JAMES Nesbitt is to portray killer Colin Howell in a new TV drama, it has been confirmed.
The 50-year-old will play the dentist who became a murderer alongside teacher Hazel Buchanan in 1991.
Buchanan will be played by Genevieve O'Reilly, 38, who is known for roles in Episodes, Banished and The Honourable Woman.
Howell and Buchanan met at their local Baptist Church in Coleraine and began an affair, ultimately plotting to kill both their partners, Lesley and Trevor.
The two were discovered in fume-filled car in an apparent suicide pact. It was only 19 years later that the truth was discovered, when Howell confessed to the murder and named Buchanan as his accomplice.
The drama is based on the book, Let This Be Our Secret, by Deric Henderson, the former Ireland Editor of the Press Association.
Mr Henderson said: "It's an extraordinary story, certainly the most remarkable I've ever covered in a long career."
The Secret is written by Bafta-winning writer Stuart Urban and directed by Nick Murphy. The producer is Jonathan Curling, and the executive producer is Hat Trick Productions' Mark Redhead.
Redhead described the production as "the story of an audacious and wicked crime."
"It tells us something very surprising and revealing about the dark side of human nature," he said.
