Earlier today Netflix dropped its latest true crime dramatization, The Witness, and it's a seriously heartbreaking watch.
The three-part limited series brings to the small screen a dramatization of the murder of Rachel Nickell in 1992, who was killed on Wimbledon Common (a park in London). Her young son Alex was the only witness to the horrific crime.
Set across multiple timelines, the show looks at how the death of his mother and being the only witness to it impacts Alex and his dad André throughout their lives.
After the series begins with a disclaimer about how the show is based on a true story but some details have been changed, it then goes onto show what appears to be home video footage of Alex and Rachel. But is it the real mother and son? Here's what you need to know.
Is the footage at the start of The Witness real?
At the start of episode one of The Witness there is a series of footage that appears to be shot on a home video camera.
In the footage we can see Rachel and Alex playing in the park. Alex is riding his tricycle and waving to his dad, who is behind the camera.
There's then a voiceover that says: "I went for a walk with my mother when I was a child and she never made it home."
There's then footage of what appears to be a young man or child alone in the woods.
While it seems incredibly real, the footage is not actually from the real Alex and André but instead filmed as part of the series. It sees Eleanor Williams star as Rachel Nickell and Jahsiah Williams as the young Alex Hanscombe.
The real Alex and André Hanscombe were heavily involved in the creation of the Netflix drama.
"Rob [Williams] the writer and John [Yorke] the executive producer reached out to us when they first heard I might be writing our story, about thirteen years ago,” Alex said during a recent Q+A about the creation of the series. “We’ve been in touch with them ever since.”
And André added: " Rob, John, Sarah [Brown, executive producer] and Andy [script assistant], were kind enough to go over every line with us, which wasn’t a walk in the park for them. We will never forget that. The drama’s not a home video, and they had to condense thirty-odd years into a small space of time, which is a challenge.”
The Witness is available on Netflix now.
