A CONTROVERSIAL drama about Fred West will not “glorify”

the killer according to the actor playing his role.

Dominic West has admitted that playing the Herefordshire-born serial killer in Appropriate Adult”was a difficult job.

The two-part film about West and his relationship with social worker Janet Leach premieres on ITV1 at 9pm on Sunday.

The drama looks at how Janet helped the police by befriending West, who told her the full scale and nature of his crimes.

Its making was heavily criticised by the latter’s Much Marcle brother, Doug West, who believed the film would reopen old wounds.

Dominic West agreed to the role after being reassured that producers had acted sensitively to the victim’s families.

The 41-year-old admitted he had dark thoughts during filming and only completed the shoot because his family were nearby.

The actor visited Much Marcle during research and spent time in the Forest of Dean and Gloucester to perfect the accent.

Mr West said everybody tried to dissuade him from taking the part, but he insists the drama is intelligent and respectful.

“If it was a film just about Fred West and his crimes it would be impossible to justify,”

said the star of The Wire.

“Some people have argued this is giving publicity to an individual we want to forget, but it does not glorify Fred West in any way.

“It gives a detached, objective, rational view of what happened from the point of view of Janet Leach.

“The production team spent a great deal of time making sure it was for the benefit of humanity and that at all times it was completely respectful to the victims and their families.

It’s a way of trying to make sense of that horror.”