| Deceit | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Crimedrama Thriller |
| Written by | Emilia di Girolamo |
| Directed by | Niall MacCormick |
| Starring | |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language | English |
| No. of series | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 4 |
| Production | |
| Producer | Ado Yoshizaki Cassuto |
| Cinematography | Jan Jonaeus |
| Running time | 48 minutes |
| Original release | |
| Network | Channel 4 |
| Release | 13 August (2021-08-13) – 3 September 2021 (2021-09-03) |
Deceit is a British four-part television drama, based on the true story ofa controversial undercover operation carried out by theMetropolitan Police in 1992.Niamh Algar stars as the undercover police officer, codenamed "Lizzie James", who attempts to entrap a suspect in a murder investigation. It premiered onChannel 4 on 13 August 2021, and all subsequent episodes were made available for streaming onAll 4 that same day.[1][2] The series, written byEmilia di Girolamo and produced by Story Films, received critical acclaim.[3][4][5]
In August 2020, Channel 4 Drama announced they had commissioned a new show with the working titleMy Name is Lizzie, examining the investigation into thekilling of Rachel Nickell in 1992.[6]
Later retitledDeceit, the show includes scenes of verbatim dialogue as part of a fictionalised retelling of events.[7]
It was first shown on Channel 4 each week, starting on 13 August 2021. All four episodes were made available on the channel's streaming serviceAll 4 after the first episode was broadcast.
| No. | Title | Original release date | U.K. viewers (millions) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Episode One" | 13 August 2021 (2021-08-13) | N/A | |
During September 1992,DI Keith Pedder andforensic psychologist Paul Britton plan Operation Edzell, a sting operation against Colin Stagg, after making him the prime suspect due to criminal profiling.[1] Sadie pretends to be Lizzie James and that she is a friend of a former penpal of Stagg's.[1] Stagg believes 'Lizzie', who encourages him to reveal hissexual fantasies to her. Sadie's aim is to try to find out if he is likely to have carried out thesexual assault and stabbing killing of former model Rachel Nickell, a 23-year-old woman, onWimbledon Common, South London, on 15 July that year.[1] | ||||
| 2 | "Episode Two" | 20 August 2021 (2021-08-20) | N/A | |
The police would like to arrest Stagg on suspicion of the murder of Rachel Nickell. He becomes increasingly attracted to 'Lizzie'. The police become aware that the existence of the sting has been leaked, but they do not know how that happened. The investigation team have 'Lizzie' arrange to meet Stagg, which she does as they watch them. | ||||
| 3 | "Episode Three" | 27 August 2021 (2021-08-27) | N/A | |
'Lizzie' tells Stagg that she wants the man who killed Rachel Nickell. He tells her that he did not kill her. However, the police arrest him for hermurder because he gave details of the position that she was in when found dead, which the media had not released. The pressure 'Lizzie' is under starts to affect her psychologically. | ||||
| 4 | "Episode Four" | 3 September 2021 (2021-09-03) | N/A | |
The police's investigation rests on evidence from the controversial honeytrap. In November 1993, whilst Stagg is being held onremand, a young woman and her daughter, Samantha and Jazmine Bisset, are murdered inPlumstead, South London. The police disagree about how similar the Nickell and Bisset killings are. In 1994, the evidence gathered by 'Lizzie' is thrown out of court and the description of the position Nickell was found in is not close to what Stagg said it was. The case against Stagg collapses and he is freed. Sadie Byrne resigns. In 2008,Robert Napper, already serving life sentences for the Bisset murders, is convicted of the manslaughter of Rachel Nickell. Stagg receives £700,000 compensation. | ||||
Lucy Mangan, writing forThe Guardian, praises Algar's "phenomenal performance" and MacCormicks "magnificent and stylish" direction, and says the only problem the show has is that "it is dealing with events that are stranger than fiction."[5] Sara Wallis fromDaily Mirror believes that the miniseries are "not hammer-blow viewing that reconstructs grisly murders" but a more detailed account of the impact of undercover work on Sadie.[4] During theBBC Radio 5 Live program, Algar expressed her opinion of Emilia di Girolamo's work, calling it "something unique" and "one of the most exciting dramas."[8]
Sean O'Grady, writing forThe Independent, namedDeceit "a gripping portrayal of a real-life undercover operation".[3] For her performance, Algar was nominated forBest Actress at the2022 British Academy Television Awards.[9]