ITV COMMISSIONS FOUR-PART TRUE CRIME DRAMA, BELIEVE ME, WRITTEN BY ACCLAIMED SCREENWRITER JEFF POPE MBE AND PRODUCED BY ETTA PICTURES
Images of the actors are available here: https://we.tl/t-0wEwk15KE6
Photo credit for Aimée-Ffion Edwards – Phil Sharp
Photo credit for Miriam Petche – Craig Gibson
Photo credit for Aasiya Shah – Phil Sharp
Photo credit for Daniel Mays – Will Thompson
ITV's Director of Drama Polly Hill has commissioned a four-part true crime drama, Believe Me, written by BAFTA and RTS award winning screenwriter Jeff Pope MBE, and produced by his production company, Etta Pictures, part of ITV Studios.
Believe Me tells the story of three victims of one of the most prolific sex attackers in British history, John Worboys, dubbed by the media as the 'black cab rapist' after preying on women under the cover of being a 'respectable' licensed taxi-cab driver.
Aimée-Ffion Edwards (Slow Horses, Peaky Blinders, Dreamland, Mr Burton) Miriam Petche (Industry) and Aasiya Shah (Raised by Wolves, Bloods, The Beast Must Die) play the women Worboys sexually assaulted. Daniel Mays takes the role of John Worboys (Des, A Thousand Blows, The Long Shadow, Moonflower Murders).
The drama will be filmed in Cardiff and is produced with the support of the Welsh Government via Creative Wales.
John Worboys was convicted in 2009 for sexually assaulting twelve women between 2006 and 2008, with their cases selected from a large number of suspected further victims. His modus operandi was to claim that he'd had a win at a casino or on the lottery, then persistently offer women he'd picked up in his cab after a night out a glass of champagne, which he'd laced with drugs, and which rendered his victims unconscious.
The drama focuses on the ordeal of two of the women who reported sexual assaults by Worboys, and how the Metropolitan Police failed to thoroughly investigate these women's allegations, leading them to feel that they were just not believed.
Believe Me will relate how this left Worboys free to commit assaults undetected for many years. Following his trial came the realisation that he was linked to allegations of further sexual offences against over a hundred women.
The two women then joined forces with solicitor Harriet Wistrich and Phillippa Kaufmann QC, and decided to sue the Metropolitan Police under the Human Rights Act for their failure to properly conduct investigations into their allegations of sexual assault, leading to them being subjected to degrading treatment and contributing to their distress.
The drama highlights how these women fought against all odds to have their cases heard, whilst looming in the background was Worboys' first parole hearing. Unbelievably, eight years after he was convicted for his crimes, his victims were made to fight again to keep him behind bars.
Academy Award nominated and BAFTA and RTS award winning screenwriter Jeff Pope is no stranger to true crime drama having recently written Suspect: The Shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes and previously being known for The Walk In, Hatton Garden, A Confession, Little Boy Blue, Mrs Biggs and Lucan and was also Executive Producer for The Reckoning and Appropriate Adult (both written by Neil McKay).
Jeff's work also includes the feature films Stan & Ollie, Philomena and Pierrepoint and critically acclaimed television biopics Cilla and Archie.
Jeff will executive produce the drama alongside Saurabh Kakkar on behalf of Etta Pictures. Julia Ford (Until I Kill You, Showtrial, Unforgiveable) will direct the series. Catrin Lewis Defis (The Winter King, Hollington Drive, The Pact) will produce the series.
Commented Jeff Pope:
'The series goes on an emotional journey with the victims of Worboys' attacks, showing what happened to them when they reported being raped and assaulted, the pain and indignity of the process and how this de-humanised them. But most shocking of all is how they felt that not being believed by the police and having the attacks recorded, essentially, as non-crimes, was as traumatising for them as the actual assaults.'
Polly Hill will oversee production of the drama from the broadcaster's perspective.
Commented Polly Hill:
'We are really proud to be working with Jeff Pope to bring this important story to screen. For too long the women were not heard by the police, resulting in more victims and ultimately resulting in a landmark case brought against the Met. Jeff's scripts as always are brilliant in bringing this difficult but important story to screen and I am delighted that Julia Ford will be directing the piece.'
The drama will air on ITV1 and STV and be available for streaming on ITVX and STV Player.
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