BBC Three have announced a new drama based on the true story of Chloe Ayling.
From detailed research, extensive interviews, documented legal proceedings and Chloe’s own book Kidnapped, it shares how a British model was abducted in Italy in 2017, having travelled there for a photo shoot.
Written by Georgia Lester (Killing Eve, Skins), the six-part series provisionally titled Kidnapped will tell Chloe’s personal story in full for the first time, going behind the headlines to shine a light on the emotional truth.
A teaser shares: “The series follows her terrifying kidnap, her bravery and resilience in captivity, and the subsequent court case that put her kidnappers in jail. Yet despite their convictions, Chloe faced headlines accusing her of faking her own kidnapping, and found herself at the centre of a media storm.
“The series asks why Chloe was blamed for her kidnappers’ crimes. How do we relate to survivors of crime who make the front pages? And how does it feel to be an ordinary person, caught up in events so extraordinary that you aren’t believed?”
Nadia Parkes will star as Chloe with further casting including Adrian Edmondson (Rain Dogs, A Spy Among Friends), Nigel Lindsay (The Capture, The Salisbury Poisonings), Olive Gray (Halo, Rose), Eleanor Romandini (The White Lotus, Il Nostro Generale), Julian Swiezewski (The Passing Bells, Krucjata) and Christine Tremarco (The Responder, Casualty). Full casting will be announced in due course.
Writer Georgia Lester said: “Every moment that I have spent researching this series and spending time with Chloe, learning about the ordeal she suffered both by the men who abducted her and the people who doubted her, has been shocking and infuriating. It’s been an honour to work with Chloe and I can’t wait for audiences to finally see her courage, her charm and her unwavering resilience.”
Fiona Campbell, Controller of Youth Audience, BBC iPlayer and BBC Three added: “Many of us remember Chloe Ayling’s story and the headlines that followed. Drama on the BBC has a unique and exceptional ability to bring human stories to life and to show what happened from the inside out, to allow audiences to assess their own responses and make up their own minds.
“We’re hugely appreciative to Chloe for sharing her story, and to the team at BBC Studios who are bringing it to the screen with the sensitivity and insight that it deserves.”
The series is being made in full cooperation with Chloe Ayling, who said: “I am excited that BBC Studios are telling my story and that the wider world will get to know the truth about what happened to me and learn of the many details that weren’t brought to light originally. Georgia Lester and the team have been incredibly supportive in our conversations, and I couldn’t be happier that they are making this series.”
Further details will be announced in due course.
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