In Denial of Murder is a two-part British television crime drama series, written by Neil McKay and directed by David Richards, that first broadcast on BBC One on 29 February 2004. The series follows investigative journalist Don Hale (Stephen Tompkinson) as he attempts to prove that convicted murderer Stephen Downing (Jason Watkins) was wrongly convicted for the murder of Wendy Sewell (Caroline Catz) in 1973.The series was based upon Hale's book Town Without Pity (which was later reprinted under the title In Denial of Murder in 2014). Hale sold television rights to the book to Hat Trick productions in November 2000. The series marked the second time that Tompkinson and Catz co-starred together, having previously appeared in All Quiet on the Preston Front and later going on to star together in DCI Banks. Notably, the series has yet to be released on DVD.