ITV ‘Believe Me’: Daniel Mays talks about the cost of playing ‘black taxi rapist’, screenwriter Jeff Pope focuses on victim, not predator

ITV’s upcoming drama believe me Britain’s established and up-and-coming stars come together to tell harrowing British stories. Amy Ffionn Edwards (slow horse, peaky blinders, Mr. Burton), Asia Shah (Raised by Wolves, Bloods, Beast Must Die) and Miriam Pesce (industry) This is a special 4-episode series co-starring Daniel Mays (Job details, Death, A Thousand Blows, Moonflower Murder Case) He plays John Worboys, known by the more sinister nickname “The Black Taxi Rapist” in the UK.

He made a lot of headlines. It’s time for the women who suffered because of him to see their stories and experiences told. From the humiliating content of multiple police interrogations and intimate evidence gathering, to the skeptical questioning by police officers. believe me This movie brings the audience a lot of pain, frustration, and anger-inducing experiences.

surely, believe mewritten and executive produced by Jeff Pope (Philomena, stan & olly, Shira), produced by Etta Pictures, part of ITV Studios, and starring the actress (happy valley) and director (show trial) Julia Ford will tell the stories of victims of “one of the most prolific sexual assaulters in British history” and how they were “failed by the system,” the program description says. “Worboys was convicted in 2009 of sexual assault and intentional drug use against 12 women between 2006 and 2008, selected from among a number of possible further victims. His modus operandi was to take women on a night out in a taxi, claim they had won at the casino or in the lottery, and persistently offer them drug-laced champagne. ‘Celebrate’ – which left his victims unconscious. ”

believe me It focuses on the trials of two women, played by Edwards and Shah (whose real names are not used; the show instead uses pseudonyms and elements of the story have been changed to protect their anonymity). They reported sexual assaults by Worboy, but the Metropolitan Police (also known as Scotland Yard) failed to investigate thoroughly, effectively leaving Worboy free to carry out the assaults undetected for years. After his trial, it was revealed that he was involved in further alleged sex crimes against over 100 women.

believe me is set to premiere on ITV and ITVX in May, but a specific start date has not yet been revealed. The drama is produced and distributed in association with ITV Studios. Filmed in Cardiff with support from the Welsh Government through Creative Wales.

As a writer and/or producer, Pope has explored true crime stories in series such as: widowabout convicted murderer Malcolm Webster, and liquidationabout British media personality Jimmy Savile’s sexual crimes. However, rather than glorifying the perpetrators, he prefers to explore the effects of crime on humans. “It’s been a process for me for a really long time,” Pope said during an online discussion. believe me with the press. “I’m not really interested in trying to get into the mind of a psychopath.”

In fact, he said that the creative team, including director Ford, knew very quickly where the focus of the story would be. “We decided very early in the production process that we wanted this piece to be centered around the experiences of victims,” ​​Pope explained. “These women had been given drugs and they knew something had happened, but they didn’t know exactly what happened.”

The creative team shows us not the crime itself, but the lead-up to it and the emotional aftermath. “We take the audience on a journey. [these women] “On the day they reported being assaulted, there were hours of interviews, intimate examinations, more interviews, sample collection, intimate swabs, etc.,” Pope emphasized, adding, “These women went through the most horrifying process ever to finally be told that they don’t believe the crime happened. In essence, ‘We don’t believe you.'” That’s where the title of the series comes from.

Mr. Mays had already worked with Mr. Pope in the past. Mrs. Biggs and Suspect: Jean-Charles de Menez shooting deathhe was confident. believe me It’s going to be a strong show. “I know that if Jeff brings me a script, it’s going to be heartfelt, it’s going to be engaging, and it’s going to be thoroughly researched,” the actor told reporters. “He really pays close attention to storytelling. He comes from a journalist background, so it’s a huge character with all the challenges that are thrown at me, and at the same time, Jeff as a writer seems to bring out the best in me as an actor.”

Mays continued to emphasize the difficulty of playing a convicted criminal like Worboys, calling the role “a challenge” and an “acting challenge.”

“Essentially, it’s about humanizing a character who is evil. It’s about digging beneath the headlines and trying to make him as three-dimensional as possible,” Starr said.

Pope said he was confident Mays could meet the challenge. But what about the mental strain that comes with slipping into the role of a workboy? Mays told reporters, “I underestimated how difficult it would be.” “I have 26 years of experience as a professional actor, and I’m not going to lie. It was sacrificial at times. It was difficult to play it, it was unsettling, and it was very isolating in its nature.”

Director Ford was asked about the show, which he described as a fair and balanced depiction of what happened to Worboys’ victims. “We just felt like this was the best way to tell the story,” she explained.

“Make no mistake, these women were treated very badly by the police…and we tell this story from their perspective,” she continued. “But I think what I was trying to say is that we don’t blame one individual, one police officer or police officer. This is not about one individual, this is about the entire system.”