part of an extraordinary story that captivated and divided the country,” adds the show’s executive producer Peter Beard.

“Finally, we will hear exactly what Tony Martin told detectives in the confines of a police interview room just hours after he was arrested. For the first time it’s his own account in his words.”

Also starring in the drama are Line of Duty‘s Daniel Mays and The Fall‘s Stuart Graham.

Source: Read Full Article