THE notorious “bikini killer” who inspired BBC One series The Serpent is getting a real-life grilling from cops in a bombshell new Channel 4 series.
Charles Sobhraj was released from prison in 2022 after spending nearly 20 years behind bars for killing young Western backpackers in South Asia during the 1970s.
But in a rare move, the killer has agreed to take part in psychological and criminal interrogations about murders he has never been tried for in three-parter The Real Serpent: Investigating A Serial Killer.
A TV insider says: “These sorts of investigations are usually consigned to dramas, so to have a genuine criminal potentially revealing all will be captivating TV.
“Loved ones of his alleged victims will be particularly interested, as it may give them the closure they have been hoping for.
“It will also shine a light on how a man linked with many murders was able to travel so freely.”
READ MORE ON THE CASE
Sobhraj, who was convicted of two killings, admitting in 1977 to ten more, but later withdrew the confessions.
However, he is suspected of committing at least 20, which the show aims to get to the bottom of.
Sobhraj was played by Tahar Rahim in the BBC series in 2021, which also starred Jenna Coleman as Canadian Marie-Andree Leclerc, Sobhraj’s accomplice and fellow fraudster.
He was known as The Serpent because of his snake-like ability to seduce his victims and cheat justice.
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Sobhraj would pose as a gem trader before befriending his victims on the “hippie trail” and then drug, rob and murder them, even using their names and passports to travel to other countries and commit further crimes.
The Saigon-born Frenchman, now 79, agreed to be filmed for six months and have his account of the murders he is linked to challenged by former detectives and a leading forensic psychologist, in order to try to get to the truth.
TV bosses first made contact in 2016, while he was still in prison, due to the global fascination in his case.
It’s about to get even more interesting.
LOOSE WOMEN ON ABUSE
THE Loose Women have launched a domestic abuse awareness campaign that will be woven into the show throughout this week.
Denise Welch, Olivia Attwood, Kelle Bryan and Brenda Edwards will open up about their experiences, as will fellow panellists Sunetra Sarker, Judi Love and Frankie Bridge as part of the Facing It Together initiative.
The campaign, guided by charities Women’s Aid and SafeLives, aims to highlight the help available to victims and the ways family and friends can spot the signs and support loved ones.
As part of the campaign, Olivia revealed: “In some of my past relationships I have suffered domestic abuse.
“And I think by being transparent, it might help someone else in a similar situation.”
DERMOT O’Leary is heading out on the water for a Saving Lives At Sea special.
Commemorating 200 years of the RNLI, he will look back at its heroic efforts in World War Two.
He said of the show, which airs on Tuesday at 9pm on BBC Two: “It’s a unique story about these incredibly brave men.”
BRIDGE RETURN FOR ROSS
ROSS Kemp is back with a new series of his hit quiz Bridge Of Lies.
The show, which begins its third season next week, sees the presenter help steer teams of contestants across a bridge to bank big sums of cash.
Ross said: “When I first said yes to hosting a new quiz show, I could never have imagined that we’d still be here three series later, but Bridge Of Lies seems to have really struck a chord with viewers.
“The new series is bigger and better than ever, with fantastic contestants who I loved getting to know.
“One brave team even managed to take home the biggest cash prize in Bridge Of Lies history.”
The series returns on Monday at 4.30pm on BBC One, with a celebrity spin-off to be screened in the spring.
ALAN Carr reckons the contestants on Interior Design Masters have got it easy, if his experience with Amanda Holden on The Italian Job is anything to go by.
He joked: “They didn’t have Amanda bossing them about!”
Interior Design Masters returns to BBC One next Tuesday at 8pm.
CONNOR IN DRAMA CALL-UP
SEX Education and SAS: Rogue Heroes star Connor Swindells has been cast in BBC drama Lockerbie.
Connor, who was also in the last year’s Barbie blockbuster, will join Suits star Patrick J Adams in the series, which is being made in collaboration with Netflix.
Peter Mullan, Tony Curran and Eddie Marsan are among the other actors who have already started filming in Scotland.
The six-part drama, which will air on BBC One and Netflix, is based on the 1988 Lockerbie bombing, which saw a US passenger jet explode over the Scottish town.
It will focus on investigations on both sides of the Atlantic as well as the devastating fallout for the families who lost loved ones.
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Rod McPhee
