The Real Stonehouse

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The Real Stonehouse

This companion documentary to ITVX and ITV1 drama ‘Stonehouse’, starring Matthew Macfadyen as the former Labour MP and Keeley Hawes as his wife, Barbara, tells the real story of MP John Stonehouse, a rising political star and a minister in the Harold Wilson

Government, whose clothes were found on a Miami beach in December 1974.

For five weeks there was no trace of his body and it was assumed he had drowned off the coast or been eaten by sharks.  His wife and family believed he was dead – until a phone call from Australia. John had been found alive and well - living under an assumed name by detectives who thought they might have caught Lord Lucan…

Stonehouse had stolen new identities and had faked his own death because his business empire was falling apart.  He was later sentenced to seven years for fraud at the Old Bailey.

Following his death in 1988, allegations resurfaced that he had spied for the Czech Secret Service and had been paid to pass information to the Soviet bloc.

This brand new ITVX film explores the life of John Stonehouse through interviews with his family, colleagues and experts. It includes exclusive interviews with the UK and Australian police officers who brought him to justice and offers insights into Stonehouse’s double life.  He had been having an affair with his secretary Sheila Buckley, who knew he hadn’t drowned.

The Real Stonehouse is a Multistory Media production for ITVX and ITV1