The Mystery of Lord Lucan

Richard John Bingham, seventh lord of Lucan (and a descendant of one of the men responsible for the famous Charge of the Light Brigade), is believed to have bludgeoned to death Sandra Rivett, his children's nanny, in 1974, mistaking her for his estranged wife, Veronica. After writing notes to friends protesting his innocence, Bingham disappeared and was never found. A professional gambler and supremely debonair fellow (once considered for the role of James Bond), Bingham's story is twice dramatized here. The first entry, Lucan, is a slick 2013 miniseries in which Bingham (Rory Kinnear) is presented as a man whose sense of aristocratic elitism was encouraged by John Aspinall (Christopher Eccleston), owner of a posh gambling club, who urges Bingham to do whatever is necessary to gain custody of his children. The second piece is the 1994 TV movie The Trial of Lord Lucan, a “what if?” that serves up a speculation on how the prosecution of Bingham (Julian Wadham) might have turned out if he had been captured. The newer miniseries offers a variety of theories about what might have happened to Bingham—the prevailing presumption being that he died by his own hand or someone else's (although some believe he might still be alive somewhere in Africa). This handsome set offers American viewers the chance to savor a mystery that continues to fascinate the British public. Recommended. (F. Swietek)