Where the first series concentrated on women criminals, this focusses on men killing women - except for Edith Thompson and Freddy Bywaters: he killed her husband but they were tried jointly, one of the great judicial miscarriages.
This series doesn't match the first, an obvious choice for the producer but it doesn't carry much conviction.
Chewing the scenery are Kenneth Haigh as brides-in-the-bath killer George Smith and Christopher Cazenove as mad Ronald True, while John Fraser as Crippen is colourless.
However Ian Charleson shines as fake posh cad Neville Heath, Michael Jayston is fine as arrogant Frederick Seddon, on trial for murdering his tenant, as is Carol Drinkwater as his edgy wife.
The best is the Thompson/Bywaters episode with touching performances from (miscast) Gayle Hunnicutt, Christopher Villiers and Margaret Tyzack as his stricken mother.
Shelf or charity shop? I will keep this as it's my Ian but it's also worth keeping for the Thompson/Bywaters episode and some fine supporting performances across the series from Heather Chasen, Michael Ripper, John Justin, Michael Byrne, Joan Hickson, and Joan Sims' voice-over as the virago Mrs Crippen.
