[3] Commissioned as a television film in 2004,[4] Pierrepoint was broadcast on ITV on 25 August 2008, when it attracted an estimated audience of 3.6 million.

The film is loosely based on the life of Britain's most prolific hangman, Albert Pierrepoint (played by Timothy Spall), from the time he is trained for the job and accepted onto the list of the country's official hangmen in 1932 until his resignation in 1956.

The film is a highly fictionalised account of his life and has a strong anti-capital punishment theme.

The site's critical consensus reads, "Director Adrian Shergold doesn't shy away from the darker elements of the movie's subject, and Timothy Spall is mesmerizing as the title character.

"[7] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 68 out of 100, based on 15 critics, indicating "generally favourable reviews".