Steve Pemberton to play Tony Martin

Steve Pemberton is to play Tony Martin in a new drama.
The ‘Happy Valley’ actor will play the farmer – who was convicted of murder for shooting dead a burglar in August 1999, but the verdict was later reduced to manslaughter on grounds of diminished responsibility – in an hour-long drama entitled ‘The Interrogation’.
Steve said: "Now we finally get to hear the account directly from Tony Martin. I’m looking forward to being part of such a groundbreaking drama."
Tony was initially sentenced to life in prison for murder but the verdict sparked a national debate, and he claimed he had used reasonable force to defend himself.
The drama will tell the story of the three days after his arrest, and will show some of what was said in the police interviews.
A source told The Sun newspaper: "The story of Tony Martin really grabbed the nation in 1999, and it’s a huge topic again now with Hither Green.
"What was said between him and police has never properly been heard, so this will give the public a fresh look at the whole case."
Tony is said to have handed over the interview transcripts to be used.
The 74-year-old farmer previously admitted he hadn’t returned to his Norfolk home, which was known as Bleak House, for fear of being burgled again.
Speaking in 2014, he said: "If I was in Bleak House again and someone came in there then I’m not going to just stand there and let him hurt me. I’m going to act.
"That’s one of the reasons I don’t want to go back there because it could happen again. I don’t relish the idea of going back in there, getting arrested and going to prison again.
"The whole thing that happened to me in simple terms is preposterous. I don’t think I’ll ever go back and live at Bleak House.
"I wouldn’t call this place a home anymore, it is just a place to visit. It is a time that place forgot."
Tony was convicted of murder and jailed for life in April 2000 for killing 16 year-old burglar Fred Barras and seriously injuring his accomplice, Brendon Fearon, who was then 28.
But he was released from prison in 2003, having served three years, after his sentence was reduced to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility.