If you enjoyed Vigil, you won't want to miss You Don't Know Me, a new four-part drama adapted for the screen by the man who created BBC1's hit submarine thriller.
Tom Edge is bringing the best-selling novel of defense barrister Imran Mahmood, to the screen and with an exciting raft of acting talent on show, it's one to look out for.
The courtroom drama tells the tale of a young man standing trial for murder, who shares his story with the jury in a desperate bid to keep his freedom. Here's everything we know about the upcoming legal thriller...
'You Don't Know Me' release date
You Don’t Know Me will begin on Sunday, Dec. 5 on BBC1 at 9pm, with the second episode airing the following day.
The third episode will be broadcast on Sunday Dec. 12, with the fourth and final part coming on Monday Dec 13.
The whole series will be available on BBC iPlayer following the first episode on Sunday Dec. 5.
If you live in the US, the show will be coming to Netflix at some point after its UK release.
What's the plot of 'You Don't Know Me'?
A BBC synopsis reads: "The drama centres on a young man, who, with overwhelming evidence against him, stands accused of murder. At his trial, Hero tells an extraordinary story. It is about the woman he loves, Kyra, who got into dangerous trouble. It’s about how he risked everything to save her. He swears he’s innocent. But in the end, all that matters is this: do you believe him?"
Talking to us about the drama, Samuel says: "We don’t know if Hero is telling the truth or not, so in a way the audience is the 13th juror. I love stories like this that don’t make any decisions for you, because it trusts that the viewers are intelligent enough to think for themselves and come up with their own ideas."
'You Don't Know Me' cast
You Don’t Know Me stars Samuel Adewunmi as Hero, a young man charged with murder who swears he's innocent. Adewunmi will be familiar to British audiences from his role opposite Joanne Froggatt in Angela Black. He's also appeared in the acclaimed film, The Last Tree.
Newcomer Sophie Wilde plays Hero's love interest, Kyra. Roger Jean Nsengiyumva (Tomb Raider, Sixteen), Tuwaine Barrett (The Personal History of David Copperfield, The Last Tree), Yetunde Oduwole (Carnage, Meet The Adebanjos) and Nicholas Khan (Transformers: The Last Knight, Exodus: Gods and Kings) will also appear.
The cast is completed by Bukky Bakray who recently became the youngest ever winner of the BAFTA Rising Star Award at the age of 19; she also earned a BAFTA Best Actress nomination for her role in the film Rocks.
The production, with support from the BBC, also ran a remote HETV (High-end TV Skills) training programme with Film Birmingham for 10 trainees from underrepresented groups.
'You Don't Know Me' characters — Hero (Samuel Adewunmi)
A car salesman who falls in love with a woman he meets on a bus. Hero is elated when his mum and sister accept Kyra as part of their family.
Kyra (Sophie Wilde)
After Kyra meets and starts dating Hero, a dark family secret comes back to haunt her. Shen then disappears without trace...
Jamil (Roger Jean Nsengiyumva)
Circumstances lead to Hero and drug dealer Jamil's worlds colliding, but why does he agree to help Hero buy a gun?
Bless (Bukky Bakray)
Hero's sister forms a close bond with Kyra, and urges her sibling to go looking for his girlfriend after she goes missing.
Abebi (Yetunde Oduwolfe)
Initially delighted when her son Hero starts dating Kyra, Abebi is deeply concerned when she hears of the girl's troubles.
Is 'You Don't Know Me' based on a book?
The series is based on a 2017 best-selling novel written by defence barrister Imran Mahmood, who says it was inspired by the young men he defended in London courts.
It was nominated for a number of crime novel awards and was also in the running for the prestigious Goldsboro Books Glass Bell Award, which covers books from all genres.
What happened in episode 1?
Episode 1 opened with Hero's trial, where it was explained he was placed at the scene of a crime that has led him to be accused of the murder of a young drug dealer. We see him choosing to represent himself in front of the court and also the audience at home, delivering his closing statement in the hopes that he will be found innocent. We find ourselves right in the middle of the case, about to piece together what actually happened over the following three episodes.
It also explores his relationship with a woman named Kyra, someone who he falls for and hopes to win over. We see the pair growing closer, but she mysteriously vanishes from Hero's life, leaving us unsure what's happened there and if it's in any way related to the murder case.
In shocking scenes at the end of episode 1, we saw Kyra getting into a car late at night, strongly implying that she was working as a prostitute.
What happened in episode 2?
Following on from the dramatic scenes of episode 1, Hero continues to present his own case to the jury, revealing that he rescued Kyra from the Glockz and tried to keep her safe, but ends up triggering a turf war. It is also confirmed that Kyra was pimped out by this gang, and that the information wasn't known to the police.
Most crucially, he explains that he did shoot someone but that they didn't die and his reasons for doing it were justified. However, admitting to an entire jury that you bought a gun and also shot someone with it is a dangerous move, and definitely a shocking reveal!
Hero's got himself into a dangerous world by this point in the story, where it's also revealed Kyra's brother was involved in drug dealing. So we know his relationship with Kyra had got himself into some tough situations, but did he actually murder someone? At the halfway point, it's still too early to say!
Is there a trailer for 'You Don't Know Me'?
Yes there an official You Don't Know Me trailer has been released by the BBC. Check it out here!
