ITV viewers 'hooked' on new 'must-watch masterpiece' thriller based on true story

Edinburgh Live

29-04-2025

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ITV has quietly unleashed an incredible new thriller - and the eight-part series is already receiving glowing reviews from viewers.
Titled Fake, this Australian masterpiece is being hailed as a "romance-scam thriller" and centres on a young woman who starts to suspect that her charming new partner isn't quite what he seems.
The show made its debut on ITVX on April 27 and is set to take over Saturday nights starting from May 3, quickly becoming a hit and even setting records as Paramount+'s most successful release in Australia after its premiere.
The official synopsis reads: "The series stars Asher Keddie (Nine Perfect Strangers) as Birdie Bell, a magazine features writer who thinks she's found her perfect match when she meets successful rancher Joe (David Wenham, Pieces of Her), on a dating app. But as the relationship intensifies, Birdie is torn between Joe's magnetic pull and the instinct that her boyfriend isn't all he has led her to believe."
Commenting on the acquisition, ITV's Head of Content Acquisitions Sasha Brelau expressed excitement: "We've got a great track record with Australian drama on ITVX, Anya Beyersdorf's work on The Twelve is a shining example of how well it resonates with our audiences, so we're really looking forward to bringing her newest offering Fake to the UK in 2025. It's a gripping thriller, made for binge watching," reports the Mirror.
Despite what the name might suggest, Fake is actually rooted in reality. The series is an adaptation of Stephanie Wood's memoir, which details her own harrowing experience.
A woman has revealed her harrowing ordeal with a man she calls a con artist after meeting him on a dating app, stating: "I met Joe through an online dating app and spent 15 months with him. He told me he was a former architect, farmer and property developer. He seemed to be compassionate and decent and to share my values. He led me to think we might have a future together."
She added that his "But his increasingly erratic behaviour, his constant cancellations and contradictory stories, left me in a state of high anxiety and self-doubt. Eventually, for the sake of my mental health, I ended the relationship. I am a journalist and that's when I started to investigate him."
It became so detrimental to her well-being that she decided to end the relationship for her mental health, later delving into an investigation as a journalist.
Her inquiries revealed more alarming truths as she explained: "I did title deed and bankruptcy searches and spoke to people who knew him. I discovered he had been with another woman for the duration of our relationship, had a criminal record, was bankrupt, and had left a trail of grief and broken relationships behind him."
The woman hopes others can draw strength from her experience, sharing, "For anyone who has been in one of these relationships, I hope that Birdie's story will comfort them, help them realise that they were not foolish and that these type of abusers are clever manipulators. I would like them to feel less alone."
The tale has sparked reactions on social media, with viewers feeling seen and understood. One viewer expressed their gratitude, posting: "I'm beyond grateful for the portrayal as it helps with me knowing that behaviour is not my fault and I didn't ask for that to happen to me."
Other fans also shared their enthusiasm, with one saying: "It was hard not to binge the whole series in a sitting. Had us hooked from the start and it's been so good to see a quality Australian production again."
Another agreed, adding: "This is a must watch. I wasn't a fan of either main actors but I love a bit of Australian production, Fake does not disappoint."