Line of Duty star reveals he "underestimated" how much embodying Believe Me predator would "take its toll"

This article contains discussion of subjects including sexual assault and rape that some readers may find upsetting.

While Daniel Mays may be best known for roles in the likes of Line of Duty, A Thousand Blows and The Thursday Murder Club, the actor is taking on a much darker role in ITV's Believe Me.

Mays stars in the drama as convicted serial sex offender John Worboys, who was dubbed the 'black cab rapist' after preying on women as a licensed taxi-cab driver.

Worboys was convicted in 2009 for crimes including sexual assault and drugging with intent against 12 women between 2007 and 2008. In 2019, Worboys was convicted again for attacks on four more women, with police having received numerous and believing that over his 13-year career as a London taxi driver, he could have drugged and attacked more than 100 female passengers.

While the new series is very much focused on the stories of the victims and survivors of Worboys and their resulting search for justice, we do follow Worboys at certain points.

Speaking about taking on the role, Mays told Radio Times and other outlets during a press conference: "It was a huge thing to take on. But alongside that, I could recognise the acting challenge as well. You're being asked to sort of humanise someone who is evil essentially and it's about delving beneath those headlines and trying to play him in as three dimensional way as possible, and that actually was very... I underestimated how difficult that was going to be.

"I thought I've got 26 years experience as a professional actor but I'm not going to lie to you, it did, at times, take its toll. It was a difficult thing and an unsettling thing to portray and very isolating by its very nature."

Mays features alongside Aimée-Ffion Edwards and Aasiya Shah, who star as Sarah and Laila, two women who were attacked by Worboys, whilst Miriam Petche appears as Carrie Symonds, who was drugged by the taxi driver.

Under the ruse of having won the lottery or struck lucky at the casino, Worboys would hold up a bag of money as evidence of his win while driving the women in the back of his taxi. He would then insist on giving them a glass of champagne to celebrate for him, as he was unable to drink while driving. The drink in question would be laced with sedatives and Worboys would then rape or sexually assault his victims, with many of them having no recollection of what had transpired.

Read more:

• Why doesn’t Amber just cut the handcuffs? Prisoner star explains decision that could leave fans divided
• Rivals star and Pride & Prejudice icon confirmed for new 'propulsive lunar thriller' series

On Worboys's behaviour, Mays also told ITV in a press pack for the series: "He was insistent, and he didn't give up. The disturbing through line for the character that Jeff came up with was, you get the sense that as the story unfolds and it goes from year to year, once he'd stepped over that Rubicon, it's like he's compelled to do it all the time. He starts to fray at the sides, and he starts to get sloppy and it’s like he can't stop himself. I think he becomes more deranged and even more dangerous.

"It was so hard because when you play evil characters, you always try to find some redeeming qualities in them. It’s like, 'Where can I hang my hat as such and humanise him?' But there were no qualities about him like that whatsoever. And when you really go into his past and his backstory, you know, he was drugging people way before he was a black cab driver. He was a 'Peeping Tom'. So, this was a narcissistic, dangerous individual."

He went on: "I think driving the black cab was an extension of his stripping, that desire to be the centre of attention. He absolutely loved the fact that he was adored by women as a stripper and I have no qualms in saying, and there’s no doubt in my mind that he became a black cab driver to put himself in the vicinity of young, vulnerable, drunk women.

"In the guise of a London black cab, which obviously at the time and today, is seen as a safe haven. It takes such a long time to pass the knowledge to become a black cab driver. So that's how premeditated and focused he was on doing that and how determined he was to put himself in that position."

For information and support, please visit Rape Crisis or The Survivors Trust.

Believe Me will air on ITV from 10 May with all four episodes available to stream on ITVX.

Add Believe Me to your watchlist on the Radio Times: What to Watch app – download now for daily TV recommendations, features and more.

Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.