ABC’s mushroom murder drama leads flurry of trial TV shows

From the outset, the circumstances around the fatal mushroom lunch and the ensuing trial had all the ingredients of a prestige drama or a riveting true-crime documentary: a small town, mysterious deaths, wild theories, strained relationships and a prime suspect proclaiming their innocence.

Now, with the conviction of triple murder Erin Patterson on Monday, the floodgates have been opened, with an ABC drama, a pack of documentaries and a book all promising to get to the heart of the case that has captured international attention.

Erin Patterson has been found guilty of murder and attempted murder over a fatal lunch.Credit: Marta Pascual Juanola

On Friday, the ABC announced the drama Toxic, describing it as “a riveting thriller about marriage, faith and motherhood”, while on Monday, the day Patterson’s guilty verdict was handed down, Nine* revealed its own one-hour documentary, Murder by Mushroom, which premieres tonight. Seven, meanwhile, is promising a “a forensic deep dive into the mind of a killer” in its Spotlight special on Sunday night.

Of the streaming services, Stan* was the first out of the gate, announcing its three-part documentary Revealed: Death Cap, featuring The Age journalists John Silvester and Marta Pascual Juanola. It will screen later this year.

On the book front, Allen & Unwin announced The Mushroom Murders, by acclaimed true-crime author and Underbelly screenwriter Greg Haddrick, would be released in November. Former detective Duncan McNab has also jumped on the book bandwagon, with Recipe for Murder being published by Hachette in October. Intriguingly, acclaimed novelist Helen Garner, who wrote the award-winning true-crime books Joe Cinque’s Consolation and This House of Grief, was seen attending Patterson’s trial.

Elise McCredie (left), Tony Ayres and Cate Blanchett created the critically acclaimed ABC series Stateless.Credit:

Announcing Toxic, the ABC’s head of scripted Rachel Okine called it a “powerful project”.

“This investigation has already captivated audiences across Australia, and we’re eager to dive deeper into the complexities behind the headlines to bring this story to life with the team,” she said.

Toxic is a co-production between the ABC and respected director Tony Ayres and screenwriter Elise McCredie, the award-winning team behind the 2020 detention camp drama Stateless.

“True stories ask storytellers to probe the complexities of human behaviour,” Ayres said. “What really lies beneath the headlines? It’s both a challenge and a responsibility to go beyond the surface – to reveal, not just sensationalise.”

McCredie, meanwhile, said it was a “tangled, heartbreaking story”.

“Sitting in on the trial, watching evidence unfurl, change direction, and reposition itself has been an exercise in the subjectivity of ‘truth’ and a blueprint for a dramatic retelling that explores multiple perspectives in an honest and compelling way,” she said.

They are working closely with ABC journalist Rachael Brown, who co-hosts the Mushroom Case Daily podcast. No casting details have been announced.

On Monday, Patterson was found guilty of three counts of murder and one of attempted murder over the beef Wellington meal she served four guests at her Leongatha home on July 29, 2023.

The 50-year-old mother of two, who pleaded not guilty, had been on trial in Morwell, in regional Victoria, since late April, with the case receiving international media attention.

The prosecution argued Patterson served her in-laws Don and Gail Patterson, Gail’s sister Heather Wilkinson, and Heather’s husband, Baptist pastor Ian Wilkinson, a dish that contained highly toxic death cap mushrooms.

Don and Gail Patterson and Heather Wilkinson later died in hospital, while Ian Wilkinson survived after spending several weeks in a coma. Erin Patterson was also admitted to hospital, but was later discharged. Patterson’s legal team consistently argued the deaths were a tragic mistake.

The Supreme Court jury of five women and seven men found Patterson guilty on all charges after six days of deliberation.

Stan is owned by Nine, the publisher of this masthead.

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