ITV sets date for chilling crime drama Until I Kill You based on a true story

The release date for the 'true' crime drama, Until I Kill You, is closer than you might expect.

The series is based on the real-life experiences of Delia Balmer, who was in a relationship with murderer John Sweeney. Anna Maxwell Martin portrays Delia, while Shaun Evans, known for his role in Endeavour, plays John.

The drama is adapted from Delia's memoir, Living With A Serial Killer, which recounts her encounter with John at a local pub. As an agency nurse, Delia finds comfort and love in John, and their relationship quickly progresses. However, he soon reveals his violent nature, attacking her and confessing to murdering his ex-girlfriend.

Despite being arrested, Sweeney is granted bail and nearly kills Delia before escaping. Years later, as Delia rebuilds her life, Sweeney is arrested again for another murder, reports the Mirror. She has to confront him in court, her testimony crucial to his conviction.

Anna Maxwell Martin, who plays Delia in the ITV drama, insisted she didn't want to meet Delia before filming.

"I've played quite a few real people and I have never met them before. I don't choose to do that, that's how I work. Our writer, Nick, filmed a lot of footage of his meetings with Delia, which I had access to," she explained.

"I did meet her very briefly during filming, but only because she wanted to visit the set and of course I was respectful of that. I didn't do lots of research into abusive relationships either, instead I just focussed on the character, on who she was, how she responded to things, and what I could gauge about how she interacted with people. Then you go from there and you try to be as accurate as you can in terms of how that person would behave and respond."

Shaun, portraying John in the series, found it distinctive for ITV. He explained: "Like I said earlier, I think what's unusual about it and what drew me to it is that we are focusing on the victim and telling her story but not glorifying anybody else except the victim.

"You're getting into the weeds of what that was like after the event and that's what I think is interesting and that's what is agonising and painful about it. I think that's unusual for any broadcaster. If you look at the sort of things that have been made recently within the same genre, they are focusing more on the perpetrator and not the victim."

Until I Kill You is on ITV1 and ITVX from 3rd to 6th November at 9pm followed by the companion documentary Until I Kill You: The Real Story on 7th November at 9pm.