The writer of a new TV drama has described how his Nottinghamshire village was 'invaded' following two murders that inspired the series. James Graham's new BBC One drama Sherwood is loosely based on the murders of newly-wed Chanel Taylor and 62-year-old ex-miner Keith Frogson in 2004, and takes place in Annesley Woodhouse, where the show's creator grew up.
Both killers had gone to ground in woodland near the village, leading to one of the biggest police manhunts in British history. Along with this causing panic in the village, the situation was complicated by a lingering distrust towards the arriving police officers after the miners' strike in 1984, according to Sherwood's creator.
The screenwriter told Nottinghamshire Live about how the feeling that his home was under 'foreign invasion' during the national manhunt drove him to write the TV show, which will air on Monday, June 13, at 9pm. Mr Graham, who at 21 years old had returned to Annesley Woodhouse in 2004 after studying in Yorkshire, said: "I did not want to take any of the personal experiences lightly and, as someone who lived in the village, I was very aware of the specifics of the story. With all the police and the atmosphere after the strikes, it really did feel like an invading foreign force, with a big lockdown in place."
