BBC drama Four Lives aired its first episode last night (Monday January 3), which stars Stephen Merchant and Sheridan Smith.

This new three-part series is based on the real life story of four young gay men who had their lives taken between a 16-month period between 2014 and 2015.

Anthony Walgate, Gabriel Kovari, Daniel Whitworth and Jack Taylor were all murdered by Stephen Port, dubbed the 'Grindr killer'.

Port used Grindr to make contact with the young men and then lure him to his London home.

He then killed them by administering them with the GHB drug, which were not initially ruled as suspicious until weeks after the fourth death.

Bournemouth Echo: Jakub Sevec as Gabriel Kovari (BBC/ITV Studios/Ben Blackall)Jakub Sevec as Gabriel Kovari (BBC/ITV Studios/Ben Blackall)

Port received a life sentence with a whole-life order in November 2016 for his crimes.

It was only last month (December 2021) that an inquest jury into the Met Police's handling of the murders found that they contributed to the deaths of Port's final three victims.

When is Four Lives airing?

Four Lives will air its second episode tonight (Tuesday January 4) with its third and final episode airing on Wednesday January 5.

Alternatively, all three episodes are available to watch on BBC iPlayer now.