The Witness on Netflix is a scripted true crime drama series that tells of the brutal 1992 murder of Rachel Nickell on Wimbledon Common and the impact it had on her family, including her then two-year-old son Alex who was the only eyewitness to the crime.
Based on the memoir and experiences of Alex Hanscombe and his father André it takes us on a journey from 1992 through to the early 2000s as they deal with the aftermath of Rachel’s death. It also details how they made it through the darkness as a devoted family.
“We can’t thank STV Studios and Netflix enough for helping share our story and it’s a blessing to be working with them,” said André and Alex, who are consulted on the show.
“We are much indebted to the whole team. Our journey has all been by the grace of God and a promise to go on together. We hope that audiences will be left with a testament to the tough battle of life we all face and to the power of faith, hope, love — and never giving up.”
Here’s everything you need to know about the Netflix series The Witness…
The Witness release date
The Witness is a three-part series launching on Netflix in 2025. When we hear of a confirmed release date, we’ll update you here.
Is there a trailer?
There's no trailer for The Witness just yet, but one may be available nearer to the release date. If so, we’ll add it to this page.
The Witness plot
The Witness follows the story of the murder of young mum Rachel Nickell, who was killed on Wimbledon Common in 1992. It is told through the lens of Rachel’s family, her partner André and her son Alex, who witnessed his mother’s murder as a two-year-old.
It shows how André became a single parent overnight and was forced to put his own grief to one side to help his tiny, traumatised son. We see how the family came under the glare of the media spotlight and had to cope with an increasingly desperate police investigation into Rachel’s killing. Yet, somehow, through strength and resilience, the loving pair made it through the other side.
The Witness cast
The cast for The Witness has yet to be announced but as soon as we hear anything, we’ll update this page.
All about Rachel Nickell’s murder
23-year-old Rachel Nickell was walking on Wimbledon Common with her two-year-old son Alex and their dog Molly on July 15 1992 when she was brutally murdered by a complete stranger. She was stabbed 49 times and sexually assaulted. Her son, the only eyewitness to the crime, was later found by her body pleading with his mum to get up. He had stuck a piece of paper on her body, like a plaster, to make her better.
In 1994 Colin Stagg stood trial at The Old Bailey for the crime. However, the trial collapsed because the police used a ‘honey trap’ where a female officer was sent undercover to snare him into confessing. He was formally acquitted in September 1994.
It wasn’t until 2008 that Robert Napper, who also killed Samantha Bisset and her four-year-old daughter Jazmine in November 1993, admitted to killing Rachel. The paranoid schizophrenic was eventually convicted of Rachel’s manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility.
