Jeff Pope pens latest true-crime ITV drama

ITV has ordered a four-part drama on one of Britain’s most prolific sex attackers, John Worboys, from The Walk In writer Jeff Pope.

Believe Me will tell the story of three victims of Worboys, who was dubbed the ‘black cab rapist’ after preying on women under the guise of being a respectable taxi driver.

Aimee-Ffion Edwards (Peaky Blinders), Miriam Petche (Industry) and Aasiya Shah (The Beast Must Die) will play the three women, with Line of Duty and Suspect: The Shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes’ Daniel Mays playing Worboys.

The Etta Pictures-produced drama follows the story of Worboys’ conviction in 2009 for sexually assaulting 12 women between 2006 and 2008.

Focusing on the ordeal of two of the women who reported sexual assaults, and how the Metropolitan Police failed to thoroughly investigate these allegations, the drama depicts how Worboys was left free to commit assaults for many years and how the women joined forces with solicitors to sue the Metropolitan Police, fighting for their cases to be heard.

Eight years after Worboys was convicted for his crimes, they were forced to fight again to keep him behind bars.

The series marks Pope’s latest true-crime adaptation, having recently written Disney+ original Suspect: the Shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes and ITV’s The Walk In. He previously wrote Hatton Garden and Little Boy Blue for the broadcaster.

“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” said Pope.

The four-parter was commissioned by ITV drama chief Polly Hill, with Pope exec producing alongside Saurabh Kakkar for Etta Pictures. Julia Ford is directing with Catrin Lewis Defis producing.

The drama will be filmed in Cardiff and is produced in association with ITV Studios, which handles international distribution. It has received support from the Welsh Government via Creative Wales and will air on ITV1 and STV.