August 1, 2024 – The BBC has released the first trailer for Kidnapped: The Chloe Ayling Story and announced that the series will launch on Wednesday 14 August. All episodes will be available on BBC iPlayer from 6am, and the series will air on BBC Three starting that night with a double bill at 9pm.

Kidnapped: The Chloe Ayling Story, made by River Pictures, in association with ZDFneo, is based on the true story of Chloe Ayling’s abduction in Italy in 2017, when she travelled there for a photoshoot.

Written by Georgia Lester (Killing Eve, Skins), the six-part series is based on detailed research, extensive interviews, documented legal proceedings and Chloe’s own book, Kidnapped. It will tell Chloe’s personal story in full for the first time, going behind the headlines to shine a light on the emotional truth.

This factual drama 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.

It 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?

The series stars Nadia Parkes (The Bastard Son & The Devil Himself, Domina) as Chloe Ayling, Adrian Edmondson (Rain Dogs, A Spy Among Friends), Nigel Lindsay (The Capture, The Salisbury Poisonings), Olive Gray (Halo, Rose), Eleonora Romandini (The White Lotus, Il Nostro Generale), Julian Swiezewski (The Passing Bells, Krucjata) and Christine Tremarco (The Responder, Casualty).

Kidnapped: The Chloe Ayling Story is a 6×30’ River Pictures production for BBC iPlayer and BBC Three in association with ZDFneo. The series is written by Georgia Lester, with individual episodes written by Nessa Wrafter (Early Days, Smother) and Tolula Dada (Grantchester, Red Rose). It is directed by Al Mackay (Without Sin, COBRA) and produced by Clare Shepherd (Viewpoint, The A Word). The executive producers are Michael Parke and Andrew Morrissey for River Pictures alongside Georgia Lester, Al Mackay and Priscilla Parish, with Lucy Richer executive producing for the BBC. River Pictures is part of BBC Studios, who are distributing the series internationally.

The series has been made in cooperation with Chloe Ayling and filming took place in the UK and Italy last year.

Information on casting here: https://bit.ly/44eg71J
First look picture: https://bit.ly/42x4qDe