Believe Me is more impactful for one key reason – and true crime dramas should take note

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This article discusses sensitive and potentially disturbing topics such as sexual assault and rape. Reader discretion is advised.

There’s a lot of discussion about what makes a true crime drama truly good, especially since there are more of these shows available now than ever before.

Some argue that these shows shouldn’t be labeled as simply ‘good’ or ‘bad’ because they portray real tragedies. Others believe the focus is too often on understanding the motivations of the criminals themselves, rather than the victims. This raises a bigger question: is it right for us to watch so much of this type of content, and in doing so, encourage the creation of even more?

A central question in many crime dramas – “What drives someone to commit such terrible acts?” – often leads shows to focus on shock value rather than respecting the victims. ITV’s “Believe Me” thankfully avoids this trap.

The new show “Believe Me” starts tonight, and though it’s short – just four episodes – it’s a powerful story that will stay with you long after it’s over.

This series doesn’t offer a groundbreaking approach to portraying difficult events, and it likely won’t shock female viewers. However, its thoughtful and sensitive handling of these topics is something other showrunners should emulate.

With shows like Netflix’s ‘Monster’ fueling a worldwide fascination with serial killers, a new approach is taken in this story. Instead of focusing on the life of John Worboys – a notorious UK sex offender played by Daniel Mays – the series highlights the courageous women who worked tirelessly to bring him to justice.

This drama is inspired by true events, but the names and characters have been altered to protect the privacy of those involved. The story centers on Sarah and Laila, both of whom were attacked by the same man, years apart. When they report the crimes to the police, instead of receiving support, they find themselves intensely scrutinized. Investigators delve into every aspect of their lives – their personal histories, substance use, and even details like Laila’s nail polish color – seemingly looking for reasons to doubt their accounts.

Before starting the series, I was worried, like many viewers probably were, about how realistically it would portray dangerous situations. The early episodes depict women simply trying to get home safely at night – a situation all too familiar to many. While public transportation can be unreliable, taxis are often presented as the safest choice. But is it necessary to show every woman’s worst fears in such a detailed and graphic way?

The scenes inside the cars feel incredibly confined, almost putting you right there with Sarah or Laila. What’s unsettling is knowing what’s going to happen, especially when Worboys casually mentions his casino winnings. The show portrays him as disturbingly friendly and pitiable. Miriam Petche, who plays Carrie Symonds, notes that Carrie saw Worboys as someone who seemed harmless, and the show effectively captures that unsettling impression.

While he attempts to convince the women to drink the champagne he’s poured, the show focuses on the audience hoping they won’t, and deliberately avoids showing the consequences when the drug begins to affect them. For instance, when Worboys gets in the car with Sarah, he lights her cigarette, and the camera cuts to Mays’s face as he chillingly remarks, “it’s all part of the service.”

Following a scene change, Sarah wakes up in a hospital, visibly injured with bruises and cuts, and her tights are torn. It becomes clear she has been sexually assaulted, and the show powerfully conveys this realization through her reaction in the hospital, without showing the assault itself – which makes the scene even more impactful.

As a film lover, I was really struck by the scenes where Sarah is interviewed by the police. They weren’t just drawn out for dramatic effect; they felt incredibly authentic. It really put me in her shoes, imagining how frustrating it must have been to repeatedly explain and justify herself to officers who hadn’t properly looked into what she was saying.

The story doesn’t reveal what happened to Carrie directly. Instead, we learn about the night through her account to a friend a week later, shown in flashbacks. She firmly insists nothing happened, stating she would have known immediately if Worboys had done anything to her – she says she would have felt it both instinctively and physically.

The second episode also doesn’t show Laila being assaulted, but it does depict Worboys forcing a pill on her and frighteningly covering her mouth to make her take it.

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After a difficult first episode focused on Sarah’s police interview, Laila’s experience evokes even stronger feelings of anger and sadness. The scene where an officer questions Laila about her character based on her red nail polish is likely to frustrate and upset viewers.

“Believe Me” rightly focuses on the Metropolitan Police’s mistakes in dealing with Sarah and Laila’s accusations against Worboys, and their long struggle to be taken seriously. It could easily have become a sensationalized story filled with excessive violence and a needless deep-dive into Worboys’s mind, but thankfully, it avoids that trap.

Believe Me truly excels as a realistic drama, respectfully giving voice to the experiences of those affected, and remains a powerfully moving and compelling watch.

For information and support, please visit Rape Crisis or The Survivors Trust.

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Just a heads-up for my fellow film and TV lovers: a show called Believe Me is on ITV1 tonight at 9pm. If you miss it, or just want to binge-watch, all four episodes are already up on ITVX.

As a total movie buff, I just have to tell you – seriously, add “Believe Me” to your watchlist on the TopMob: What to Watch app! It’s a great way to stay up-to-date with daily TV and movie recommendations, plus they have some really cool features. You can download the app now if you haven’t already.

Authors

Morgan CormackDrama Writer

Morgan Cormack writes about TV and streaming drama for TopMob. Before that, she was an Entertainment Writer at Stylist. She also has experience in content marketing, freelancing, and holds a degree in English Literature.

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2026-05-10 15:05