Kidnapped: The Chloe Ayling Story

Kidnapped: The Chloe Ayling Story is a six-part British drama series that dramatises the real-life abduction of model Chloe Ayling. The show debuted on BBC Three on 14 August 2024, with Nadia Parkes portraying Ayling. BBC Studios handled production, with Georgia Lester writing the script, Al Mackay directing, and Clare Shepherd producing.

Premise

The story follows Ayling, who travelled to Milan, Italy, in 2017 for a modelling assignment and was seized by brothers Łukasz and Michał Herba. They held her captive for six days, demanding a ransom of £265,000. Both brothers received prison sentences in 2018.

The cast includes Adrian Edmondson as Phil Green, Nigel Lindsay as Adrian Sington, Emmanuele Aita as Gianluca, Olive Gray as Amber, Eleonora Romandini as Nicoletta, Julian Świeżewski as Łukasz Herba, Jaroslaw Ciepichal as Michał Herba, Christine Tremarco as Bea, Lorenzo Richelmy as Francesco, Robert Glenister as Piers Morgan, and Louise Delamere as Susanna Reid.

Production

The project was announced in April 2023 with Chloe Ayling’s full approval. She praised writer Georgia Lester and the production team as “incredibly supportive,” adding she “couldn't be happier that they are making this series.” Executive producers are Priscilla Parish, Michael Parke, and Andrew Morrissey for BBC Studios, Lucy Richer for the BBC, and Georgia Lester. Casting for Parkes, Edmondson, and Lindsay was revealed in July 2023. Filming started in June 2023 across the UK and Italy.

Reception

Critical response was mixed. Emily Baker of the i gave it four stars, calling it a “gripping, propellant drama.” Vicky Jessop of the Evening Standard also awarded four stars, describing it as “a depressing indictment of how the tabloid press demonise young women” that “expertly toes the line between fascinating and depressing.” Hayley Campbell of BBC Radio 5 Live found it “fascinating” but “a little slow,” while colleague Scott Bryan deemed it “a bit uneven” and “not a Must-Watch.” Jack Seale of The Guardian noted a lack of “compelling narrative,” observing that “there’s a lot of inert drama to plough through before later episodes focus more rewardingly on Ayling’s time in the public eye.”