Shipman is played by James Bolan, with James Hazeldine taking the role of DI Stan Egerton, one of four detectives who led the inquiry into Shipman's activities.

"This is not drama at all, it is a very long Crimewatch reconstruction," wrote the BBC's William Gallagher.

But what do you think?

Does it give us an insight into the mind of the serial killer? Is it just cashing in on a horrific story?

I could not bring myself to watch it, it would have meant people I knew in real life being played by actors. The very fact it was being shown upset me, I could not distance myself from it, it made be feel sick inside, disgusted that millions of people around the country could sit there and watch it.

I'm from Hyde and know a few of the people involved though as far as I am aware none of those who died, I know how I felt and can only imagine how the friends and relatives felt. Remember there are around 500 deaths being investigated, there must then be at least 5000 people closely affected by this, surely for the sake of them this drama should not have been made?
Anne Harrison, UK

I felt sorry for the relatives of the victims, I know it must of been awful for it to be shown, but it also makes you realise that if someone you are supposed to trust with your life can also take your life then it has been an eye opener. It makes you realise that it is also your responsibility to report something that is odd, and to make people take notice. We can't walk round with our eyes shut and expect so called experts to sort things out, or leave it up to someone else.
Diana, England

Due to the publicity of the incidents I feel it is in the good of the public to make the cases known

Karen Edwards, UK

I agree with all the people that say it's too soon to show this drama. Did the producers actually think about this or did they just see an opportunity to cash in on the situation? It may have been a good drama to some people but did the producers actually stop to consider the feelings of the families of the victims? It appears not. There would never ever be a right time to show this anyway, but a little more thought was needed I think.
Gill, UK

I thought it was a very good piece of television, well acted mainly by both James Hazeldine and Bolam. What interests me is how many different views people have of the same programme. I really do think some people were watching Big Brother on the other side.
Jonathan Lighthill, London, UK

Having watched the Shipman programme, I feel that it brought home to people the sheer wickedness of this very evil man.

There can never be a "right time" to put out a programme on such terrible events but I do feel that the television company chose a suitable time.

It has made the general public now aware of the abominable way that this so-called doctor murdered systematically, and with no conscience whatsoever, those who trusted in him.

This programme made me so much more aware of this man's total wickedness - it made me aware of the frustrations and the dedication of the police and others in their determination to bring to justice this abomination of humanity.
Ann Whitehead, England

I have just watched the programme, and felt that it has showed what a cold-blooded, minipulating killer he is.

It has shed a lot of light on the investigations that took place, and I praise them for all their hard work. I also send my sympathies to the families, I realise how hard it must be for them to be going through the trauma, but due to the publicity of the incidents I feel it is in the good of the public to make the cases known.
Karen Edwards, United Kingdom

I think it is too soon for this awful man to be portrayed on television, too much for the friends and family of people who may have died in Shipman's hands.
Andrea, Canada

I think having jolly and chirpy music playing prior to Shipman adminstering the fatal injection was wildly inappropriate

Lydia, UK

I'm not sure whether this is a good idea or not at this time. It all depends on how sympathetically it is treated and how the people most affected by it perceive the treatment. It can't do any real harm can it?
John D, England

As a piece of so-called drama programming it was "constructed" with, in my opinion only, appalling amateurism. And as a piece of factual reporting it was far too shallow, and couldn't even begin to touch the complex issues that are involved.

I think it truly was simply an attempt to "cash in" and for this reason it was ill-conceived and should not have been aired.
NCB, UK

I felt the programme was quite good, but I think having jolly and chirpy music playing prior to Shipman adminstering the fatal injection was wildly inappropriate, and ruined the whole drama.
Lydia, West Midlands, UK

Would anybody have endured such stilted dialogue, such wooden acting and such drawn out scenes if the subject had not been so controversial? The horror of the quality far outweighed the horror of the story!!!
Jo, Coventry, UK

James Bolam did the best he could with the weak and incredibly clich�d script, but many of the other performances were simply unconvincing at best and appalling at worst

Andrew, UK

The drama was excellent, one of the best I have seen on ITV for a very long time. I believe it was dealt with reasonably sensitively and brought home the divide between the public image of a respected doctor and what he did behind closed doors. The amazing thing is that no-one twigged earlier!? As to the timing of the screening, I think ratings beat morals, I think it was too soon but leave it too long and no one would have cared outside the victims families.
Andrew, UK

I though the programme was very well produced and caught the vile side of Shipman but I feel they made a major flaw as it was set in Hyde, Manchester but all the actors had Yorkshire accents except the criminals which had Manchester ones.
Kevin K, UK

Never mind the debate about whether it was too soon after the case to show this - and that's never stopped TV from this sort of thing before - or the fact that there are still loose ends being tied up as we speak, the programme was far from gripping drama.

James Bolam did the best he could with the weak and incredibly clich�d script, but many of the other performances were simply unconvincing at best and appalling at worst. It was devoid of any believable dialogue and directed astonishingly flatly. In short, it was the usual rubbish that ITV drama wheels out!
Andrew, UK

Intercut with adverts and the prestige Drama Premiere ident every fifteen minutes one is left with a lingering sense of commercial interests prevailing over social reponsibility

Anthony, UK

I sympathise with all the families and friends of those who were victims of Shipman.

I watched the programme in anger - because Shipman got away with it for so long!

Prison is not harsh enough for the likes of Shipman, Sutcliffe, Hindley, Neilson etc.....I believe that tax payers should stop educating prisoners when the schools and hospitals are in such a terrible state.

We need a system like they have in the USA for murderers.

The programme portrayed a cold-blooded murderer who used his position of trust for unlawful gains....I hope he rots in hell!
Nazerene, England

I thought the programme was well done. It made me much more aware of the dreadful time the families involved must have had and are still having. I found it difficult to watch, Shipman's callousness and manipulation was just too awful. I think it shows that GPs in single practices need much closer monitoring/control. It must never be allowed to happen again.
Jan, UK

A well researched and well scripted piece, treating the subject in a sensitive manner and avoiding tabloid sensationalism would have been a great way to tell the general public what is a very complex story. Unfortunately this programme was on ITV. Why didn't they let professionals make this?
Stevie, Scotland

If this programme prevents this from happening again, then it was worth it

Sion Meritt, UK

The frisson of verit� made this drama an enjoyable, if ghoulish evening's entertainment propped up by two excellent central performances. But Shipman's many victims were indistinguishably characterised, the priest-cop head-to-heads were contrived and there were some directorial flourishes we could have done without.

The Shipman murders articulate some nasty truths about the nature of medical authority and the failings of a system which allowed Shipman to operate for so long undetected.

Ultimately "Shipman" was too lightweight to provoke a debate outside of those circles he has already devastatingly affected and when intercut with adverts and the prestige "Drama Premiere" ident every fifteen minutes one is left with a lingering sense of commercial interests prevailing over social reponsibility.
Anthony, UK

I endured the whole programme and remain appalled at the poor dramatisation and writing....not to mention the deeply insensitive treatment of the bereaved. It is surely too early for the subject to be dealt with in ITV's perculiarly inept way. To have scenes constantly interrupted by ads simply reduced the whole affair to a soap.

Truly abysmal........how the professionals involved could take the money.......as for trying to get inside the man......it would take a better writer than the one trusted with this "show". Barrel-scraping by a company panicking for an audience.
Pat A Griffin, England

No time would have been the right time to screen this. Even so, it was a fascinating programme, well made. I had no idea he was so evil. The programme also showed the mistakes made in preventing Shipman. If this programme prevents this from happening again, then it was worth it.
Simon Meritt, Essex, United Kingdom.

If it was to be done, I'm glad it was portrayed this way and that Shipman wasn't glorified as he would be if Hollywood moguls had got their hands on it first

Nev, UK

Obviously the type of people on here who watched the programme are also the same people who slow down on motorways to get a good view of an accident. The people who watched this show are just as cold hearted as ITV for showing this programme while the shipman inquiry is still on-going. SHAME ON YOU ALL.
Jason, Manchester, England

I found the programme riveting. It put all of the reporting from the trial into context, and gave a good indication of what happened. There was not much in the programme that I was not aware of from the reporting of Dr Shipman's trial, so I don't see why there is so much uproar.

I think it was handled in a sensitive way, in particular the way that the feelings of his friends in the local community were portrayed.

Two things let the programme down for me: two hours was not long enough to explore in any depth the gravity of his crimes, or to include some more examples.

And it would have been good if there was some explanation of the reasons why he acted as he did, although I don't know if this ever came out in the investigation or trial.
Keith, UK

I agree with NCB. For a drama, it was poor quality with some pretty obvious flaws. During the interview scenes the police often didn't explain what was being shown for the benefit of the tape.

ITV should stick to their good dramas and not this kind of thing.
James, UK

ITV should be praised for their dramatisation of the Shipman case. The careful use of music and the engaging script made this real horror story easily watchable but never made the audience move from the wickedness of this evil man.

If it was to be done, I'm glad it was portrayed this way and that Shipman wasn't glorified as he would be if Hollywood moguls had got their hands on it first.

Not the best story to choose for gripping drama but well done ITV for not backing down and allowing the British public to really see what happened.
Nev, Newcastle, UK

James Bolam was mis-cast. He a fine comedy actor but completely failed to convey the arrogant and sinister nature of Shipman

Ian, UK

This was one of the few original and interesting dramas on television - not re-hashed or boring.

It dealt with the murders in a mature and sensible way, and emphasised the overall evilness of Shipman.

Nitpicking details "not explaining for benefit of tape" are hardly a big concern as long as the dramatic quality of the story is intact.

What I liked was the way that Shipman was so NICE to his patients - they thought he was wonderful... and of course that was how he obtained his ends.

Too soon? Well, I think that if it deals with the subject in a sensitive manner then it is not only a relevant issue, but something that people can actually relate to, unlike most of the stuffy ITV dramas of late.
Graham, Scotland

I thought it provided an excellent insight into the difficulties that the police, computer experts, medical profession and undertakers had in gathering enough evidence to support an accusation of the unthinkable: that a doctor should wilfully take lives, without even a defence of mercy killings. I'd rank it on a par with the "This Is Personal" dramatisation of the hunt for the Yorkshire Ripper which ITV made a few years ago.

James Bolam played the part of Shipman with equal menace and charm.

People have commented on the minor police procedural irregularities; another thing that puzzled me was: why didn't the police make more of the evidence of the two witnesses to the signing of the will - how could Shipman have defended a will containing three forged signatures which was signed in his surgery? Nice to see a credible computer expert who was able to give damning evidence on the faking of the victims' medical histories.

I thought it dealt sympathetically with the feelings of the local people and of the victims' relatives: I don't see how this could have been improved on.
Martin, England

James Bolam was mis-cast. He a fine comedy actor but completely failed to convey the arrogant and sinister nature of Shipman.
Ian, UK

For anyone involved with this appaling case there could be no "right time" to show this programme, but for the public at large, James Bolan's superb performance really bought home the appalling cold arrogance of this animal and reinforced how important it is that there are strict, independant controls for those persons in society whom we unquestionably empower with our trust. Judged as a work of pure fiction this drama may have had many flaws. Tragically for those many families affected by the actions of this remorseless fiend, it wasn't fiction at all. You all have my deepest sympathy.
Malcolm Parker, UK

I can't believe that anybody can even consider making a "drama" out of such a terrible event. I feel so sorry for the families involved.
Lorraine Lovett, UK

Typical ITV dross.
James PC, Birmingham UK

Anyone even thinking that this is suitable material for broadcasting and so soon after the event is, in my opinion, at best totally insensitive bordering on the brute-ish and at worst an insult firstly to those families who have suffered and secondly to the British public who ITV believe want this totally unedifying and traumatising material. If allowed, what next, Moors Murders soap opera? Please, in a darkening world must we be evil's ally or could we rise to halt this black tide?
Joel Needham, UK

I really think ITV should have taken into consideration the feelings of the victims families, but I suspect at the end of the day, all the controversy surrounding the programme meant more viewers tuned in.

The programme itself did seem a tad too long, and didn't seem to live up to all the controversy. If ITV had waited, I think the programme would have got a much better reception.
Vinod Chhotu Patel, West Bromwich, UK

A lot of the mails appear to object to the programme being shown. Can anybody tell me why it's OK to sit through and watch the events of September 11 unfold which was an evil act, but it's not OK to dramatise the unfolding of another evil act?

Commercially inspired or not, it's just two stories being told as truthfully as possible, one in real time, the other in retrospect. Of course it's terrible for the families. For most of us, all we can do is sympathise which is of little help, but we may as well scrap all news bulletins going forward if we're not prepared to listen, absorb the facts and learn anymore to make sure these kind of events are never repeated, however they are presented to us
Gary, Leeds, England

Very interesting to see how he was caught and the subsequent investigation and I thought it was sympathetically knobbled together.
Nikki Carey, London, UK

Although I thought it was made a bit too soon after it all happened, I think it was a brilliant drama and people needed to see what he had done.
Victoria Warwick, Hampshire, England

I thought the drama on Shipman was very well made. It brought to our attention how evil this doctor was and opened our eyes towards such atrocities.

I realise that for those involved the timing might have seemed inappropriate but for those very people there probably isn't ever a perfect time. It had to be aired to widening our understanding of this horrific chain of events and to bring to light the deficiancies that the medical profession showed in failing to stop Shipman earlier.

The only two things that disappointed me about the drama was, as already mentioned, the choice of music as Shipman administered the injections and secondly, the jump between his being in jail and being convicted - the court case wasn't shown.

Mark Cole, Wales, UK

Was this a public information broadcast? I think not, someone financed the programme with the view of making money. At the same time, the programme-makers insult our intelligence by presumably giving us an excuse that it helps us "understand" a man like Shipman. The programme is a good idea, but to disregard the pleas of the victims' families is almost malicious.
Paul Baruya, UK