The Pembrokeshire Murders has become a massive success for ITV.
The ITV crime drama starring Luke Evans began Monday night (January 11) on ITV1.
The Hollywood star plays Detective Superintendent Steve Wilkins, who’s on the hunt for a vicious serial killer.
The Pembrokeshire Murders ratings: ITV score a huge win
The Pembrokeshire Murders launched on Monday night with a whopping 6.3 million viewers.
It marks the highest ratings for a new ITV drama since The Durrells in 2016.
Read more: ITV Honour: Banaz Mahmod must never be forgotten, warn ITV viewers
A third of people watching TV across all channels last night tuned in to see the first episode of the crime series.
It was also enough to make it the biggest new drama launch across any channel since The Salisbury Poisonings in June 2020.
Is The Pembrokeshire Murders based on a true story?
The Pembrokeshire Murders is based on the true story of serial killer John Cooper, also known as The Game Show Killer.
He murdered Helen and Richard Thomas, and Gwenda and Peter Dixon in 1985 and 1989 respectively.
The shocking double murders in Wales left detectives stumped for decades.
Read more: Manhunt: Martin Clunes to return as DCI Colin Sutton for new series of ITV drama
In 2006, newly-promoted DS Wilkins decided to reopen two unsolved 1980s murder cases linked with a string of burglaries.
New advances in technology for Forensic DNA analysis, and witness reports of artist impressions of the suspect all led Dyfed-Powys Police to the killer.
Wilkins watched a 1989 episode of game show Bullseye and it led to the murderer finally being caught.
Who was murderer John Cooper?
John eluded prosecution for his crimes for 20 years until a combination of a new detective team and advances in forensic science finally brought him to justice in 2011.
In 2018, ITV aired a documentary on his crimes entitled The Game Show Serial Killer: Police Tapes.
He led a double life throughout the 80s, living as both a dedicated family man and a cold-blooded murderer.
How many episodes are there in The Pembrokeshire Murders?
The Pembrokeshire Murders began on ITV at 9pm on Monday, January 11.
The three-part series will continue tonight (January 12) at 9pm and conclude on Wednesday January 13th.
Do you remember The Pembrokeshire Murders case? Leave us a comment on our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix.