Families of patients of serial killer Harold Shipman have condemned plans to screen a TV drama about the doctor while an inquiry examining his practice is continuing.

ITV managers have announced they will screen the programme next month to "contribute" to the debate about the Greater Manchester GP.

But relatives of former patients of Shipman have called the timing of the screening insensitive and have asked for it to be postponed.

A solicitor representing many families said they were waiting "anxiously" to discover if the Shipman inquiry rules their relatives were his victims.

Families wait

The inquiry is due to decide in July if 500 of the deaths of former Shipman patients were unnatural.

Shipman is at Frankland Prison, County Durham, serving 15 life sentences for killing 15 women.

But he is suspected of killing 100 more by lethal injection during his 24-year career.

Anne Alexander, a solicitor representing many of the families, said: "There are about 500 patients of Harold Shipman whose cases have been examined by the inquiry.

"The families of those patients are waiting anxiously to find out whether the inquiry is going to find that those deaths were natural or whether Harold Shipman had anything to do with the deaths that was unnatural."

The High Court judge chairing the public inquiry, Dame Janet Smith, has also written to ITV expressing her concern.

'Worthwhile contribution'

Television bosses said the screening was "timely and appropriate" as the drama would "inform" the debate about Shipman.

In a statement ITV refused to postpone the screening and said: "The film does not venture into any portrayal relating to any other potential victim of Shipman.

"We believe the film, outlining the established criminal activity of Shipman and the nature of the investigation which led to his conviction, provides a valuable context to the publication of the report.

"We believe it offers a worthwhile contribution to a public understanding and discussion of the inquiry's findings."