Line of Duty star cast as serial sex attacker John Worboys in new ITV true crime drama
The project comes from the writer of Suspect and the director of Until I Kill You.
Content warning: Contains discussions of sexual assault.
Line of Duty alum Daniel Mays will play sex attacker John Worboys in an ITV dramatisation of the fight to bring him to justice – and to keep him behind bars.
ITV describes Believe Me as "the story of three victims of one of the most prolific sex attackers in British history", who used his job as a London taxi driver to gain the trust of the women he targeted.
When Worboys picked up his victims, he would claim to have just won a cash prize, either at the casino or via the lottery, and would offer his customers a glass of champagne in celebration – but the drinks were, in fact, drugged.
Believe Me "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".
The drama will explore how this lack of scrutiny allowed Worboys to continue committing his despicable crimes over a period of several years, while also highlighting the tireless fight for justice by those he targeted.
In 2009, Worboys was convicted of sexually assaulting 12 women, but the story doesn't end there, as only eight years later, his victims were faced with the prospect of his release from prison.
Aimée-Ffion Edwards (Slow Horses), Aasiya Shah (We Might Regret This) and Miriam Petche (Industry) will play the women assaulted by Worboys; their characters have not been named in the ITV announcement.
The disturbing true story will be adapted for Believe Me by prolific screenwriter Jeff Pope, who is renowned for his work dramatising real-life cases, such as Suspect: The Shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes, A Confession and Little Boy Blue.
"The series goes on an emotional journey with the victims of Worboys's attacks, showing what happened to them when they reported being raped and assaulted, the pain and indignity of the process and how this dehumanised them," said Pope.
"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."
ITV's director of drama Polly Hill added: "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."
Ford's recent directing work includes hit crime dramas Showtrial and Until I Kill You as well as BBC Two's recent feature-length drama Unforgivable, starring Anna Friel and Anna Maxwell Martin.
Believe Me is coming soon to ITV1 and ITVX.
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Authors
David Craig is the Senior Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest and greatest scripted drama and comedy across television and streaming. Previously, he worked at Starburst Magazine, presented The Winter King Podcast for ITVX and studied Journalism at the University of Sheffield.
