A JOURNALIST'S successful campaign to overturn a murder conviction will be featured in a major two-part TV drama which begins this weekend.

Don Hale's relentless and painstaking investigation which ultimately resulted in Stephen Downing's murder conviction being quashed will be told in BBC 1's In Denial of Murder.

The drama, which begins on Sunday (Feb 29) at 9pm with the second part to be screened the following Sunday, will feature Stephen Tompkinson playing the role of Don Hale, who comes from Prestwich.

And the programme interweaves the story of the former Bury Messenger editor's fight to free Downing with an account of the murder victim, a young woman who struggled to find happiness in life and lost her reputation in death.

Wendy Sewell died days after being brutally attacked in Bakewell in the heart of the Peak District. Downing, then a 17-year-old council worker, was convicted of her murder and sentenced to life imprisonment in 1974.

But as editor of the Matlock Mercury, Don Hale became embroiled in the case. He uncovered new evidence and his fight for justice led to Downing being released in 2001 after serving 27 years.

In 2002 there were triumphant scenes when the Court of Appeal quashed Downing's conviction, finding it to be unsafe. The case was thought to be the longest miscarriage of justice in British legal history. As such, it attracted worldwide media attention.

Mr Hale's campaign captured the imagination of press and public alike and he was showered with awards and accolades, including an OBE.

But a year ago, Derbyshire Police announced that following an exhaustive re-investigation of the murder, the only remaining suspect in the case was Downing.

In Denial of Murder, a Hat Trick Production for the BBC, tells the story of how one man fought and gained another man's freedom. The acclaimed team of writer Neil McKay and executive producer Mark Redhead are behind the drama.

Neil McKay explained: "We read copious amounts of legal documentation, correspondence, other written material and made many visits to Matlock and Bakewell.

"Countless hours were spent talking to key figures including Don Hale, the Downing family, journalists who covered the story, serving and retired police officers, witnesses from the original murder inquiry, relatives and friends of Wendy Sewell, as well as numerous others."

Don said: "The film draws heavily on my research notes and best selling book 'Town Without Pity'"