The new Netflix documentary Should I Marry a Murderer? is flying high on the streamer – and is trending at No 3 among UK viewers.
The three-part show tells the grim story of Scottish doctor Caroline Muirhead, a forensic pathologist from Glasgow, whose fiancé, Sandy McKellar, told her in 2020 that he and his twin brother had killed a cyclist in a 2017 hit-and-run near Bridge of Orchy, and buried the body.
Netflix describes the series, which features lavish drone shots of the Auch Estate where cyclist Tony Parsons' body was found, and the mountains and rivers surrounding it, in melodramatic language.
Netflix says the show is about, “a Glasgow pathologist [who] meets a Highland gamekeeper who seems perfect on paper. They're soon engaged — then a confession changes everything."
However, Herald TV critic Alison Rowat had concerns about the show - especially around Dr Caroline Muirhead, whose help led, eventually, to Mr Parson’s body being found.
She wrote: "Confident and articulate, at first I thought it was an actor playing a part. Her manner sat oddly, and what she had to say seemed inappropriate in the circumstances.
"Here she is, for example, describing her position: “To remain in love you have to keep this secret that you know is gonna destroy you. But if you reveal it, then you destroy everything. What do you do?” And when she first meets the man who became her boyfriend: “He had that smell of smoke and sweat and a bit of aftershave.”
Read the full review: Why does Should I Marry a Murderer feel so 'off'?
Rowat also criticised the focus on the attractive, young Muirhead rather than on Mr Parsons, a 63-year-old from Tillicoultry, who was on a 100-mile charity ride from Fort William, or his family - who are seen only in passing in the show.
"Making Ms Muirhead the focus of the film, regardless of how good a story it is, takes away from the victim and his family. It also invites the viewer to judge her. Her character, choices and lifestyle are not on trial, but sometimes it feels that way."
She added: "More of a problem is that Ms Muirhead and the filmmakers have serious points to make about the support given, or not given, to witnesses in sensitive cases such as this. As captions tell us at the end, she made multiple complaints against Police Scotland, but after a five-year investigation, the majority were not upheld. Police Scotland and Victim Support Scotland declined to take part in the film. The “noise” around the three-part story detracts from that.
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