Vardy v Rooney TV drama reveals cast, including Michael Sheen

By James Hibbs

Published: Wednesday, 12 October 2022 at 12:00 am

Hold on to your hats – the so-called ‘Wagatha Christie’ case is coming to Channel 4 as a new two-part drama, starring none other than Michael Sheen.

The Good Omens actor will play Coleen Rooney’s high profile barrister David Sherborne in the two-part film, entitled Vardy v Rooney: A Courtroom drama, while Rooney herself will be played by BAFTA-winning actress Chanel Cresswell (This is England).

Rebekah Vardy meanwhile will be played by Game of Thrones and Harry Potter star Natalia Tena, and her barrister Hugh Tomlinson QC (now KC) will be played by Simon Coury (Maxine).

The roles of Wayne Rooney and Jamie Vardy will be played by Dion Lloyd (Pride) and Marci Nagyszokolyai (Shadow and Bone) respectively.

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Coleen Rooney and Rebekah Vardy.
Getty/Getty

The two-part drama will explore the events which unfolded when Vardy sued Rooney for libel in June 2020, after Rooney alleged that Vardy’s Instagram account had been the only one capable of leaking fake stories from Rooney’s private Instagram Story to the press. Vardy strongly denied leaking fake stories to the media, but the judge ruled in Rooney’s favour.

The High Court case took place in May of this year, with the drama showing how it had a huge impact on the lives of the two women and catapulted their legal teams into the spotlight.

It has been created from the real court transcripts, with Channel 4 saying it will “bring viewers all of the incredible and unbelievable moments from a case that kept the public and media gripped”. It is set to debut on the channel later this year and has been directed by Oonagh Kearney and written by Chris Atkins.

Vardy v Rooney: A Courtroom Drama will air on Channel 4 later this year. Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide to see what’s on tonight.

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