Philippa Dunne, recognized for her cheerful portrayal of Anne in Amandaland, steps into a dramatic new role as a determined solicitor in ITV’s upcoming true crime series Believe Me.
The Plot of Believe Me
Believe Me chronicles how victims of John Worboys, one of Britain’s most notorious sex offenders, challenged the authorities after initial failures in their cases. Worboys, portrayed by Daniel Mays, posed as a trustworthy black cab driver to target lone women. He lured them with tales of casino or lottery wins, offering drug-spiked champagne that left them unconscious with fragmented memories.
The series centers on Sarah (Aimée-Ffion Edwards) and Laila (Aasiya Shah), who reported assaults but felt dismissed by police. Dunne, 44, embodies Harriet Wistrich, the solicitor who teams up with the women and barrister Philippa Kaufmann QC. They sue the Metropolitan Police under the Human Rights Act, alleging botched investigations caused degrading treatment and heightened distress. The real-life case succeeded twice, even after the Met’s appeal reached the Supreme Court.
Dunne’s Preparation and Performance
The Irish actress secured the role through Zoom auditions. “I just did a couple of auditions over Zoom—auditioning is still a big part of any actor’s life,” Dunne explained. She faced her heaviest dialogue load yet, using post-it notes during rehearsals.
“Because of how jargon-heavy all the legal stuff is, I had a lot of it written on the paper in front of me,” she added with a laugh. “So if you see me doing this at any stage, I am literally reading my script in front of the camera.”
John Worboys’ Crimes and Current Status
Now 68, Worboys received convictions for 19 offenses in 2009, with additional guilty verdicts since. His next parole hearing occurs publicly in June.
Writer Jeff Pope’s Insights
Jeff Pope, the writer behind Little Boy Blue, Philomena, and See No Evil, selects stories that provoke strong emotions. “The first thing is—does something get you angry? Or really affect you?” Pope stated. “With this one I spent six months of my life being angry as I was pulling it together.”
He consulted the three key survivors extensively. “We spent a lot of time with them—as a man I had to understand a lot of personal, difficult, unpleasant stuff that they were telling me. And just listening and listening.”
Pope gained perspective from women in his life. “I realised early in the process that there’s a whole world, and one half of the population really don’t know much about it and the other half live with it,” he noted. “Stuff like what women put up with just on a night out… it was such an education for me.” He hopes the drama educates viewers on everyday challenges women face.
Pope’s next project explores Sarah Everard’s story for the BBC.
Additional Cast and Carrie Symonds’ Role
Miriam Petche portrays Carrie Symonds, now married to former Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Symonds escaped Worboys as a young woman. During his initial parole consideration, she risked her position in the Conservative Party press team to lead a campaign for a judicial review of the decision.
Dunne Returns to Amandaland
Dunne reprises Anne in Amandaland‘s second series on BBC One, starting May 6. “Anne is still in SoHo, juggling her high-powered job while raising her kids, attending all of Darius’s soccer matches, volunteering for activities at school while also being at the beck and call of her best pal Amanda,” the actress shared.
Dunne and Lucy Punch, who plays Amanda, earned Best Comedy Actress Bafta TV Awards nominations alongside Jennifer Saunders from the Christmas special. The series, featuring Call the Midwife‘s Pam Ferris as a guest, also contends for Best Scripted Comedy.
Believe Me premieres on ITV next month.
