Excitement is building and the countdown is on for Olivia Colman’s new drama and if the star-studded trailer and imagery are anything to go by, it’s better than we could ever have imagined.

According to Sky, Landscapers tells the true story of the 1998 murders of Nottingham-residents William and Patricia Wycherley using extensive research and hours of interviews with those connected to the case.

Colman’s husband Ed Sinclair actually wrote and worked on the series for several years. Describing it as a “total love story” in an interview with Sky, Colman (who plays Susan) says: “[Ed] was looking for something to write for me, which is very nice … just purely from an acting point of view, it was a great opportunity to play someone like that.”

Here’s what we know about the show, which is being directed by Will Sharpe (whose credits include The Electrical Life of Louis Wain, Flowers and The Darkest Universe), so far.

What’s the plot of Landscapers?

Inspired by real events, Landscapers brings us the story of mild-mannered Susan and her husband, in what Sky describes as “a unique love story involving a seemingly ordinary couple”. The show asks us how they came to kill Susan’s parents, and bury them in the back garden of their Mansfield home, in a crime that remained undiscovered for over a decade. 

Speaking about the plot of Landscapers, Colman said: “It’s about a couple, the Edwards, who we know from the very beginning have committed a crime – they’ve committed a murder. So you automatically go, ‘Bad! Oh, awful people!’ But then you look into it more and you see that they are two gentle people who are very devoted to each other, and in love. 

“You don’t know what happened that night [when Susan Edwards’ parents were murdered]. But the fact that there’s historical abuse, that she was abused by her father: that does something to a person.”

What is the true story behind Landscapers?

Patricia and William Wycherley were shot dead at their home in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, on the May Day bank holiday weekend in 1998.

The next working day, their daughter, Susan, cleared £40,000 from their account. And she and her husband, Christopher, continued to withdraw large sums of money from their account for the next 15 years, spending thousands on Hollywood souvenirs, particularly autographs of movie star Gary Cooper.

“They didn’t lead a particularly lavish lifestyle,” DCI Griffin said of the couple, as per the BBC.

“It would seem that the vast majority of their money was spent on memorabilia, on authenticated autographed items on people that they admired.”

“It’s staggering to think that’s what they spent their money on,” added Griffin. “But that’s what they did.”

What happened to the real Susan and Christopher Edwards?

Around September 2012, Susan and Christopher Edwards became nervous that police were onto them, and fled to France.

But, despite having siphoned off a total of £245,000 of the Wycherleys’ money, just over a year later they had just one euro between them.

They eventually emailed a confession to police in the UK, and announced that they planned to surrender themselves to the UK Border Force authorities.

A jury at Nottingham Crown Court found the pair guilty of murder just over 16 years after they committed their crime. 

Who stars in the cast of Landscapers?

Colman, who has won acclaim for her performances in The Favourite and The Crown, will star as Susan Edwards in Landscapers. On playing the role, Colman says that Susan is “a perfectly straightforward, normal, shy, quiet, you-probably-wouldn’t-notice-her-walking-past-her, introverted, devoted wife, who was brought up under really extraordinary circumstances. 

“Humans can put up with enormous amounts of torture, but at some point they can be pushed to do something you never would have imagined that you’d do.”

David Thewlis, who played Remus Lupin in the Harry Potter movies, will portray her character’s husband, Christopher.

“This is without doubt the very finest project I have worked on for many years,” says Thewlis.

“Everything about Landscapers is magical, there is nothing like it and I’m impatient to get to work so that its brilliance can be shared with the rest of the world.”

Is there a trailer for Landscapers?

You’re in luck as Sky have just released the official – and rather chilling – trailer. You can watch it below:

What have people said about Landscapers so far?

The official press release for Landscapers promises that “this blackly comic, narratively playful true crime drama is based on extensive research, hours of interviews and direct access to the accused, who have always protested their innocence of murder.

“[As such], this is the story of a unique murder case involving four lives lived on the margins of society, that turns into an exhilarating and darkly funny exploration of love and fantasy: its power and its peril.”

Speaking about Landscapers to Sky, Colman that the series is “sumptuous; there’s so much in it, so much imaginative stuff at play. 

“It’s not your average true crime drama. I haven’t seen anything like it before. I’m so excited.”

How many episodes of Landscapers will there be?

It’s another easily digestible miniseries, comprising just four episodes.

When will Landscapers be available to watch on Sky Atlantic and Now TV?

Landscapers is just one of many must-watch TV shows coming to our screens in 2021. The Sky Original will premiere on Sky Atlantic and streaming service NOW on Tuesday 7 December.

Images: Sky Atlantic