Image Credit: Line Garten/Netflix
Netflix’s 3-part series takes place more than three decades after the tragic murder of Rachel Nickell that shook the United Kingdom Witness Explores the aftermath through the eyes of the two people who lived it: his partner Andre and his son Alex.
Over the years, Netflix has earned a strong reputation for series based on true events, famously baby reindeer And toxic city, and recently fables. For those series, while they openly fictionalize certain events for creative purposes, Netflix reaches out directly to the people who were involved in real life to understand the story with authenticity.
For example, baby reindeer It was created by Richard Gad, who played himself describing the traumatic events of being stalked. For toxic cityThe streamer famously reached out to real-life mothers and families in Corby. and recently fablesThe real-life Guy Stanton consulted directly with the show’s creator, Neil Forsyth, to offer first-hand anecdotes.
In Netflix’s latest British series based on true events, WitnessWe follow Alex (played by Max Fincham as a teenager, and Jahsiah Williams as a child) and Andre Hanscombe (Played by Jordan Bolger) as they try to live their lives after experiencing the ultimate traumatic event. When Rachel Nickell (played by Eleanor Williams) Murdered on Wimbledon Common in 1992, Andre became a single parent overnight. Her son, Alex, was the only witness to the attack, which took place in broad daylight and saw his mother stabbed more than 40 times. The murder case attracted unimaginable media attention, and both Alex and Andre were unable to live quiet lives. Furthermore, the investigation of Rachel’s murder had extreme complications – her 2-year-old Alex was the only witness – and the police found themselves trying to solve the case through increasingly unorthodox and controversial methods, not least arrest and prosecution. Colin Stagg, who was later acquitted. The real killer, Robert Napper, was not caught until 15 years later.
The series is created by Rob Williams, best known for his work victim And screw. It is produced by John York, Sarah Brown and Alison Sterling. Both Alex and Andre were directly involved as series consultants.
Alex Hanscomb was two years old – and a month away from his third birthday – when his mother’s unimaginable murder occurred. “I have memories of both of my parents together, some very early memories,” he told Netflix in a Q&A session. “I was blessed to have two incredibly loving parents who cared about me very much, went the extra mile for me and were willing to endure suffering for me. The feeling of love and the feeling of being loved in return and the sacredness of that kind of love is impossible to forget. I can’t explain the desire or willingness to move forward to overcome what happened to us, it’s just something that was in my heart. I think everything that happened was because of my parents’ care and love for me and God.” It was a combination of grace.”
Alex and Andre Hanscombe discuss its creation Witness And murder of rachel nickel
while making series like Witness (and a companion documentary, titled murder of rachel nickel), the Netflix team had a duty to cover the story with both authenticity and the actual truth. And as a result, they reached out to the two people who know most: Rachel Nickell’s son Alex and partner Andre. Acting as consultants, both had input from the beginning Witness and directly contributing murder of rachel nickel.
Alex and Andre Hanscombe said, “Our life has been a war.” “We can never express how grateful we are to everyone who has been a part of this, for the kindness and generosity they have given us, the opportunity they have given us, and the care they have taken in bringing our story to the screen. Our journey has been by the grace of God and the promise of moving forward together, and we feel incredibly blessed to be able to share our story in this way. We hope audiences will be left with a testament to the uphill battle of life that we all face.” And the power of faith, hope, love – and the power of never giving up.”
Witness. (Left to Right) Max Fincham as Alex Hanscombe, Jordan Bolger as Andre Hanscombe in The Witness. Ten million. Courtesy of Sophie Kohler/Netflix © 2026
The series is based on the 2015 novel Letting Go: A True Story of Murder, Loss, and Survival, by Rachel Nickell’s Son by Alex Hanscombe, where he gives a powerful, inspiring account of his life up to that time. “For years I have tried to understand and deal with what happened,” she said. “Writing the book was part of that process, but it’s a complicated journey and, for me and my father, we never felt like we had it quite right nor did we stop growing, and we both felt there was still a part of the story to share to honor my mother’s memory. At the heart of sharing our journey from darkness to light was the desire to help others. Desire. We don’t always know why things happen, ‘Why?’ There is no guarantee of our pain and suffering, nor of what our future will hold – our message is to never give up or lose hope. This life is a battle worth fighting, and everything is worth sacrificing to follow what is in your heart.
The TV series was not something that Netflix threw together immediately; This is a project that has been in the works for more than a decade. “Rob [Williams] author and john [Yorke] Alex said, “About thirteen years ago when the executive producer first heard I was writing my story he contacted us. We’ve been in touch ever since.”
As viewers of the series will see, both Alex and Andre struggle to live with the immense media influence that comes with the case. Attempting to live a life of solitude, away from media attention, the two moved abroad to France and Spain. Making this series has been a step backwards in many ways. He feels it is a story worth telling, with a powerful message to convey. Andre said, “We’ve always had a lot of trepidation, we know this is a story that has affected a lot of people: it’s a story that has shocked the country at that time.” “At first, we wanted to go as far away as possible, and live a life of solitude and anonymity abroad, but in many ways that turned out to be impossible. There was no escaping it. People suffer in different ways, and when this opportunity came up, we thought maybe there was a power of good in there somewhere. We’ve felt in the past that we’ve been forced into a box, but there’s more to our story than what’s been told before.”
Witness. (Left to Right) Jahsiah Williams as Alex Hanscombe, Jordan Bolger as Andre Hanscombe in The Witness. Ten million. Courtesy of Anna Blumenkron/Netflix © 2026
Bringing such a powerful and heartbreaking story to television is a difficult challenge in itself, but the Netflix team also had to make sure they serialized it faithfully. According to Andre, the team was extremely accommodating and willing to listen and adapt. “Rob, John, Sarah [Brown, executive producer] and andy [script assistant]They were kind enough to walk through every line with us, which was no walk in the park for them,” he said. “We will never forget this. The drama is not a home video, and they had to condense nearly thirty years into a small space of time, which is a challenge.
Alex added, “It’s a privilege that anyone is interested in our story and wants to help us, but it’s clearly been more than just a job for everyone who has been a part of it.” “From the beginning they were incredibly gracious in allowing us to share whatever was on our minds, and we met and talked regularly from then until the end, helping in whatever way we could.”
Witness and its companion documentary murder of rachel nickel Will land on Netflix on June 4, 2026.
