WATKINS CORNER

Logline

Robert Watkins was hanged in front of his children at the scene of his crime of murder in front of 10,000 people, during a freak thunderstorm on a specially built scaffold that failed on the first attempt to end his life.

Synopsis

Robert Watkins is eating his last meal contemplating his day and the two and a half hour journey to the scene of his crime and his destination.  Stood on the back of the cart in chains next to his own coffin and his Executioner Ketch Robert his final journey begins.   

News of the execution has reached far is attracting crowds from all around the area to see this infamous man hang.   Along the route people are stood and watched, some are cheering, some throw objects and some are shouting abuse. Reaching the final destination Robert Watkins sees the gallows that were built especially for him.

Director’s Notes

The story of Robert Watkins is a true one and was well documented at the time.  Robert Watkins is also a distant relative of writer and Director Rob Perrett. With research still ongoing not just about the murder Robert Watkins committed and his execution but also his life prior to these events and the social history of that period.

“This is my pet project and the ultimate goal in my filmmaking ambition.  There is a story to be told here, not just about a crime, but the absolute brutality of the execution. 

I drive past the site of the execution on the school run known locally as Watkins Corner and I walk past the White Heart Pub on my dog walk every day where Robert Watkins drank and followed his victim from. These events are never far from my mind.”

Rob Perrett

The script is currently under development with ongoing research to give it historical accuracy as a period setting. 

In terms of style, writer Rob Perrett wants to avoid a sequential list of historical events as this lacks originality and is experimenting with different approaches to the drama style to engage the audience.

(All images on this page are AI-generated artistic impressions, created to communicate the historical setting, characters, atmosphere and intended visual direction of Watkins Corner. They are obviously not archival images and should not be regarded as definitive representations of the real people, events or final production design.)