Sumith Prasad
The filming of BBC’s crime series ‘Kidnapped’ has begun in England and Italy. The series revolves around the true story of British model Chloe Ayling, who was kidnapped in Milan, Italy, and held captive at a remote farmhouse. “She was told she was being auctioned on the Dark Web as a sex slave, and that if she tried to escape, she’d be killed instantly by agents of the Black Death gang. Chloe was eventually set free by twisted fantasist Lukasz Herba, and her story became a tabloid obsession and a national conversation,” the logline reads. The show will dive deep into the kidnapping and the “trial by media” that happened after Ayling was freed.
Greater Manchester in England serves as the principal location of the series. The shooting of the show happened in Bolton, a town in Greater Manchester, in July 2023. The Oldhams Estate in Astley Bridge serves as a location. The crew of the series was spotted at a house on Selkirk Road as well. ‘Captain America: The First Avenger,’ ‘Darkest Hour,’ ‘Sherlock Holmes,’ ‘Red Rose,’ ‘Devs,’ etc. are some of the famed productions filmed in Greater Manchester. In addition, Italy is another significant filming location.
Nadia Parkes, who plays Annalise in Netflix’s fantasy series ‘The Bastard Son & the Devil Himself’ and Rosa de Vargas in Starz’s historical series ‘The Spanish Princess,’ portrays Ayling in the series. Parkes’ other credits are Young Livia in ‘Domina,’ Sophie Diller in ‘Starstruck,’ Claire Clairmont in ‘Doctor Who,’ and Suzy in ‘This is Christmas.’ “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 a part of this adaptation for the BBC,” the actress told BBC in a statement.
The rest of the cast includes Ade Edmondson (‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’), Nigel Lindsay (‘The Last Kingdom’ and ‘Safe’), Olive Gray (‘Halo’ and ‘Sex Education’), Christine Tremarco (‘Casualty’), Eleonora Romandini (‘The White Lotus’), and Julian Swiezewski (‘1983’ and ‘Erotica 2022’).
The series is written by Georgia Lester with the complete cooperation of Ayling. “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. Georgia Lester and the team have been incredibly supportive in our conversations, and I couldn’t be happier that they are making this series,” Ayling told BBC in a statement.
“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. 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,” Lester added. The screenwriter’s credits include ‘Killing Eve,’ ‘Skins,’ ‘Turn Up Charlie,’ ‘Wolfe,’ etc. Al Mackay, whose credits include ‘Without Sin,’ ‘COBRA,’ and ‘Deep Water,’ serves as the director.
Read More: Best British and BBC Shows on Netflix
