Believe Me writer Jeff Pope talks his John Worboys drama: “I was very aware that I’m a man writing a story about women”

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The arrest of John Worboys, known as the “black cab rapist,” for drugging and assaulting 12 women sparked widespread outrage. The women, believing they were safely heading home in a licensed taxi, woke up disoriented and with the horrifying realization they had been attacked.

The new ITV drama, Believe Me, tells the stories of women who tirelessly fought for the police to take their cases seriously. Writer Jeff Pope, known for his work on true-crime dramas like See No Evil: the Moors Murders, This Is Personal: the Hunt for the Yorkshire Ripper, and The Reckoning, says creating the show made him realize how much fear many women live with daily.

He knew it was important to approach writing about women carefully, as a man himself. He spoke with the women in his family to get their perspectives. One friend’s wife shared a simple but powerful idea: a man walking behind a woman on a dark street should cross the road to avoid making her feel unsafe. He’s started doing that regularly, something he wouldn’t have considered before this conversation.

Putting my thoughts into words revealed something I hadn’t realized before. It was a real eye-opener. It’s simply unacceptable that women can’t feel safe traveling home.

The drama Believe Me, with Daniel Mays playing John Worboys, tells the story through the eyes of two women, known only as Sarah and Laila, who were his victims. The series shows how Worboys, while driving his taxi, pretended to have won a large sum of money and convinced the women to share champagne with him. They initially said no, but eventually gave in, not realizing he had secretly added sedatives to the drinks.

The Pope, after speaking with the actual people affected, described how Sarah’s story began on a night out in 2003, her first since having her son. He explained that she took a black cab – something many women do – and had the fare money safely stored in a secure part of her bag, taking all the proper precautions.

There’s a lengthy scene between Sarah and Worboys in the show, and it was crucial for viewers to understand exactly what happened. Cutting it short – like just showing the driver offering her a drink – wouldn’t work, because people would think it was foolish of her to accept. We needed to show her repeatedly refusing, and all the nuances of their conversation, to make it believable.

I think it’s so important to remember these women weren’t reckless. They didn’t make obviously bad choices – they weren’t hailing random cabs or immediately accepting drinks from strangers. It’s easy to judge, but they didn’t put themselves in a dangerous situation through carelessness.

Aimee-Ffion Edwards, known for her roles in Peaky Blinders and Slow Horses, felt an instant connection to her character Sarah and the show’s scripts. She explains that, like most women, she’s often been conscious of feeling vulnerable when alone. “It’s rare to find a woman who hasn’t felt unsafe walking alone at night,” she says. Edwards believes a particular scene is crucial because it asks viewers to consider what it’s like to be in a precarious situation – like being in a taxi and trying to assess how to stay safe, without the option of simply getting out.

The responsibility for safety shouldn’t fall on women. Everyone deserves to feel safe walking alone or taking a taxi without being afraid.

The director, Pope, emphasizes the series’ accuracy, stating it’s based on thorough discussions with Sarah and Laila, their legal teams, and the police who worked on the case, along with official court records. He credits the women for being so forthcoming, explaining he wanted to give them the opportunity to tell their story in their own words, without any influence from him.

I found the story incredibly insightful. What really struck me was the difficult and exhausting process women face after reporting a sexual assault – the repeated interviews and invasive medical examinations. It’s a deeply traumatic experience, far more complex than dealing with a simple theft. It takes a huge toll on them.

Honestly, writing this was tough – I was often pretty frustrated. But I knew I couldn’t let that show in the story, especially when writing about these women. It wouldn’t have been fair to them to write anything that felt cheap, or relied on made-up drama. I really wanted to avoid anything I couldn’t back up with facts. So, I decided the best thing to do was just let the truth of their stories shine through and speak for itself.

Because the women have no memory of the assaults themselves, the attacks aren’t detailed. They only recall waking up injured – with bleeding, torn clothing, or pain in their genital areas.

A particularly striking part of the book, Believe Me, is its use of actual quotes from the case. One shocking example is a police officer asking Laila, “What kind of woman are you? The kind of woman who wears red nail polish?” This quote highlights how many of the officers investigating the case were reluctant to accept the women’s accounts, likely because investigating rape is a challenging process.

Police offered several reasons for not fully investigating the case. These included the belief that a taxi driver wouldn’t risk an assault from a vehicle that was easily recognized, and the fact that the victim had used a small amount of cocaine that night.

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After speaking with the real Sarah, the actress who portrayed her on screen, Edwards explained that Sarah found the aftermath – how the police handled her case – more traumatic than the attack itself. While the feelings of fear and being violated would always remain, she was deeply hurt by the way she was dismissed and doubted by authorities. Many have asked if she was surprised by the experience, but Edwards noted that while infuriating, it wasn’t entirely unexpected, given the circumstances.

According to the guidelines, police should believe women who come forward, but Pope says it felt like they were actively trying to dismiss these cases. She asks, ‘Why would anyone fabricate something like this?’ She describes how devastating it must be to experience something terrible, then find the pursuit of justice is even more painful, suggesting a serious problem within the system.

Like many real-life victims, Sarah persistently fought to be heard by the police throughout the series. Finally, in 2009, after six years since her attack, Detective Chief Inspector Tim Grattan-Kane recognized patterns linking her case to another investigation. This led to the arrest of Worboys, who was ultimately convicted of 19 crimes, including one rape and twelve instances of drugging. However, the judge indicated that Worboys had likely committed over 100 rapes and sexual assaults.

In 2014, Sarah and Laila, along with other victims, successfully sued the Metropolitan Police in High Court. They argued the police had failed to stop John Worboys earlier, violating their human rights. The judge ruled the police had made ‘systematic failures’ and awarded the victims compensation.

Edwards notes that Sarah endured immense hardship over many years, but continues to be remarkably resilient. He describes her as open, kind, and very funny during their conversations, immediately putting him at ease. She shared her desire to create a happy home for her children, despite everything. Edwards emphasizes the incredible strength these women possess – the ability to cope with enormous challenges without letting it negatively impact those around them. He explains that this experience is deeply isolating and a continuous, ongoing part of their lives.

Authors

Emma Cox

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2026-05-04 19:44