Channel 5 has postponed the broadcast of a new drama about the notorious Midlands murder committed by Tracie Andrews, following objections from the victim's daughter. The programme, titled Under Suspicion: Tracie Andrews - Lover, Liar, Killer, was scheduled to air on Monday, July 13, but was replaced by an episode of 24 Hours in A&E. The broadcaster attributed the change to 'scheduling reasons', stating the drama should return to the schedule soon.
Lee Harvey, aged 25, was stabbed over 30 times by his girlfriend, aspiring model Tracie Andrews, in a brutal attack on a country lane near Alvechurch in December 1996. Andrews initially claimed the attacker was a 'fat man with staring eyes' who had chased their vehicle, but detectives disproved her story and established she had killed Harvey with a Swiss Army-type penknife following an argument. She was sentenced to life in prison but was released in 2011 and later underwent thousands of pounds worth of plastic surgery to alter her appearance.
Family's Unhappiness Over Lack of Notice
Nearly 30 years after the murder, Channel 5 produced a drama retelling the tragedy. Lee Harvey's daughter, Danielle, expressed her frustration on social media, posting a series of videos on TikTok over the past week. In one video, she stated that her family was 'always the last to know' about such productions. 'I am finding out through people sending it to me or on Facebook,' she said. 'What comes with Facebook are the trolls in the comments. I'm having to read comments like 'she's done her time, she's rehabilitated, leave her be, she should have stayed in jail'.'
Danielle added: 'I don't want to see that. I'm easy to find, I'm on TikTok, Facebook, Instagram. It's not hard to send a message saying 'we have made this documentary, drama, it's airing on this date, we just wanted to make you aware'. We don't get any of that. We are always the last to know or we have to find out from social media.'
Family's Perspective on the Drama
Despite her frustration, Danielle acknowledged that the drama helps keep her father's memory alive. 'I don't mind these things being aired because it keeps my dad's memory alive, he's never going to be forgotten and it makes sure she (Andrews) is never going to live a peaceful life,' she said. 'Some pre-warning wouldn't go amiss. It will be 30 years in December since she took my dad's life. To people who watch it, it's just another drama to them - to us it's real life. This is our reality. It's our nightmare and our life sentence.'
Channel 5 told BirminghamLive that the drama had been pulled for scheduling reasons but should air soon. No further details were provided.
