The upcoming series is the sequel to ITV’s The Murder of Stephen Lawrence, and stars Sharlene Whyte, Hugh Quarshie and Steve Coogan.
ITV are following up their landmark 1999 drama The Murder of Stephen Lawrence, with an upcoming sequel titled “Stephen”.
Starring Sharlene Whyte, Steve Coogan, and Hugh Quarshie, the new drama focuses on the investigation into the racially motivated murder of Stephen Lawrence in 1993.
Alan Partridge star Steve Coogan said it was an “honour” to star in ITV drama Stephen, in which he plays DCI Clive Driscoll – the man who managed to secure convictions for two of Lawrence’s murderers.
Speaking to RadioTimes.com and other press, Coogan said, “It was an honour to play Clive really, because as an actor I don’t often play nice people… So it was a nice change for me to play someone who had integrity, simple unannounced integrity, if you like.”
In Stephen, viewers will be returning to the story of the Lawrence family and their fight for justice. This drama will pick back up in 2006, 13 years after the murder, at another turning point in the case.
We’re told by ITV: “The production team are producing this sequel with the full support of the Lawrence family, most notably Baroness Doreen Lawrence and Dr Neville Lawrence, who have given the drama their blessing.”
Read on for everything you need to know about Stephen.
Release date for ITV’s Stephen Lawrence drama
The drama will air in autumn 2021, having started filming in February. We’ll keep this page updated with any further news about the exact release date and time!
Stephen on ITV cast
!["STEVE]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2021/02/STEPHEN-02-d158ad7.jpg?quality=90&crop=10px%2C72px%2C2887px%2C1923px&resize=620%2C413" "\"STEVE")
Sharlene Whyte (Small Axe, We Hunt Together) takes the role of Stephen’s mother Doreen Lawrence, with Hugh Quarshie (Breeders) reprising his performance of Neville Lawrence from the original award-winning ITV drama.
BAFTA award winning actor Steve Coogan (Stan & Ollie, Philomena) plays DCI Clive Driscoll, who led the investigation into the murder of the Lawrences’ beloved son.
The drama series also stars Richie Campbell, Jordan Myrie, Sian Brooke and Adil Ray.
What is Stephen about?
!["Stephen]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2020/07/stephen_lawrence-68435b6.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413" "\"stephen_lawrence\"")
Black British teenager Stephen Lawrence was murdered on the evening of 22nd April 1993 in a racially motivated attack whilst waiting for a bus in Well Hall Road, Eltham, in London.
The Lawrences’ campaign for justice would bring about a public inquiry which branded the Metropolitan Police institutionally racist, resulting in lasting changes in the law.
However, it wasn’t until over 18 years after Stephen Lawrence’s death that his killers were brought to justice, as the original investigation had failed to convict those responsible.
The three-part series Stephen is set in 2006 and “tells the story of the ongoing struggle by Doreen and Neville Lawrence to achieve justice and how a detective, DCI Clive Driscoll – working closely with the Lawrences – puts together an investigation that finally – more than 18 years after his death – secures the convictions of two of the gang who committed the murder of Stephen.”
!["SHARLENE]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2021/02/STEPHEN-03-4ec37cc.jpg?quality=90&crop=2px%2C455px%2C1297px%2C864px&resize=620%2C413" "\"SHARLENE")
The drama is written by Frank Cottrell Boyce and Joe Cottrell Boyce. It comes from production company HTM Television, or “Hat Trick Mercurio”, in association with Baby Cow Productions. The executive producers are Paul Greengrass, Mark Redhead, Jimmy Mulville and Line of Duty‘s Jed Mercurio.
Redhead said: “It’s a privilege to be working with Doreen and Neville Lawrence to tell this chapter of the story of their campaign for justice for Stephen. It’s a story that moves and inspires and is ever more resonant and relevant today.”
The director is Alrick Riley, and the producer is Madonna Baptiste.
Stephen on ITV trailer
Here’s a brief, first-look trailer:
A first look at our new @ITV drama, #Stephen, about Doreen and Neville Lawrence’s astonishing crusade to achieve justice for their son. Starring Sharlene Whyte, Steve Coogan and Hugh Quarshie. pic.twitter.com/9rTZZBXjQR
— HTM Television (@HTMTelevision) June 21, 2021
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