User Reviews

John 'Babbacombe' Lee was known as 'The Man They Couldn't Hang.' He became a minor celebrity during his lifetime.

A petty thief who was later found guilty of the murder of Emma Keyse, a wealthy widow who gave Lee employment. She had her throat slit and the killer tried to burn her corpse.

Lee maintained his innocence and the evidence against him was circumstantial. He was sentenced to hanged.

Only when his execution took place. The hanging mechanism failed three times. It was seen as divine intervention to save an innocent man.

The Home Secretary commuted his sentence to life imprisonment and Lee served 22 years in jail.

After his release Lee toured the country as The Man They Couldn't Hang. He then went to live in America.

Edward Woodward speculates that many decades later, new information came to light. Lee's first solicitor might had been the actual murderer.

As for the faulty gallows, it was shoddy carpentry.

Having been in prison for several petty crimes, John 'Babacombe' Lee, is given a chance by elderly lady Emma Keys. Soon after Emma announces that she is selling her home, she's killed, and the house set on fire. When the authorities try to hang Lee, they fail to.

There's surely a feature film out there somewhere with this storyline, Emma's murder is tragic, but by no means unique, however, what followed, with the attempted hanging is truly fascinating.

I'm not too sure if there seems any doubt that John killed his employer, he seemed to be the one person with a strong enough motive, he seemed to certainly have a temper.

Well acted, Ewan Bailey is very good. A shame they didn't develop the story a little more.

7/10.