Daniel Mays takes on chilling role in new ITV drama Believe Me
He portrays John Worboys in the powerful true-crime series
Last updated 11 hours ago
ITV/STV has unveiled a first look at Daniel Mays' intense new role in Believe Me, an upcoming true-crime drama exploring the failures of the justice system in the case of John Worboys, one of Britain’s most prolific sex offenders
Speaking about the project, former Line of Duty actor Daniel shared how deeply the story affected him and the great responsibility he felt in portraying such a disturbing real-life figure.
What is Believe Me about?
Believe Me recounts how the survivors of one of the most prolific sexual predators in British history were let down by the very system meant to protect them. Per the official synopsis, John Worboys 'was dubbed the ‘black cab rapist’ after preying on women under the cover of being a ‘respectable’ licensed taxi-cab driver. He was convicted in 2009 for crimes including sexual assault and drugging with intent against twelve women between 2006 and 2008, with their cases selected from a large number of suspected further victims.'
It adds: 'His modus operandi was to pick up women in his cab after they’d been on a night out, claim that he’d had a win at a casino or on the lottery, then persistently offer them a drug-laced glass of champagne to help him 'celebrate' - which then rendered his victims unconscious.
'The drama focuses on the ordeal of Sarah (Aimée-Ffion Edwards) and Laila (Aasiya Shah), who reported sexual assaults by Worboys (Daniel Mays), and how the Metropolitan Police failed to thoroughly investigate their allegations, leading them to feel that they were just not believed'.
It portrays what many women say they endure after reporting rape - the humiliation of repeated interviews, the invasive collection of intimate evidence, and the skepticism they may encounter from police questioning.
Believe Me explores how the Metropolitan Police’s failures effectively allowed Worboys to carry out assaults undetected for years; only after his trial did it emerge that he was linked to allegations of further sexual offences involving more than a hundred women.
The synopsis continues: 'Sarah, Laila, Harriet and Phillippa were joined by Carrie Symonds (Miriam Petche), who was targeted by Worboys in her youth but had a narrow escape, and who was now a senior figure in the Conservative Party press team.
'She put her career on the line to spearhead a huge media and political campaign pushing for an unprecedented judicial review of the Parole Board’s decision. The campaign, with Sarah, Laila and Carrie at the forefront, was successful, and Worboys’ parole was quashed. The bravery and resilience of these women resulted in significant changes to the law.'
Who is in the cast?
Believe Me stars Aimée-Ffion Edwards (Slow Horses, Peaky Blinders) as Sarah, Miriam Petche (Industry) as Carrie and Aasiya Shah (Raised by Wolves, Bloods) as Laila.
Daniel Mays (Des, A Thousand Blows, The Long Shadow) plays John Worboys.
What did Daniel Mays say about playing Worboys?
Speaking to ITV about the responsibility he felt towards the survivors in terms of getting their story right, he said: "When you're playing a real person in any drama, there's always a huge responsibility that comes with it, but this was a whole other level. This isn't a drama about the motives of John Worboys, and rightly so."
He added: "This is told from the perspective of the victims, and for them to tell their truth, have their stories told – the ordeals that they went through and the fight they took on against the Metropolitan Police and the court systems. So, when you're dealing with that, the onus was on me to get it absolutely 110% right. That was paramount to me."
Asked whether it affected him to play someone who had committed such heinous crimes, he said: I actually underestimated how much it was going to affect me. I've been a professional actor for 26 years, so I've done a lot of true crime and played a lot of wrong ‘uns. When I got these scripts, it absolutely terrified me, because I'm a father myself. My head immediately went to my 13-year-old daughter Dixie. She's venturing out, going on trains, and before long, no doubt she'll be in the back of a taxi. So as a father, I found it an incredibly disturbing and terrifying read."
Adding: "It was a difficult thing to have rolling around in my head before filming. It was a very isolating character to play, by its very nature. When I was announced to play him, I got this tirade from family and friends and work colleagues who can’t quite believe it, going, 'Why would you want to play something like that?' So, the challenge was to humanise him, really, and that was a very difficult and unsettling thing to take on."
Where can I watch Believe Me?
Believe Me is coming soon to ITV1, ITVX, STV & STV Player.
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