Keeley Hawes will star in Honour, a new two-part drama for ITV based on the true story of young Londonder Banaz Mahmod, who was murdered by her family for falling in love with the wrong man.

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Hawes (Line of Duty, Bodyguard) will star as Detective Chief Inspector Caroline Goode, the officer who was given the Queen’s Police Medal for her investigation into the missing 20-year-old.

DCI Goode vowed to bring the killers to justice after discovering Mahmod had been to the police five times to report threats to her life from members of her family – a promise that "quickly became personally consuming", according to ITV.

Hawes – who is executive producing the series with her new company Buddy Club – said: “It is a privilege to be working on Honour…in a time when honour killings are still rife, it is critical to shine a light on such an important subject. Banaz Mahmod’s story, and DCI Goode’s subsequent investigation, is certainly one that needs to be told and I am proud to be a part of it.”

The two-hour drama, directed by Richard Laxton (Him & Her, Mrs Wilson) and written by Gwyneth Hughes (Vanity Fair, Dark Angel) will begin filming in September 2019.

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“That this story is ultimately so uplifting is down to the sheer heroism and dedication of the police officers who hunted down [Mahmod’s] killers…I found their unusual warmth and humanity deeply moving,” said Hughes.

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