The deeply moving series, which first aired in 2010, tells the stories of the five victims of the Ipswich murders in 2006. Focusing on the final days of the victims’ lives, the impact their deaths had on their families and the police investigation to track down the murderer, it’s a harrowing yet eye-opening watch that features an unforgettable performance from Sarah as the mother of one of the victims Annette Nicholls (played by Eva Birthistle).

With the series now available to stream on Apple TV, here’s everything you need to know about Five Daughters before you do, including the full plot, cast and how you can watch it.

What is Five Daughters about?

The three-part series tells the true story of the murders of five young women in Ipswich in 2006. The drama portrays how the case sparked the largest manhunt in the UK since that of the Yorkshire Ripper in the 1970s and the devastating impact the murders had on each of the victims’ families.

Over the course of the three episodes, the series recounts the final weeks of the young women – Gemma Adams, Anneli Alderton, Tania Nicol, Annette Nicholls, and Paula Clennell – who were strangled and murdered by forklift driver Steve Wright, including their struggles with drug addiction and involvement in prostitution. Wright was later charged with the murders of all five women and sentenced to life imprisonment.

Writer Stephen Butchard travelled to Ipswich as part of his research for the drama, and spoke to three of the families, as well as police and members of a local drug rehabilitation charity. The result is a sensitive and thought-provoking series that shines a light on the social and systemic failures that played a part in the women’s deaths.

One of the highlights is also the show’s cast, which includes Sarah Lancashire as Rosemary Nicholls, the mother of real-life murder victim Annette Nicholls, Jamie Winstone as Anneli Alderton and Eva Birthistle as Annette Nicholls. Eva told the BBC how she visited Ipswich and spoke to staff at the ICENI project, the drug charity that tried to help some of the victims overcome their habits.

“I also met two of the girls who were out on the streets at the time and who knew Annette. One in particular was a close friend who had been having very similar times to her; they were both sex workers and had gone through drug addiction,” she said. “They were now clean and hadn’t worked since the murders.

“That was a real eye-opener, talking to them and hearing their stories. They saw Annette in a different environment. They knew what a lovely happy person she was. She was always smiling, she was chirpy, and she was upbeat. A bit of a joker, who always tried to look at the positive side. It was really helpful. It was a very moving couple of hours.

“I kept thinking ‘that could be me’. You can see how one wrong turn in life dabbling in the wrong thing through innocence and your life could take a dreadful turn. It gave me an insight about how normal the girls were, they are not a million miles away from us. Which is what I hope this drama shows.”

Who’s in the cast of Five Daughters?

The cast of Five Daughters includes:

• Sarah Lancashire (Happy Valley) as Rosemary Nicholls
• Ian Hart (God’s Own Country) as DCS Stewart Gull
• Juliet Aubrey (Professor T) as Maire Alderton
• Kate Dickie (Dept. Q) as Isabella Clennell
• Jaime Winstone (Kidulthood) as Anneli Alderton
• Eva Birthistle (Bad Sisters) as Annette Nicholls
• Aisling Loftus (Homebound) as Gemma Adams
• Natalie Press (Red Road) as Paula Clennell
• Holliday Grainger (The Capture)as Alice
• Ruth Negga (Presumed Innocent) as Rochelle
• Vicky McClure (Line of Duty) as Stacey Nicholls
• Christopher Fairbank (Orthodox) as DCI John Quinton
• Sean Harris (The Stranger) as Brian Tobin
• Anton Lesser (Endeavour) as Dr Nat Cary
• Lisa Millett (Early Doors) as PC Janet Humphrey
• Martin Compston (Line of Duty) as Jon
• David Bradley (The Strain) as Patrick Palmer

Is Five Daughters any good?

Yes – and Sarah Lancashire’s outstanding performance, which is as moving as it compelling, plays a big part. The series can make for uncomfortable viewing at times due to how brutally honest it is and the focus on the emotional turmoil of the family members of the victims, but that doesn’t take away from what an exceptional drama it is. In fact, in our opinion, it’s one of the best shows you can stream right now.

What other Sarah Lancashire dramas can I watch now?

If you fancy seeing a steelier side of Sarah Lancashire, we’d recommend her drama MotherFatherSon. Sarah steps into the shoes of an MP, Angela Howard, who enters a power struggle with ruthless millionaire media mogul Max Finch (Richard Gere). You can watch MotherFatherSon now on BBC iPlayer. For period drama fans, we’d suggest Rose and Maloney. The series stars Sarah and Phil Davis as the titular Rose Linden and Marion Maloney who work for the fictional Criminal Justice Review Agency and Sarah’s performance as a hard-drinking, rule-breaking investigator is not to be missed. Rose and Maloney is available to watch now on Prime Video.