Louis Theroux reveals why ‘legit’ people believe five-time killer Jeremy Bamber is innocent
After appearing on screen with neo-Nazis, violent prisoners, drug addicts and Jimmy Savile, Louis Theroux says he doesn’t shy away from “the troubling side of life”.
But for his latest project, the documentary maker has stepped away from the camera to delve into one of the UK’s most notorious murder cases.
Jeremy Bamber has spent more than three decades in jail after being convicted of fatally shooting his adoptive parents Nevill and June, his sister Sheila Caffell and her six-year-old twin sons, Daniel and Nicholas, in 1985.
White House Farm near Maldon, Essex, where the murders took place
June Bamber (L), her daughter Sheila Caffell and grandchildren Nicholas and Daniel were all killed
He has always protested his innocence and insists the murders at the family’s farmhouse in Essex were committed by Ms Caffell – a model nicknamed “Bambi” who was diagnosed with schizophrenia – before she turned the gun on herself.
It is a version of events that police initially believed, and Theroux says there are “legit” people who think Bamber is serving a whole-life prison term for a crime he didn’t carry out.
“Across the board you’ll find people who believe there were serious problems with the case, in terms of how it was investigated and how it was prosecuted,” he tells Sky News.
“There are things that are quite hard to explain on both sides.
“There was no forensic evidence of his presence at the farm, which is kind of extraordinary.”
Jeremy Bamber was convicted of murdering five members of his family: Pic: Anglia Press Agency/Sky UK
Theroux says former detective Mark Williams-Thomas – who helped expose Savile’s sexual abuse – is one of those who believes Bamber “didn’t do it”.
He explains: “There’s a lot that’s positive about people attempting to find cases of historic crime in which there may have been an error.
“A lot of them are legit people. There are a lot of prominent journalists who would say they would feel Bamber is innocent.
“It’s not by any means a kind of fringe belief.”
While viewers are used to seeing Theroux feature in his documentaries, he is executive producer of The Bambers: Murder At The Farm, a new four-part series which re-examines the case and explores evidence that has emerged since the original trial.
It features first-hand testimony and previously unseen archive footage, as well as recordings of Bamber talking to a journalist while in jail.
Bamber, who is serving a whole life prison term, continues to protest his innocence
So does Theroux himself believe Bamber committed the murders?
He remains tight-lipped on that, apologising for being “coy”, but admits the documentary has made him ask questions about who was responsible.
Theroux says: “Whether you think Jeremy Bamber did it or whether you think Sheila did it, both scenarios have anomalies, or at least require one to accept… surprising and in some cases seemingly anomalous details.
“The journey I went on was hearing something and going ‘If Jeremy Bamber did it, how did they explain that?’ – or ‘If Sheila did it, how would they explain that?'”
He adds: “Because of the nature of the case, we’re not in the realm of absolute certainty.”
Bamber (R) was branded ‘warped and evil beyond belief’ by a judge. Pic: Sky UK
The documentary’s makers had hoped to interview Bamber, but director Lottie Gammon says the Ministry of Justice refused to allow it.
She says some of those campaigning for Bamber’s release have “legitimate” concerns, including how police treated the murder scene.
“There’s a lot of question marks over their behaviour,” she says.
“No one really clearly explains – because they didn’t really have to during the trial – how did he do this crime? That’s not something that was nailed down.
“Because there are these loose threads, many loose threads, it’s easy for people to look at it and have questions.
“I think this case is quite suited to the online world now of deep diving into these cases – especially over lockdown, these groups have really proliferated.”
Bamber (L) pictured being escorted by an officer. Pic: Anglia Press Agency/Sky UK
Bamber has lost several legal challenges over his conviction since the original trial, including an appeal which was dismissed in 2002.
At the time, the Court of Appeal judges said the more they examined the detail of the case, the more likely they thought that “the jury were right”.
They also concluded there was no conduct by the police or prosecution which would have “adversely affected the jury’s verdict”.
In 2011, Bamber contacted Ofcom over a documentary about him which he claimed invaded his privacy – but the complaint was rejected.
Theroux believes the convicted killer will “probably take issue with parts” of his latest series.
“Whether or not you believe he did it, he’s on a campaign to have himself freed,” he says.
“I think he’d appreciate the fact we’ve done a nuanced and forensic view, but we’ve clearly included material that undermines or disputes that (campaign).”
Bamber has lost several legal challenges over his conviction
The four-part series, airing on Sky Crime, has been made by Theroux’s production company Mindhouse, which he founded with his wife, producer Nancy Strang, and fellow documentary maker Aaron Fellows.
Now aged 51, Theroux says he intends to keep making documentaries for another “good 25 to 30 years”.
“You could either say that’s a lot or a little,” he adds.
“The stories I most enjoy are not overly cuddly. I think there’s a reason I’ve been on BBC2 for 25 years, as opposed to BBC1.
“I’m interested in stories that have a dimension to them that is in some ways troubling.
“I don’t think you should shy away from the troubling side of life – that’s sort of my bread and butter.”
Louis Theroux is the executive producer of The Bambers: Murder At The Farm. Pic: Freddie Claire
But despite the recent success of his celebrity interview podcast Grounded, a reboot of Theroux’s TV show When Louis Met… – when he famously spent time with the likes of Savile, Max Clifford and Neil and Christine Hamilton – isn’t on the cards.
“I’ve got a lot older. Times have changed, TV’s changed,” he says.
“It would be like doing Weird Weekends again. It would be quite weird, wouldn’t it?
“I would never rule out doing programmes that feature celebrities in… a single person profile, or go on a journey with someone and I’m on camera. I could see that happening and that would be fun.”
The Bambers: Murder At The Farm will premiere on Sky Crime and NOW on Sunday 26 September at 9pm.
Entertainment
‘People want you to stay in your lane’: Reese Witherspoon on her ‘deeply personal’ decision to write a novel
It is “pretty surreal”, Academy Award winner Reese Witherspoon admits, finding herself at the top of The New York Times bestsellers list.
When I meet the actress alongside her co-writer, best-selling author Harlan Coben, overnight the pair have learned that their thriller is now at number one.
He jokes: “I was texting her last night and saying you’ll now have to call yourself number one bestselling novelist, forget about Oscar winner!”
Reese Witherspoon and Harlan Coben told Katie Spencer about their novel Gone Before Goodbye
As one of the most successful authors in the world, Coben has sold over 80 million books to date, while for Witherspoon this is new ground.
Not content with running a hugely successful production company responsible for a string of hits, as well as one of the most successful book clubs in the world, she explains she felt compelled to give writing a try.
“People want you to stay in your lane… as a creative person I think it’s impossible to just choose one kind of life.
“Creativity is infinite and who I was as a creative person when I was 20 is very different from the person I am now at 49.”
Gone Before Goodbye, a thriller about a talented surgeon who finds herself caught up in a deadly conspiracy, is the result of Witherspoon daring to put her head above the parapet.
Witherspoon says she felt compelled to give writing a try
Coben admits he was “a little wary” at first.
“I don’t co-write novels but when she made the pitch and started talking about it, I was like ‘dang that’s good, we can do something with that’.”
While countless celebrities work with ghostwriters, Coben says: “I said to her from day one ‘it’s only going to be you and me in here… no third person in here, I don’t do that’. So every word you [read] comes from Reese and me.”
Coben has sold over 80 million books to date, while for Witherspoon this is new ground
Witherspoon explains: “He was like ‘if we’re going to do this, it’s going to have to be at a really high level because people going to expect a lot, so our bar was really high.”
“I said to her, in the beginning, novels are like a sausage,” Coben laughs. “You might like the final taste, but you don’t want to see how it was made and Reese got to see the full sausage getting made here.”
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When it came to writing, Coben says they “fell into a rhythm right away”, working together in three-hour stints, “back and forth with a yellow legal pad – what about this? What about that?”
Coben says they ‘fell into a rhythm right away’
Witherspoon says it “feels really deeply personal” to have their work now in print.
“Usually, as an actor, I walk into other people’s worlds and it’s already set up… but this was creating the whole world with Harlan and just from beginning to end feels very personal.”
While the story seems an obvious fit for being adapted to the screen, perhaps with a certain blonde actress in the leading role, Coben says that was never their intention.
“The biggest, biggest mistake novelists make when you write a book is to say ‘this would make a really great movie’. A book is a book, a movie is a movie, and we both focused on wanting this to be just a great reading experience.”
Given that their collaboration is already selling in big numbers, will the pair team up again to write a second?
Witherspoon says: “Let’s just see what people think of this one first.”
Kim Kardashian has revealed that she has been diagnosed with a brain aneurysm.
- Footage from the latest season of The Kardashians shows the reality TV star going for an imaging scan.
The 45-year-old appears to suggest her small aneurysm may have stemmed from stress.
Brain aneurysms are relatively common, with data suggesting they affect about one in every 50 people.
In many cases, patients may be unaware that they have one – as they tend to cause few symptoms when unruptured.
Brain aneurysms are common but often go undiagnosed. iStock file pic
Should an unruptured aneurysm grow to a larger size, it can cause headaches, balance problems and speech issues.
Those that burst are extremely dangerous and can prove fatal in some circumstances.
While aneurysms can emerge throughout the body, they are most typically found in the aorta, which carries blood out of the heart.
Research suggests brain aneurysms are most common in adults between the ages of 30 and 60 – with women disproportionately affected.
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Associate professor of neurology Dr Laura Stein told Sky’s US partner NBC News: ” The most well-described risk factors include a predisposition [family history of aneurysm], high blood pressure, cigarette smoking and inflammation.”
She went on to explain that most fatal ruptured aneurysms are in the brain, killing about one in three patients.
“When it’s a blood vessel that’s in the head and it bleeds, there’s a much higher risk of having a very bad problem just because the brain is enclosed in a fixed space,” Dr Stein added.
Low-risk aneurysms are monitored by doctors for growth or abnormalities, and there are a series of potential treatment options for those considered dangerous.
Elsewhere in The Kardashians clip, Kim admitted that her ex-husband Kanye West will be in her life “no matter what” because of the four kids they share together.
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