Channel 5 has announced a new drama examining how Nicola Sturgeon's estranged husband Peter Murrell embezzled £400,000 from the Scottish National party (SNP) and the impact it had on her reputation. The broadcaster is reuniting with the producers of Power: the Downfall of Huw Edwards for the project.
Drama to cover 12-year embezzlement period
To Nicola, Love Peter will focus on the couple's relationship over the 12-year period that Murrell diverted funds from the SNP while serving as its chief executive. The stolen money was spent on items including a £124,550 motorhome and a pair of luxury salt and pepper grinders costing more than £2,600.
Murrell was arrested in 2023, and Sturgeon subsequently discovered that the man who helped build her career and shared her life with had deceived and betrayed her. He had embezzled money to buy items such as a Jaguar SUV, Montblanc pens and luxury watches by falsifying invoices and using secret codes.
Jailing and political fallout
Murrell was jailed this summer for five years and three months. His ability to take the funds is understood to have been obscured at the time by the SNP's heavy spending between 2010 and 2022. His conviction earlier this year left Sturgeon, once a hugely popular Scottish first minister, with her hard-earned political reputation in tatters. She revealed recently she had not spoken to him since he was imprisoned.
Channel 5 said To Nicola, Love Peter will lift "the lid on this extraordinary story and how it contributed to the downfall of one of the biggest political figures of a generation".
Broadcaster's comments and casting speculation
The broadcaster and streamer's chief content officer, Ben Frow, said: "This is an epic tale of Shakespearean proportions. An extraordinary tale of power, envy, deception and greed. It's both a high-stakes political melodrama and bizarre domestic drama that has dominated headlines and gossip columns."
Frow added: "We will be pulling together the events and characters involved to create a compelling revealing drama … as well as answering that very important question – why would anyone pay £2,000 for a pair of salt and pepper grinders?"
Making the announcement at the Edinburgh TV Festival, Frow said a casting hunt was under way to play Sturgeon and joked that the Duchess of Sussex could be a candidate, which was illustrated with a mocked up photo on the screen behind him of how she might look playing the former Scottish leader, along with other potential contenders such as Zendaya and Nicole Kidman.
Last week it emerged that, with Meghan returning to the UK with her family, there had been talks for her to make her acting return in Netflix show The Gentlemen. It was reportedly subsequently withdrawn but led to speculation about potential future roles in British programmes.
Production details
To Nicola, Love Peter continues a trend by Channel 5 to dramatise the stories of high-profile individuals such as Edwards and Kate McCann. The new feature-length drama is being made by Wonderhood Studios, which made Power: the Downfall of Huw Edwards, starring Martin Clunes.
Wonderhood's executive chair, David Abraham, said of To Nicola, Love Peter: "This project reflects our growing ambition to develop quality dramas about contemporary stories that resonate with broad audiences."
