The Following Events Are Based On A Pack of Lies is a drama arriving on BBC1 as part of its Autumn TV season. The unconventional dark comedic thriller focuses on two very different women — Alice Newman (Rebekah Staton) and Cheryl Harker (Marianne Jean-Baptiste) who have just one thing in common — being taken for a ride by conman Dr Rob Chance (Alistair Petrie).
With Derek Jacobi also starring as Sir Ralph Unwin, who may or may not also be being scammed by Rob, the dark comedy promises to be an eventful ride.
Created by SISTER productions, here's everything you need to know about BBC1's five-part dark comedy thriller The Following Events Are Based On A Pack of Lies…
The Following Events Are Based On A Pack of Lies release date
The Following Events Are Based On A Pack of Lies is a five-part comedy-drama that starts on BBC1 on Tuesday August 29 at 9pm, with all five episodes also on BBCiPlayer from that date. We’ll let US and international viewers know how they can watch the drama when we hear.
Is there a trailer for The Following Events Are Based On A Pack of Lies?
Yes the BBC has now released a trailer for The Following Events Are Based On A Pack of Lies and we're definitely intrigued. Take a look below.
The Following Events Are Based On A Pack of Lies plot
Set in Oxford, the story of The Following Events Are Based On A Pack of Lies follows no-nonsense personal assistant, mum and Madonna-obsessive Alice Newman (Rebekah Staton), whose world is upended when she spots her dastardly ex-husband (Alistair Petrie) on the streets of Oxford. He disappeared 15 years ago after conning her and her parents out of everything they had, yet now he’s going by the name Dr Robert Chance, and is apparently on a mission to save the world as a climate scientist and ecopreneur affiliated with Oxford University. But when Robert befriends wealthy fantasy-fiction writer Cheryl Harker (Marianne Jean-Baptiste), who’s recently widowed and has only a pet poodle for company, Alice suspects he’s honed in on his next victim. The police can’t help without hard evidence, so can she convince Cheryl to help her turn the tables on Robert and pull off the ultimate con?
The Following Events Are Based On A Pack of Lies cast — Marianne Jean-Baptiste as Cheryl
Marianne Jean-Baptiste plays scammed Cheryl in the drama. Before the current US writer's strike she revealed more about The Following Events Are Based On A Pack of Lies. Marianne says: "I found that it was an original take on the subject; I think there’s a fascination with people that do the things that Rob does, you really try to figure out why they behave that way, and if there’s some pathology to it. The writers were trying to shift the focus slightly, because you are fascinated and want to see what he does next, but it was about the women then becoming empowered to – it sounds simplified to say ‘get revenge’ – but to get some power back. It was a lovely experience working with Rebekah and Alistair, I think we really gelled and enjoyed each other, which helps immensely!
* Marianne Jean-Baptiste is most famous for playing Hortense Cumberbatch in the 1996 movie Secrets and Lies alongside Brenda Blethyn who was Oscar nominated for her tole in that film. She’s since starred as Doreen Lawrence in the ITV film The Murder of Stephen Lawrence and played Sharon Bishop in ITV crime drama Broadchurch. Marianne has also starred in Training Day, Blindspot and How to Get Away with Murder.
Rebekah Staton interview on playing Alice
Raised By Wolves star Rebekah plays scammed Alice (see main picture above) in this drama. She says: "When Alice has that first encounter with Robert, it’s like the stages of grief. She’s never allowed herself to be angry, and yet the moment she knows he’s alive, it hits her and she can’t shake it off. Alice is a good person and plays by the rules, but when she gets no help from the police, something shifts. Much of Alice’s anger stems from the fact that this happened to her family as well, and now here he is, walking around like he’s done nothing wrong,’ continues Staton. ‘I think she blamed herself, but Robert had promised Alice everything at a time when she wanted to hear it. He’s very charismatic and the point of the show is that we could all fall victim to this."
* Rebekah Staton also starred in drama series such as Home, Ordinary Lies, Wallander and Inside Men. She’s had roles in Great Night Out, Pulling, Moving On, Doctor Who and the 2006 miniseries Jane Eyre
Alistair Petrie on playing Dr Rob Chance
Alistair plays conman Dr Rob Chance and says: "‘There’s a lot of humour. But the show seduces you into thinking, “This is funny”, and then twists the knife, which is brilliant, subtle manipulation in itself. I think some people will be yelling at the TV: “How could you fall for that?”. But others may reflect back on their relationships and see a little bit of themselves in Alice and Cheryl."
To get into the mindset of a master manipulator, Petrie says he ‘did a lot of research into these types of people’, including binge-watching true-crime documentaries and referring to his ‘bible’ – the writers’ four-page document on Robert’s backstory. "I’ve always said I’m like my characters’ lawyer, so I don’t condone their actions, but I represent them,’ says Petrie. ‘I try to figure out the human being underneath, and he is an extraordinary combination of a psychopath, a narcissist and a Machiavel. Con artists prey on vulnerability, and while we all think this would never happen to us, it’s not always about stealing money, it can be about manipulation and control,’ he adds. ‘I bet more of us have been conned in life than not."
Alistair Petrie will be instantly recognizable as headmaster Michael Groff in the Netflix comedy series Sex Education. He’s starring in this year’s Why Didn’t They Ask Evans? and has had roles in ITV2's recent wrestling comedy Deep Heat, The Terror, The Night Manager and Whitechapel. He’s also been in movies such as Rogue One, The Duchess, The Bank Job and Victor Frankenstein.
Derek Jacobi as Sir Ralph Unwin
Legendary film, TV and stage actor Derek Jacobi will play Sir Ralph Unwin, who may also be one of Rob’s victims. His impressive career includes movies such as The Day of the Jackal, Cyrano de Bergerac, The Odessa File, Gladiator, Gosford Park, End Game and The King’s Speech. He also starred in classical Roman drama I, Claudius, Doctor Who and Last Tango in Halifax while he played the Duke of Windsor in the third season of The Crown.
Who else is starring in The Following Events Are Based On A Pack of Lies?
There are plenty of other great actors among the cast in The Following Events Are Based On A Pack of Lies, including Romola Garai (The Hour) who plays Juno Fish, Alice’s boss and a prominent designer. Julian Barratt (The Mighty Boosh) is Alice’s husband Benjy, while Karl Johnson (Lark Rise to Candleford) is Alice’s father Bill. Ellie Haddington (Enola Holmes, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them) is Alice’s insufferable mother Diane.
The Following Events Are Based On A Pack of Lies episode guide
Here's a brief episode guide to The Following Events Are Based On A Pack of Lies, which we'll be updating as the series progresses so do check back and look out for spoilers...
Episode 1
Love, lies, trickery and toxicity are at the heart of this unpredictable thriller about two women who band together to take down a conman. Set in Oxford, the five-part drama follows no-nonsense personal assistant Alice Newman (Rebekah Staton), whose world is upended when she runs into the ex (Alistair Petrie) who conned her out of everything she had 15 years ago. Now calling himself Dr Robert Chance, he’s a lauded ecopreneur on a mission to save the world through his climate academy based at Oxford University. But when Rob befriends local fantasy-fiction writer Cheryl Harker (Marianne Jean-Baptiste), who’s wealthy and recently bereaved, Alice believes he’s found his next victim. Can she convince Cheryl to help her give Rob a taste of his own medicine?
Episode 2
They say not all heroes wear capes, but aspiring fashion designer Alice (Rebekah Staton) is modelling her very-own pink creation as she swoops in to save the day in this week’s episode. After rescuing poor poodle Goblin from drowning in a lake, Alice plans to reunite him with his frantic owner, widowed author Cheryl (Marianne Jean-Baptiste), and reveal to her that cruel con man Rob (Alistair Petrie) - who swindled Alice out of everything she owned years before - wanted Goblin dead. But when she spies the suave swindler on Cheryl’s doorstep, Alice surprises herself by bending the truth to win Cheryl’s trust. Is she turning into a con artist, too?
Episodes 3 to 5
We'll be updating soon so do check back.
Behind the scenes on The Following Events Are Based On A Pack of Lies
The Following Events Are Based On A Pack of Lies creators Penelope and Ginny Skinner said:“ We couldn’t be more delighted that, thanks to Sister’s expert support and encouragement, this project has attracted such a talented group of collaborators to bring it to fruition. With Robbie McKillop and Nicole Charles’ insightful and creative direction along with an absolute dream cast, including stars like Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Rebekah Staton and Alistair Petrie, we are hugely proud that this show has found a home at the BBC. ”
Directors for the series are Robbie McKillop (Guilt, Clique) and Nicole Charles (Hair Power: Me and My Afro) who will be directing three and two episodes respectively. The SISTER team added, “We are so excited that this extraordinary cast has joined us to bring these scripts to life under the helm of such creative, collaborative directors as Robbie and Nicole. We feel incredibly lucky to be working with such a unique and talented team, and it's testament to Penny and Ginny's writing that we are!”
Jo McClellan, Commissioning Editor, BBC Drama, said, “The BBC are thrilled to begin production on The Following Events are Based on a Pack of Lies with this fantastic cast and the brilliant Sister production team. Penny and Ginny have written an incredibly fun show which highlights how susceptible we all are to the modern fraudster, how they are everywhere and hiding in plain sight.”
