ITV Drama Believe Me Features Intimacy Coordinators for Assault Scenes

The ITV drama Believe Me centers on two women who reported sexual assaults by John Worboys, later known in the U.K. as the Black Cab Rapist. Their reports were not thoroughly investigated by London's Metropolitan Police, allowing Worboys to commit additional assaults.

The series, written and executive produced by Jeff Pope, is produced by Etta Pictures, part of ITV Studios, and directed by Julia Ford. The drama uses pseudonyms Sarah and Laila for the victims and alters elements of their stories to protect anonymity.

It avoids detailed depictions of the assaults, instead showing events leading up to them and their aftermath from the victims' perspectives. Miriam Petche also appears in the series, which was filmed in Cardiff with support from the Welsh government via Creative Wales.

Shah described working with intimacy coordinator Sita Thomas, noting that building a relationship before shooting created a safe environment. Shah said any concerns were addressed through Thomas, and choreography for scenes was planned in advance with a fight coordinator.

This approach made the process feel seamless and reduced pressure during key moments. Daniel Mays stated that Believe Me was his first project involving an intimacy coordinator. He emphasized the importance of trust between actors and providing a safe space for performances.

Mays added that the production offered access to a counselor, and he used the service for a half-hour conversation in the final week of filming.

Edwards highlighted that intimacy coordinators were valuable even for non-physical scenes, such as examinations, which she found more intimate than taxi scenes. Edwards noted these scenes reflected the harrowing process of evidence collection after assaults, where victims had limited memories.

She said the examination scenes were the hardest to read in the script. Ford said the depiction of sexual violence was limited to what was necessary for storytelling and not gratuitous. The series will premiere on ITV and ITVX on May 10, 2026, and is distributed by ITV Studios.