BBC announces new drama based on kidnap of British Page 3 model Chloe Ayling

04 April 2023 , 16:26

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The BBC working with model Chloe Ayling on a new TV series (Image: WireImage)

The BBC has announced that it's developing a new factual drama in collaboration with model Chloe Ayling.

Glamour model Chloe, now 25, made headlines in 2017 when it was reported that she had been abducted in Italy after having travelled to the country for a photoshoot.

The case is said to have inspired a new TV series which the BBC has announced "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 BBC added.

Chloe Ayling made headlines in 2017 when it was reported that she had been abducted whilst abroad (WireImage)

The case is now said to have inspired a new TV series, which is being developed in cooperation with her (GC Images)

The six-part project, currently titled Kidnapped, is set to "tell [her] personal story in full for the first time, going behind the headlines to shine a light on the emotional truth."

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The BBC said that it's based on detailed research, extensive interviews, documented legal proceedings and Chloe's own book Kidnapped, which was released back in 2018.

The broadcaster said the show asks a series of questions, such as: "How does it feel to be an ordinary person, caught up in events so extraordinary that you aren't believed?"

It added that the upcoming series - which doesn't yet have a release date - is being made in "full cooperation" with Chloe, who appeared on Celebrity Big Brother in 2018.

She said: "I am excited that BBC Studios are telling my story and that the wider world will get to know the truth about what happened to me and learn of the many details that weren't brought to light originally."

The project is being developed by BBC Studios (Channel 5/PA)

Chloe added: "[The show's writer] Georgia Lester and the team have been incredibly supportive in our conversations, and I couldn’t be happier that they are making this series."

Georgia said: "Every moment that I have spent researching this series and spending time with Chloe, learning about the ordeal she suffered both by the men who abducted her and the people who doubted her, has been shocking and infuriating."

She further commented: "It's been an honour to work with Chloe and I can't wait for audiences to finally see her courage, her charm and her unwavering resilience."

The six-part series is expected to be filmed sometime later this year. The BBC said that casting and further details about the project will be announced in due course.

Joel Leaver