Nadia Parkes will lead the cast of Kidnapped, a factual drama based on Chloe Ayling's 2017 abduction.
Chloe Ayling is a model from South London who was abducted in Italy in 2017 after she traveled there for a photo shoot, and Parkes is set to portray Ayling herself.
Parkes said: "This is a timely and important story about how we perceive trauma in the media. I feel honored to be playing Chloe and to be part of this adaptation for the BBC."
Parkes has previously appeared in Doctor Who, The Spanish Princess, Starstruck Domina, This is Christmas and starred in the Netflix fantasy series, The Bastard Son & The Devil Himself.
"We are delighted that the incredibly talented Nadia Parkes will portray Chloe Ayling in our drama", said Michael Parke, Executive Producer for BBC Studios. "She has immersed herself in research and is passionate about bringing the truth about Chloe's story to the screen."
Joining Nadia Parkes on the series are Adrian Edmonson, Nigel Lindsay (The Capture), Olive Gray (Halo), Eleanor Romandini (The White Lotus), Julian Swiezewski (The Passing Bells), and Christine Tremarco (The Responder). Further casting will be revealed at a later date.
Kidnapped (a working title) has been written by Killing Eve and Skins writer, Georgia Lester and is based on detailed research, interviews, documented legal proceedings, and Chloe Ayling's own book of the same name.
As the BBC explains, the six-part drama will "tell Chloe's personal story in full for the first time, going behind the headlines to shine a light on the emotional truth".
A full synopsis for Kidnapped reads: "The series follows her terrifying kidnap, her bravery and resilience in captivity, and the subsequent court case that put her kidnappers in jail. Yet despite their convictions, Chloe faced headlines accusing her of faking her own kidnapping, and found herself at the centre of a media storm.
"The series asks why Chloe was blamed for her kidnappers’ crimes. How do we relate to survivors of crime who make the front pages? And how does it feel to be an ordinary person, caught up in events so extraordinary that you aren’t believed?"
A release date for the series has not been confirmed at the time of writing, but Kidnapped will air on BBC Three and BBC iPlayer as and when it arrives.
