Francesca Rudkin: Do we really need a docu-series about the Polkinghorne case? - The Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin

Over the past 9 weeks, the media and many in the country have been fixated on a court case that took place in Auckland.

I am, of course, talking about the trial of Philip Polkinghorne, a wealthy, retired eye surgeon with a desire for methamphetamine, sex workers and quirky socks, who was accused of murdering his wife Pauline Hanna. He was found not guilty on Monday. 

The court case is over, thank goodness. I understand the media and public interest in this case due to its unique and scandalous nature – but I wish there had been less salivating. A woman is dead. Her personal life has been forensically picked apart, discussed and judged. Sometimes respectfully. Often not. The defence couldn’t even call her by the name she went by – Pauline Hanna – referring to her as Mrs Polkinghorne.

And now it’s all going to be re-hashed in a three part documentary series, funded by New Zealand on Air and screening at some point on ThreeNow. 

I don’t know what this documentary series will deliver or reveal, or who it will feature; but I hope it’s doing more than just capitalising on a trial because it captured the nation’s attention. 

True crime is a fascinating genre, whether it’s a podcast, a documentary or a book. We’re endlessly intrigued