In the dark underbelly of Edinburgh 1828, Burke and Hare enter a pact as they venture on a murder spree, selling the bodies of their victims to anatomist Dr Knox, but unbeknown to them, journalist Archibald Johnson hurtles into a path of danger and intrigue that will lead him to reveal all in a city where the two worlds of rich and poor collide in a melting pot of greed, corruption and power.

SYNOPSIS:

Two worlds are about to clash where greed, power and survival will determine the fate of rich and poor alike, as sixteen murders unfold in the slums within the underbelly of the city.

Where lanes seep with sewage and buildings creak with age, Burke and Hare eek out a life of survivalism with their wives, living from one day to the next on meagre wages not knowing when their next job will come, in the knowledge that they may not survive another harsh winter, but an opportunity falls their way with the death of their lodger from natural causes, that introduces them to Doctor Knox, who is ever willing to accept the dead for his sell-out lectures at the university.

Receiving payment beyond their dreams, they embark on a murder spree to provide the doctor with a steady stream of bodies, as they lure their unsuspecting victims into their lair.

Meanwhile, Archibald Johnson, a reporter for the Courant, is despatched to uncover the perpetrators behind the spate of grave robbing that is infecting the city. Losing the remains of his mother to these evil desperados, he has good reason to find the culprits and so he ventures on a dangerous path to uncover the truth.

Although his suspicions and investigation lead him to Doctor Knox, it is to the underworld of crime that he must face, if he is to uncover those who steal the dead. With the help of the snitch, Dapper, he is introduced to gangland leader Merrilees, an evil thug who is described as one who “breaks bread with the devil”. Purporting to be an anatomist seeking ‘subjects’ for his lectures, Johnson is revealed for who he is and suffers the violent wrath of Merrilees.

Elsewhere in the city, Burke and Hare find their well laid plans unravelling as their brittle partnership begins to show cracks, via mistrust and fear of capture, that causes angry differences to surface, with each crime they commit.

But it is the murder of Mary Paterson, brought to the attention of Johnson, that provides the turning point to this dark story. Suspecting she is a victim of Merrilees’, the reporter’s path of investigation takes a turn as he is drawn irrevocably towards Burke and Hare.

Led by Mary’s friend, Janet Brown, he cautiously steps into the dark, unfolding world of the murderers, where he is confronted by Hare in a face-off that threatens the survival of Johnson or the revelation of Burke and Hare.

Escaping his clash with the murderer, Johnson is confident he has uncovered the link between Doctor Knox and the two men, so he stakes out their property in the hope of getting the proof he needs.

By now, though, the partnership between the two evildoers has collapsed and Burke intimates his desire for it to end, but the psychotic Hare is determined to ensure their venture continues as he draws another victim in, which becomes the catalyst to the revelation of their deeds.

In the new lodgings of Burke and his wife, Hare plans and enacts the final murder with the help of his reluctant partner, leaving the body hidden under the bed to be discovered the following day. Soon, the police are on the scene, but do not find the body during a tense confrontation that pits the officers against the perpetrators, but standing in the sidelines is Johnson who directs the law to Doctor Knox and the victim.

The capture and arrest of the murderers ensues, which leads to a trial involving the best lawyers in the land, but there is a final twist in the tale as Hare and his wife provide King’s Evidence in return for their freedom.

Using flashback, the events of the final murder are dissected to the court, where Hare provides evidence that is opposite to the truth, as he condemns his once partner to the noose, much to the protestations of Burke.

Under dark wintry skies in front of a crowd of thirty thousand onlookers, flanked by police and soldiers, Burke is hanged to screams of joy while Johnson is rewarded for his endeavours and Doctor Knox’s career is ruined.

The ending is a mirror of an opening scene where, instead of Doctor Knox, his rival Professor Munro reveals the body of Burke for dissection to an audience of students, thus bringing the story full circle.

BURKE AND HARE - THE WEST PORT MURDERS