Aimée-Ffion Edwards stars as Sarah in ITV's new four-part drama, Believe Me.

Believe Me's Aimée-Ffion Edwards On Real Women, Real Stories, Real Change

Aimée-Ffion Edwards stars as Sarah in ITV's new four-part drama, Believe Me.

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Believe Me’s Aimée-Ffion Edwards On Real Women, Real Stories, Real Change

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The Slow Horses star on heavy subject matter, real survivors, and finding joy on set

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The first two episodes of ITV’s harrowing new four-part drama Believe Me aired on Sunday and Monday evening, with the remaining two episodes to follow at the end of this week. Based on the notorious John Worboys investigation of the noughties, it tells the true story of women who fought the Met Police over its mishandling of sexual assault cases at the hands of the so-called Black Cab Rapist, and explores resilience, institutional failure, and the long road to justice.

Peaky Blinders star Aimée-Ffion Edwards takes the leading role of Sarah, one of the survivors. Ahead of Believe Me‘s launch, C&TH sat down with Edwards to talk all things playing a real person, the weight of heavy material, and the unexpected joy that helped the cast through a challenging shoot. Plus, Apple TV fans should keep reading for an insight into what’s next for Slow Horses.

Q&A: Aimée-Ffion Edwards On Believe Me

A black and white image of Aimée-Ffion Edwards in a black suit

Aimée-Ffion Edwards: ‘I hope we have helped to give Sarah some of that control back.’ (© Bartek Szmigulski)

How’s life going at the moment?

It’s busy but can’t grumble, thanks for asking.

Can you give us an elevator pitch for Believe Me?

It follows these incredibly resilient, brilliant women who, despite having to go through a horrific ordeal of being drugged and attacked by John Worboys and then dismissed over and over again by the people who should have been protecting and supporting them, go on to sue the Metropolitan Police for their degrading treatment and botched investigations. They win. A win that will make positive change in the judicial system and will help protect other women in the future and keep Worboys behind bars past his eight-year sentence.

How would you describe your character?

Sarah has astonishing resilience and superhuman determination but with a huge heart and a great sense of humour.

What was it like playing her?

Sometimes as actors we are lucky to play a part or person that seeps into your pores and helps you grow and evolve as a person. I am really humbled the real Sarah has let me look after her story. I would think about her all the time and wonder how vulnerable that might feel after everything she has been through and the lack of control she has had over the narrative of her experience. I hope we have helped to give her some of that control back.

Did you do anything special to prepare for the role?

I spoke to the real Sarah. She was incredibly open and generous. We chatted about lots of stuff. Her love for her children and her best friend, the real Frankie, was so glaring. It gave me a sense of who she was and is now. You can’t really ask for better preparation than that when playing a real person so I’m really grateful for that privilege.

Aimee-Ffion Edwards as Sarah, Miriam Petche as Carrie and Aasiya Shah as Laila in Believe Me. (ITVX)

Tell me about the cast.

As well as Sarah, it focuses on two other victims. Aasiya Shah and Miriam Petche play Layla and Carrie. They give incredibly visceral and nuanced performances. But we are part of a brilliant big ensemble cast of great known and new actors.

It’s heavy material. What do you hope audiences take from it?

It’s inevitably a hard watch. But an important one. I hope it sparks conversations about how victims are treated and listened to. That it opens people’s minds about victim-blaming and the long-lasting emotional effect experiencing sexual assault in any form and not being believed can have on a person. But I also hope it succeeds in celebrating the emotional stamina, bravery and determination these women had to achieve what they have. Not just for themselves but for other women who feel they can’t speak out for whatever reason. Collective anger and frustration fuels the drive for change.

Did you and the cast find any lightness off camera?

You have to. For everyone’s sake. The days can be a bit emotionally gruelling when you are filming tough scenes for ten weeks, especially for the crew. It helps having a kind and fun crew and wonderful director in Julia Ford. I knew quite a few of the cast before so that’s always lush. The kids that played Sarah’s children were an absolute delight and very funny. Children keep you present and in the moment and it was a team effort from everyone in protecting them and making sure their experience was fun and safe on set.

Any standout moments from rehearsals or filming?

Watching Rachael Stirling boss the courtroom as Phillipa Kaufmann. She gave me goosebumps. And Nathan from the sound department pretending to be Santa over the walkie-talkie to coax one of the kids to stay in a certain place for 20 seconds during a scene. It worked. Like I said, team effort.

Aimee-Ffion Edwards and Saskia Reeves in Slow Horses. (Apple TV)

You’ve also got Slow Horses series 6 in the pipeline. What can we expect this time around?

We have Adam Randall back as director so people can expect some epic action scenes. There are some brilliant additions to the cast as always.

What has it been like being part of such a runaway success?

I feel jammy. It’s not lost on me how lucky I’ve been to get to be a part of something people love and get excited about. To get to work with this crew, cast and specially Will Smith season after season. He’s been a wonderful collaborator for five seasons. You feel like you are making something together as a team. It’s lush.

What has been your favourite project to date?

That’s really tough. I have many special ones but I’m going to say Walking and Talking by Cathy Burke. I can’t help but smile every time I think about my time on that set and the people involved. Pure joy.

Any roles in the pipeline that you’re excited about?

I’m currently shooting a film in Welsh language. It’s a sort of western set in 1800.

Who has been your favourite actor to work with in the past?

I find it hard to compare actors because they are all so unique.

Which co-star did you learn the most from?

I think you genuinely never stop learning. Whether it’s how to approach something a new way or how not to do something.

What’s your dream role?

I’m a bit more reactive than proactive in that sense. I like not knowing what might be next, even if you have to wait a while.

What’s a genre you’d like to do more of?

I’m quite lucky I get to do a mix.

Do you get to spend much time at home?

I try to. It can be feast and famine depending on work and schedule.

Do you live in the town or the country?

I live in the town but the great thing about Wales is that, wherever you are, you are never far from the country.

Which do you prefer?

Bit of both.

What’s your interior design style?

Mainly old with a modern cheeky twist.

How do you find balance in your personal and work lives?

I’m quite good at switching off from work. I can spend hours pottering around the house. I’ve always got a few DIY or sewing projects on the go.

How can we all live a little bit better?

I mean, we are all different, so each to their own. I’ve started planting bulbs in pots and find myself staring at them every day slowly watching them come to life over months. Time slows down somehow.