A Thousand Blows star revealed in “unsettling” role of real-life serial criminal in new true crime drama first look

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This article contains references to sexual assault that some readers may find distressing.

Following the release of initial photos last week for the upcoming ITV drama Believe Me – which focuses on the victims of John Worboys, known as the ‘black cab rapist’ – a new image featuring Daniel Mays in a central role has been revealed.

Stephen Graham, known for his roles in shows like Line of Duty and A Thousand Blows, will portray Worboys in the upcoming series. A recently released photo shows him driving a taxi as part of the role.

Early statements have been shared, including comments from Mays about his part in the show. He explained he felt a strong sense of duty to the people whose lives inspired the story.

He clarified that this isn’t a story focused on why John Worboys did what he did, and that’s intentional. Instead, it’s told through the eyes of his victims, giving them a chance to share their experiences – the terrible things they endured and their struggle for justice against both the police and the courts.

In that situation, it was entirely my responsibility to make sure everything was perfect. Getting it right was my top priority.

In 2009, Worboys was found guilty of sexual assault and drugging twelve women between 2006 and 2008. These cases were chosen from a much larger group of women who also suspected him of similar crimes.

He preyed on women he picked up in his taxi after they’d been out for the evening. He’d falsely claim to have won money gambling, and then repeatedly try to give them champagne secretly spiked with drugs, with the intent of making them pass out.

Honestly, I didn’t realize how much playing someone like Worboys would get to me. I’ve been acting professionally for 26 years now, and I’ve done quite a bit of true crime stuff, played a lot of bad guys… but this was different. I really underestimated the impact it would have.

Reading these scripts was frightening for me, especially as a father. I immediately thought of my 13-year-old daughter, Dixie, and how she’s starting to become more independent – taking trains and soon likely riding in taxis. It was a deeply unsettling and scary experience as a parent.

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Honestly, getting into the headspace of this character was tough, even before we started filming. It was a really lonely role to play, just by its nature. And the reaction when I was cast was…intense. I got a lot of questions from family, friends, and coworkers – a lot of ‘Why this role?’ – and it definitely made me think about my choices.

The main task was to make the character feel more human, and that was a surprisingly difficult and disturbing thing to attempt.

Believe Me, featuring Mays, also includes performances by Aimée-Ffion Edwards (known from Slow Horses), Miriam Petche (from Industry), and Aasiya Shah as Laila (seen in The Beast Must Die).

The story centers on the experiences of two women who were sexually assaulted by Worboys, and their feeling that the Metropolitan Police didn’t properly investigate their claims.

Believe Me will air on ITV1 and ITVX.

I’m really excited about “Add Gone” and I’ve added it to my watchlist on the TopMob app! It’s a fantastic app – you should download it too. They give you daily TV recommendations and all sorts of interesting features, so you’ll always have something great to watch.

Authors

James HibbsDrama Writer

As someone who’s totally obsessed with TV, I’ve been following James Hibbs’ work for a while now. He’s a Drama Writer at TopMob, which means he covers shows from pretty much everywhere – streaming services like Netflix and traditional channels too. Before getting into writing, he actually worked in PR, first for a business-to-business agency and then at Fremantle, a big international production company. He’s got a solid background in the humanities, with a BA in English and Theatre Studies, and he’s a qualified journalist, holding an NCTJ Level 5 Diploma.

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2026-03-18 18:09