The Bambers: Murder at the farm - Sky Crime documentary

[Nicholas]

“It’s a story that’s socially important, with a powerfully compelling narrative, and the intention is to tell it in a way that is both sensitive and creatively ambitious. It’s obviously a big responsibility taking on a subject that’s touched the lives of so many people in such a tragic way. But I’m confident we can make it much more than a true crime documentary. This is a story not only about the criminal justice system but about family and adoption, class and religion, mental health and the undeserved stigma around it.”

https://static.skyassets.com/contentstack/assets/bltdc2476c7b6b194dd/blt3dbe220b742d87f6/600df86f533a1810075f5d6b/Look-ahead-V4-PR.pdf

Was the 4 part Mindhouse doc a flop?

[Nicholas]

“It’s a story that’s socially important, with a powerfully compelling narrative, and the intention is to tell it in a way that is both sensitive and creatively ambitious. It’s obviously a big responsibility taking on a subject that’s touched the lives of so many people in such a tragic way. But I’m confident we can make it much more than a true crime documentary. This is a story not only about the criminal justice system but about family and adoption, class and religion, mental health and the undeserved stigma around it.”

https://static.skyassets.com/contentstack/assets/bltdc2476c7b6b194dd/blt3dbe220b742d87f6/600df86f533a1810075f5d6b/Look-ahead-V4-PR.pdf

I don’t recall the Mindhouse docuseries mentioning anything about imprisoned dangerous psychopathic predators

There was no mention of killer cults

A documentary that looks at both the cult and the case of Bamber i would watch but it's fair to point out that we don't know what the tone and content will be yet. It's perhaps a good sign the CT are worried but remember, the CT complained about the ITV drama before it was aired because they weren't allowed to write and direct but actually, IMO, it oversimplified the case against him making his conviction look much weaker than it really is, at the same time raising the profile of the case for a while and of those interested in finding out more, there were undoubtedly some that found the CT propaganda convincing, IMO because those open to conspiracy theories are easily suggestible.

Nothing about the various agendas at play

And nothing about ‘The Dizzying Cycle of Narcissism’ ⬇️

https://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/idealize-devalue-discard-the-dizzying-cycle-of-narcissism-0325154

[Myster]

Was the 4 part Mindhouse doc a flop?

A flop?!  No, a flipping success more like!  Amusing to watch twitching Tatchell's distorted view of the call logs rubbished by Michael West, and Williams-Thomas fuming over Sheila Caffell's compliance and the sound moderator.  No, it wasn't "Mad!!... Absolutely Mad!!!"... Sheila could have fainted or simply froze at the frightening sight of an intruder threatening her with a weapon in her docile, drugged-up state, and when Bamber realised the trigger was too far for her to reach with moderator fitted, he panicked, wiped it clean (or so he thought) and replaced it in the gun cupboard as if it had never been on the rifle at all.  If he'd disposed of the moderator elsewhere, questions would have been asked about its whereabouts because Anthony Pargeter knew one was attached a week or two before.

All in all, another few nails hammered in the case coffin by Mike Ainsley, Chris Bews, Barbara Wilson, Tora Tomkinson, Anthony Arlidge QC, Carol Ann Lee, James Richards, Andrew Taylor, David Boutflour, and dare I mention... Brett Collins. Just a pity Stan Jones and Bob Miller weren't alive to contribute.

[Nicholas]

A flop?!  No, a flipping success more like!  Amusing to watch twitching Tatchell's distorted view of the call logs rubbished by Michael West, and Williams-Thomas fuming over Sheila Caffell's compliance and the sound moderator.  No, it wasn't "Mad!!... Absolutely Mad!!!"... Sheila could have fainted or simply froze at the frightening sight of an intruder threatening her with a weapon in her docile, drugged-up state, and when Bamber realised the trigger was too far for her to reach with moderator fitted, he panicked, wiped it clean (or so he thought) and replaced it in the gun cupboard as if it had never been on the rifle at all.  If he'd disposed of the moderator elsewhere, questions would have been asked about its whereabouts because Anthony Pargeter knew one was attached a week or two before.

All in all, another few nails hammered in the case coffin by Mike Ainsley, Chris Bews, Barbara Wilson, Tora Tomkinson, Anthony Arlidge QC, Carol Ann Lee, James Richards, Andrew Taylor, David Boutflour, and dare I mention... Brett Collins. Just a pity Stan Jones and Bob Miller weren't alive to contribute.

I didn’t think it was

There was no mention of Anji (Angela) and Virginia Greaves for a start - both of whom were ‘friends’ of Bamber’s and were seemingly sleeping with him around the time of the murders. Although it’s not clear from any of the material available online when the sisters and Bamber had really started up their ‘affairs’ ?

Sky’s blurb for episode 3 reads in part,

‘The tabloids hunt his girlfriend, Julie’

https://www.sky.com/watch/title/series/88834c5f-a6ab-4ef3-9922-98f9cb4708b3/the-bambers-murder-at-the-farm-88834c5f-a6ab-4ef3-9922-98f9cb4708b3/episodes/season-1/episode-3

What about Bamber’s other girlfriends ?

[Nicholas]

A flop?!  No, a flipping success more like!  Amusing to watch twitching Tatchell's distorted view of the call logs rubbished by Michael West, and Williams-Thomas fuming over Sheila Caffell's compliance and the sound moderator.  No, it wasn't "Mad!!... Absolutely Mad!!!"... Sheila could have fainted or simply froze at the frightening sight of an intruder threatening her with a weapon in her docile, drugged-up state, and when Bamber realised the trigger was too far for her to reach with moderator fitted, he panicked, wiped it clean (or so he thought) and replaced it in the gun cupboard as if it had never been on the rifle at all.  If he'd disposed of the moderator elsewhere, questions would have been asked about its whereabouts because Anthony Pargeter knew one was attached a week or two before.

All in all, another few nails hammered in the case coffin by Mike Ainsley, Chris Bews, Barbara Wilson, Tora Tomkinson, Anthony Arlidge QC, Carol Ann Lee, James Richards, Andrew Taylor, David Boutflour, and dare I mention... Brett Collins. Just a pity Stan Jones and Bob Miller weren't alive to contribute.

If it were such a ‘success’ why aren’t the media reporting on this?

[Nicholas]

Patrick O’Connor was also involved in the ‘Birmingham 6’ and ‘Guildford 4’ cases and was Michael Mansfield’s deputy in relation to the appeals of Reginald Dudley and Robert Maynard - both of whom were convicted of murdering William Moseley and Michael Cornwall ⬇️

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/2131783.stm

‘Mending our ‘safety net.’ was written by Patrick O’Connor ⬇️

https://doughty-street-chambers.newsweaver.com/Appeals/5nlr330255r

John Bray was said to be a ‘principle campaigner’ alongside others - see here http://www.mojuk.org.uk/justice/Nicktucker.PDF and was apparently ‘instrumental in securing the release of Dudley and Maynard’

John Bray on convicted/exonerated killer Sion Jenkins https://www.theargus.co.uk/news/1197341.call-to-reopen-billie-jo-inquiry/

[Myster]

If it were such a ‘success’ why aren’t the media reporting on this?

They're not reporting it was a failure either... or even reporting it at all.  The last and only review afaiaw was two weeks ago, and simply said that viewers were hooked, when I think the reality is that few people are interested and are suffering from Bamber drama/documentary overload.

[Nicholas]

They're not reporting it was a failure either... or even reporting it at all.  The last and only review afaiaw was two weeks ago, and simply said that viewers were hooked, when I think the reality is that few people are interested and are suffering from Bamber drama/documentary overload.

The ‘hooked’ reference was in relation to one viewer ⬇️

On 27th September 2021 an article for Tyla headed ‘Viewers Are ‘Hooked’ Watching Louis Theroux’s True Crime Series The Bambers: Murder At The Farm’ by a Gregory Robinson stated,

‘Viewers are already engrossed in the series, which is executive produced by Theroux. One viewer reacted to the series on Twitter, writing: "Anyone watching the Bambers, Murder At The Farm? Bloody hooked."
While a second viewer tweeted: "Watching Bamber: Murder at the Farm on @SkyCrimeUK. Fascinating."
And a third Twitter user called the case "so tragic".
https://www.tyla.com/tv-and-film/louis-theroux-the-bambers-murder-at-the-farm-sky-crime-documentary-20210927

The interest in Bamber does appear to be minimal - apart from his handful or so of long term supporters.

There was another article written around the same time by someone called Ellen Smith here https://www.fm104.ie/news/buzz/viewers-are-binging-louis-therouxs-new-crime-documentary/
They’ve included a couple of tweets - including the tweet where the ‘hooked’ reference was made

[Nicholas]

The last and only review afaiaw was two weeks ago, and simply said that viewers were hooked,

The ‘hooked’ reference was in relation to one viewer ⬇️

This from Helen Archer (12th October 2021)

‘Some true crimes seem destined to endure, their victims never fully laid to rest. The reasons for their perpetuity are manifold – perhaps they shine a light on institutional failings, or flawed investigations which led to miscarriages of justice. Perhaps they have never been solved. Perhaps it is the sheer brutality of the crimes, and the number of lives they devastated. In the case of the murder of the Bamber family at White House Farm in 1985, the explanation for the ongoing fascination is simple – Jeremy Bamber continues to loudly protest his innocence from behind bars, where he’s serving five life sentences for the killings.

It was, of course, a shocking crime – and one seemingly custom-made for salacious tabloid headlines. Steadfast father Nevill, God-fearing mother June, their troubled and vulnerable daughter Sheila, and her 6-year-old twin sons, Nicholas and Daniel, were murdered, executioner-style, in their remote Essex farmhouse. Initially, Sheila was blamed, with police quickly adopting the theory that she had killed her family before turning the gun on herself. The crime scene was fatally compromised and crucial evidence was destroyed. But the actions of Jeremy – the Bamber’s remaining son, who lived in the nearby village of Goldhanger – soon began to arouse suspicion, and he was ultimately tried and convicted for the murders.

Much of the case, at this stage, is well known. It has inspired numerous documentaries, and a recent ITV dramatisation White House Farm, starring Freddie Fox, Mark Addy and Stephen Graham. Now, Louis Theroux’s new production company Mindhouse Productions tackles it, with a detailed and engrossing 4-part series, directed by Lottie Gammon. Regardless of how well you think you know the case, this is eminently watchable.

While in many ways, it’s a very British documentary, it also adheres to the conventions of the more modern, Netflix-style true crime series. The pacing is exemplary – it’s an ideal binge-watch, each episode leaving you ready for more. The momentum builds from the outset, as it examines the night of the murder, interviewing some of the initial response team – through to the elegiac ending, in which friends of Sheila speak to her character, and others, intimately involved with the case, express their surety of Jeremy’s conviction.

On Jeremy’s side, there is the random inclusion of wannabe web sleuth and Bamber supporter, who runs a Facebook page that charts alleged inconsistencies in the evidence. His voice is heard in interviews recorded by a reporter investigating the case. Jeremy’s friend at the time, New Zealander Brett Collins, who Jeremy accompanied to the French Riviera in the wake of his family’s funeral, is now more circumspect about his proclaimed innocence. Colin Caffell – the father of Sheila’s twins, Nicholas and Daniel – refused to take part, doubtless because he wants to finally try to put this behind him. Julie Mugford – the girlfriend of Jeremy who testified against him and who was integral in his conviction – is, as usual, conspicuous by her absence. A former editor of the News of the World, who paid her £25,000 for her story and accompanying glamour shots, now shakes his head ruefully at the wisdom of the full-page spread.

But if the series belongs to anyone, it’s Bamber’s cousin David Boutflour, who is featured here and is also seen in archive footage, similarly bemused, tearful and horrified, despite the 35-year gap between interviews. It is, he says in the final episode, the last time he is going to speak about this, wanting to finally lay his family to rest – but also wanting to tell their story for posterity, before he dies.

And it does seem as though this should be the last word on the subject, both for him and for us. Gammon has done such a thorough and engrossing job that any further public interrogations seem in increasingly bad taste. As one of Sheila’s friends points out, it’s not just that people are questioning the strength of Jeremy’s conviction; it’s that, by doing so, they are also insisting on Sheila’s guilt. As a belated remedy to the misogynistic mauling Sheila was subjected to in the immediate aftermath of her death, The Bambers: Murder at the Farm is effective. While Theroux has lamented that this documentary won’t please everyone, it’s as balanced as it can be, while also restoring some of the dignity and humanity to a family so brutally and pointlessly slain in their own home.
https://vodzilla.co/reviews/true-crime-tuesdays-the-bambers-murder-at-the-farm/

[Nicholas]

This from Helen Archer (12th October 2021)

‘Some true crimes seem destined to endure, their victims never fully laid to rest. The reasons for their perpetuity are manifold – perhaps they shine a light on institutional failings, or flawed investigations which led to miscarriages of justice. Perhaps they have never been solved. Perhaps it is the sheer brutality of the crimes, and the number of lives they devastated. In the case of the murder of the Bamber family at White House Farm in 1985, the explanation for the ongoing fascination is simple – Jeremy Bamber continues to loudly protest his innocence from behind bars, where he’s serving five life sentences for the killings.

It was, of course, a shocking crime – and one seemingly custom-made for salacious tabloid headlines. Steadfast father Nevill, God-fearing mother June, their troubled and vulnerable daughter Sheila, and her 6-year-old twin sons, Nicholas and Daniel, were murdered, executioner-style, in their remote Essex farmhouse. Initially, Sheila was blamed, with police quickly adopting the theory that she had killed her family before turning the gun on herself. The crime scene was fatally compromised and crucial evidence was destroyed. But the actions of Jeremy – the Bamber’s remaining son, who lived in the nearby village of Goldhanger – soon began to arouse suspicion, and he was ultimately tried and convicted for the murders.

Much of the case, at this stage, is well known. It has inspired numerous documentaries, and a recent ITV dramatisation White House Farm, starring Freddie Fox, Mark Addy and Stephen Graham. Now, Louis Theroux’s new production company Mindhouse Productions tackles it, with a detailed and engrossing 4-part series, directed by Lottie Gammon. Regardless of how well you think you know the case, this is eminently watchable.

While in many ways, it’s a very British documentary, it also adheres to the conventions of the more modern, Netflix-style true crime series. The pacing is exemplary – it’s an ideal binge-watch, each episode leaving you ready for more. The momentum builds from the outset, as it examines the night of the murder, interviewing some of the initial response team – through to the elegiac ending, in which friends of Sheila speak to her character, and others, intimately involved with the case, express their surety of Jeremy’s conviction.

On Jeremy’s side, there is the random inclusion of wannabe web sleuth and Bamber supporter, who runs a Facebook page that charts alleged inconsistencies in the evidence. His voice is heard in interviews recorded by a reporter investigating the case. Jeremy’s friend at the time, New Zealander Brett Collins, who Jeremy accompanied to the French Riviera in the wake of his family’s funeral, is now more circumspect about his proclaimed innocence. Colin Caffell – the father of Sheila’s twins, Nicholas and Daniel – refused to take part, doubtless because he wants to finally try to put this behind him. Julie Mugford – the girlfriend of Jeremy who testified against him and who was integral in his conviction – is, as usual, conspicuous by her absence. A former editor of the News of the World, who paid her £25,000 for her story and accompanying glamour shots, now shakes his head ruefully at the wisdom of the full-page spread.

But if the series belongs to anyone, it’s Bamber’s cousin David Boutflour, who is featured here and is also seen in archive footage, similarly bemused, tearful and horrified, despite the 35-year gap between interviews. It is, he says in the final episode, the last time he is going to speak about this, wanting to finally lay his family to rest – but also wanting to tell their story for posterity, before he dies.

And it does seem as though this should be the last word on the subject, both for him and for us. Gammon has done such a thorough and engrossing job that any further public interrogations seem in increasingly bad taste. As one of Sheila’s friends points out, it’s not just that people are questioning the strength of Jeremy’s conviction; it’s that, by doing so, they are also insisting on Sheila’s guilt. As a belated remedy to the misogynistic mauling Sheila was subjected to in the immediate aftermath of her death, The Bambers: Murder at the Farm is effective. While Theroux has lamented that this documentary won’t please everyone, it’s as balanced as it can be, while also restoring some of the dignity and humanity to a family so brutally and pointlessly slain in their own home.
https://vodzilla.co/reviews/true-crime-tuesdays-the-bambers-murder-at-the-farm/

And the misogyny of Bamber’s innocence fraud campaign is ever present

[Nicholas]

Kimberly Godbolt from ‘Talented people’ has interviewed Flo Barrow, Lottie Gammon and Suzy Burnett

The interview is available via ‘Talented people’s’ Facebook page

It’s only had ‘16 views’

It’s mainly about them and ‘Talented people’ advertising

[Nicholas]

Was he cleaning his Porsche when the film crew turned up or did he suggest they film him cleaning it so he could gloat to Bamber?

Obviously the latter, a set-up.

Mindhouse TV apparently tried to coax Yvonne Hartley to sit on a bed to receive a telephone call from Bamber

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=n7qnCKGr980

[Nicholas]

Mindhouse TV apparently tried to coax Yvonne Hartley to sit on a bed to receive a telephone call from Bamber

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=n7qnCKGr980

According to Yvonne Hartley she ‘did hundreds of hours’ with Mindhouse TV

They went to her house ‘twice’

Apparently Nancy Strang (Louis Theroux’s wife) approached the campaign team in 2019 in the first instance to make an ‘unbiased - showing both sides programme’

Yvonne Hartley claims of Nancy Strang,

‘From what she expressed in that they were going to show all the facts of the case as well as all the new evidence - it was asserted to us time and again .. ‘

[Nicholas]

Mindhouse TV apparently tried to coax Yvonne Hartley to sit on a bed to receive a telephone call from Bamber
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=n7qnCKGr980

According to Yvonne Hartley she ‘did hundreds of hours’ with Mindhouse TV

They went to her house ‘twice’

Yvonne Hartley states she/the campagn team (?) spoke to Mindhouse productions via Zoom, on the telephone - she also went filming with them and they (The CT) were ‘fully engaging with’ Mindhouse productions

[Nicholas]

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=n7qnCKGr980

Yvonne Hartley stated,

‘We have a lot of media contacts and a lot of industry contacts - we were contacted by one of our industry contacts that the director had been going around the office saying “jeremy’s guilty jeremys guilty” - they had no intention of making a balanced programme..’