The Witness can’t be unseen.
Based on a true story, The Witness — now available to watch on Netflix — takes us inside the experiences of father and son André and Alex Hanscombe, after Rachel Nickell, André’s partner and Alex’s mother, is brutally murdered on Wimbledon Common in 1992. Almost 3 years old at the time of the murder, Alex was the only witness to his mother’s attack. Both Alex and André served as consultants on the series.
“Our life has been a battle,” Alex and André Hanscombe tell Netflix. “Our journey has all been by the grace of God and a promise to go on together, and we feel incredibly blessed to be able to share our story in this way. We hope that audiences will be left with a testament to the tough battle of life we all face, and to the power of faith, hope, love — and never giving up.”
Created, written, and executive produced by Rob Williams, and directed by Alex Winckler, the three-part series dives into the ruthless media attention surrounding Rachel’s murder, as well the increasingly catastrophic police investigation. Sarah Brown executive produces for STV Studios, and John Yorke serves as an executive producer.
Read on for everything to know about the heartbreaking series.
The Witness follows the experiences of Alex and André Hanscombe as they deal with the devastating impact of a brutal act of violence. When Rachel Nickell was murdered on Wimbledon Common in 1992, André became a single parent overnight. Putting his own grief to one side, he made his son Alex — the only eyewitness to the attack — the center of his world. Navigating the unscrupulous media furor and the urgency of an increasingly desperate police investigation, his sole concern became the welfare of his traumatized son. This is the story of how a father and son moved through the aftermath of an unimaginable tragedy, from darkness into light.
The Witness explores the true story of the aftermath of Rachel Nickell’s murder, and is based on Alex’s memoir, Letting Go. Read more about the true story here.
Jordan Bolger stars as André Hanscombe, while Max Fincham plays teenage Alex Hanscombe, and Jahsaiah Williams takes on the role of younger Alex. Alex and André weren’t able to meet Williams out of respect for the young actor’s age and the difficulty of the material, but they did spend some time with Bolger and Fincham. “They cared just as much about getting it right and understood what this was about for us, and it’s a privilege to have them representing us,” says Alex.
Adds André, “They both took the story to heart, and had done their research before we met them, so it was important to us that they knew they were on track and that we trusted and believed in them. Obviously, it’s strange to watch someone much younger and better looking than you, being you!”
For Bolger, spending time with Alex and André — who even showed the actor the contents of their family albums and home videos — really informed his performance. “You can't put it into words, but it's this feeling of sadness as you think to yourself, this actually happened,” says Bolger. “You already know that, but in the moment, it truly dawns on you. Not just for me, but for all of us, in front of and behind the camera.”
Yes, you can check it out above.
Yes, The Murder of Rachel Nickell, a documentary based on the true story of Rachel Nickell, her son, and her partner, will also arrive on Netflix on June 4. Alex and André Hanscombe are contributors to the documentary The Murder of Rachel Nickell. “People respond differently to drama and documentaries, so we really saw that as an opportunity to reach more people with our story and to hopefully make a difference,” says Alex on their reasons for making the accompanying documentary.
The Murder of Rachel Nickell tells the story of a young mother killed in broad daylight on London’s Wimbledon Common in 1992, leaving her 2-year-old toddler as the sole witness. Exploring the shocking, real events behind the drama series The Witness, this gripping documentary from BAFTA-nominated director Lucy Bowden examines the notorious, yearslong police investigation that followed. Featuring exclusive archival footage, firsthand accounts from family members, and insights from leading forensic experts, the film unpacks how a flawed, highly publicized inquiry led to the wrong man’s prosecution, before a stunning breakthrough reignited a family’s fight for justice more than a decade later.
“What sets [this documentary] apart is there’s a production team that gets it, and are on the same page as us,” says André. “Unfortunately, with the best intentions in the world, our experience with the media has often been that the person on the other side of the table was unable to see things from our point of view. Often, we’ve struggled to agree on what’s important, and get that message across in a way that feels true to us.”
Adds Alex, “This is the first time we’ve had a team so committed and so caring in our corner, willing to go beneath the surface and narrate our story in a way that does justice to it. This hasn’t been done overnight and simply tagged on at the last minute; we’ve been working with Danny [executive producer] for several years now. We can never thank him, the Netflix team, Tanya, Lucy, Emma, Paul, Becca, Zanna, everyone at Blast Films, and Tom, Tim, Adam, Keir, and all the crew enough for the kindness and generosity they’ve extended to us. We know that this has been a labor of love for all of them, and I know that I speak for my mother also in saying that they will always be in our prayers.”
You can watch all three episodes of The Witness now.
